WHAT IS A SCHOLARSHIP?
A scholarship is ‘free’ money awarded to a recipient who has fulfilled the requirements laid out by the benefactor of the
scholarship. The money is typically designated to help pay tuition, books, housing or other educational expenses.
Some scholarships are awarded one time and others are re-occurring. In other words, if you meet the eligibility
requirements they can be awarded to you in following years. This is generally dependent on two things: meeting
minimum grade requirements and actually filling in the form the following year.
Benefactor’s may be
•
Alumni of schools.
•
Businesses / Corporations
•
Athletic Organizations
•
Charitable organizations etc.
CAN I WIN A SCHOLARSHIP?
Millions of scholarships are offered each and every year and some years scholarships go unclaimed.
Winning a scholarship depends on several other things:
• Selecting appropriate scholarships
• Folks, it’s a numbers game – the more you apply for, the more likely you are to win. Remember you can’t win if you
don’t apply!!!
• Fill in forms correctly.
• File on time – in other words, meet the deadline!
Those students who win are the ones who make a plan to do the work…..and yes it is work!
I suggest that scholarship searching become a family affair or a group affair.
• Select an evening. Use available resources such as my web page, scholarship books, and any other resources you
can find.
• Parents can fill in the generic information such as name, address, phone number etc. and then circle or highlight or
in someway mark the section of the scholarship that the student needs to complete.
• Students will often be asked specific questions such as:

How will this scholarship money help you?

What do you plan to study at college?

How will you contribute to the community once you are educated?
• Often scholarships require specific essays or ask you to submit samples of your writing. Sometimes essays used for
college applications can be ‘recrafted’ to fit a scholarship.
WHAT TYPES OF SCHOLARSHIPS EXIST?
•
Merit Scholarships
•
Need based scholarships
•
Heritage based scholarships (Chinese, Latino, Polish, etc.)
•
Activities scholarships (sports, religious, leadership, community involvement, etc)
•
Accomplishment scholarships e.g. art, writing, dance
•
Location Scholarships for specific regions e.g. Ventura County Community Foundation
Scholarship VCCF scholarship due January 12
•
Alumni Scholarships
•
Special Circumstances (amputee, brain injury, orphan, parent, etc.)
•
Field of Study (the program you’re interested or currently in)
•
Affiliation (companies, religious groups, unions, and associations, that you or your family are
affiliated with)
•
Activities (sports, religious, academic, leadership, community involvement, etc.)
MIDDLE CLASS SCHOLARSHIP FOR UC AND CSU
This is a new program that began in the 2014-15 academic year that provides undergraduate students with family
incomes up to $150,000 a scholarship to attend University of California (UC) or California State University (CSU)
campuses.
Requirements: Be a California resident attending a UC or CSU; be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or have AB 540*
student status; meet certain income and other financial aid standards; maintain satisfactory academic progress;
not be in default on a student loan; and, must not be incarcerated.
Apply: Complete a 2014-15 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.gov or the
California Dream Act Application at caldreamact.org. Use the California Dream Act Application if you do not have
a Social Security number (SSN) or if you have a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) number. Make
sure your email address is listed on your FAFSA or California Dream Act Application.
If your family earns up to $100,000 per year: You may be eligible for a scholarship of up to 40 percent of the
mandatory system wide tuition and fees: The maximum award amount is a lesser percentage of mandatory
system wide tuition and fees for each academic year: 2015-16 (20%), 2016-17 (30%), 2017-18 (40%)
Students whose families earn between $100,001 and $150,000 per year: May be eligible for a reduced scholarship of
no less than 10 percent of the mandatory system wide tuition and fees.
MCS scholarships are not set amounts and may vary by student and institution: The award is determined after you are
awarded any federal Pell Grant, Cal Grant and institutional need-based grants for which you are eligible.
If you are selected to receive a MCS, you will be notified by the Commission.
BLUE AND GOLD OPPORTUNITY PLAN
This is a financial aid program intended to expand access to UC for lower-income students.
UC's Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan will ensure that you will not have to pay UC’s system wide tuition and fees out of your
own pocket if you are a California resident whose total family income is less than $80,000 a year and you qualify for
financial aid — and that's just for starters.
Blue and Gold students with sufficient financial need can qualify for even more grant aid to help reduce the cost of
attending.
How to apply: FAFSA/California Dream Act Application + Cal Grant GPA Verification Form (you will be automatically
considered when you submit these forms by March 2; there is no separate application for this program)
What's covered
 If you are eligible, your system wide tuition and fees will be fully covered by scholarship or grant money. The plan combines all
sources of scholarship and grant awards you receive (federal, state, UC and private) to go toward covering your tuition and fees.
 Students with greater financial need can qualify for even more grant support to help defray other educational expenses (like
books, housing, transportation, etc.).
 You don't need to fill out a separate application to qualify for the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan. You will receive the benefits of
the Blue and Gold plan automatically if you qualify.
Eligibility requirements
 Submit a FAFSA or California Dream Act Application and Cal Grant GPA Verification Form by March 2
 California resident or have AB 540 status
 Demonstrate total family income below $80,000 and financial need, as determined for federal need-based aid programs
 Be in your first four years as a UC undergraduate (first two for transfer students)
 Meet other campus basic requirements for UC grant aid (for example, be enrolled at least half-time during the academic year,
meet campus academic progress standards, not be in default on student loans, etc.)
VENTURA PROMISE
Nancy Mayerson reported to the Ventura Star Newspaper that this past fall that more than 1,100 Ventura County high
school graduates attended their first year of Ventura College free of charge, thanks to the Ventura College
Promise. The “Promise” encourages students to further their education and reach their academic goals.
Promise students have a higher retention rate because 82 percent attend Ventura College full-time—versus 46 percent
of the general student population—and use the services available to them on campus, including the Lending
Library and scholarships for year two. Promise students also can participate in the Promise Peer Mentoring
program, where a peer mentor is available to answer questions and provide guidance.
Expenses covered by the Ventura College Promise include the per-unit cost of classes, the Student Rep fee, the
Health fee, and the Student Center fee. Students may take as many units as they wish as there is no minimum or
maximum number of units that must be taken while enrolled in the Ventura College Promise.
To qualify, the recent Ventura County high school graduate must:
 Make a commitment to attend Ventura College for the two consecutive Fall/Spring semesters they are eligible for
the Ventura College Promise, immediately following their high school graduation.
 Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
 Complete a Ventura College application for admission www.venturacollege.edu and the Promise Application
 Take the college's assessment examination in Math and English.
 Work with a Ventura College counselor to develop an education plan and goal; and/or enroll in a counseling
workshop.
HOW DO I FIND SCHOLARSHIPS?
1.
Check the scholarship bulletin on line. New additions frequently appear and are organized by month due. Scholarship Lists
2.
Check scholarships posted in Bridges. Scholarships in Bridges
3.
Check our school and public library for scholarship books.
4.
Ask if your parent’s employer offers scholarships.
5.
Create your own scholarship search by using key words
Hispanic + single parent
Greek heritage + merit scholarship
Diabetes + college scholarship
7.
Recommended Scholarship Search Engines There are hundreds of search engines that ‘mine’ the same data for available scholarships. I
suggest you register with no more that three of these search engines. My personal favorites include: www.FastWeb.com,
www.scholarships.com, www.finaid.org/scholarships and a new favorite is Cappex https://www.cappex.com/
8.
Use Twitter
As you search different sites about paying for college, be careful of the “free money” ads you may see. These may be scholarship scams, If you
read the following lines, be careful: “The scholarship is guaranteed, or your money back;” Or, “You can’t get this information anywhere
else;” Or, “I just need your credit card or bank account number to hold this scholarship” Or, “We’’ do all the work”
 Check out these sites for more information about scams:
 www.finaid.org/scholarshipscams
 www.ftc.gov/scholarshipscams
TWITTER FOR SCHOLARSHIPS?
Do you tweet? A great source for college scholarship searching that many students and their parents might overlook is
Twitter.
Twitter is rich with current information and using the search feature is a great way to find new scholarships,
scholarships with approaching deadlines, and scholarship tips.
Twitter chats are another wonderful way to learn about scholarships and hear from experts in financial aid, college
admissions, and just about every aspect of the college process.
A few Twitter feeds you can try include @ScholarshipsUSA and @winscholarships
TIPS ON WINNING SCHOLARSHIPS
TOP TEN TIPS FOR WINNING SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS (FROM FastWEB)
Apply only if you are eligible. Read requirements and directions carefully.
Complete application in full. If a question does not apply, note that on the application. Do not leave a blank.
Follow directions. Provide everything that is required, but do not supply things that are not requested – you could be
disqualified.
Neatness counts. Always type the application if you can, or if you must print, do so neatly and legibly.
Make sure your essay makes an impression. Be personal and specific. Include concrete details to make your experience
come alive.
Watch all deadlines. Don’t send the materials in late – they will be refused.
Take steps to make sure your entire application gets where it needs to go. Place name on all pages of the application in
case it comes apart.
Give it a final ‘once-over.’ Proofread carefully. Ask another person to read it over before you submit it.
Ask for help if you need it. Visit your counselor or Mrs. Kapala in the Media Center.
Remember: your scholarship application represents you! Your ability to submit a neat, timely, complete application
reflects on you.
WHO CAN HELP ME WITH SCHOLARSHIP
QUESTIONS?
Media Center Staff
Counselors
If possible, contact the scholarship committee or contacts using links on their page.
Frequently, larger scholarships will have a FAQ page to assist with their most common questions.
I THINK MY INCOME IS TOO HIGH, SHOULD I APPLY?
Scholarships may or may not have financial requirements.
More and more we are finding scholarships that are need blind because they are serving specific populations.
Some examples of these special populations include:
Native Americans
Methodists
Vegetarians
Athletes
Twins
Science geeks…….and so forth!
COLLEGE GOAL SUNDAY LOCATIONS FOR FAFSA
Location
Contact
Distance from FTHS
1/14/15
6:30 PM 7:30 PM
Pacifica High School
600 E. Gonzales Rd.
Oxnard, CA 93036
Get Directions
Elmer Umipig
805-278-3134
elmer.umipig@ouhsd.k12.ca.us
4.43 mi.
1/26/15
6:30 PM 9:00 PM
Santa Paula High College & Career Center
404 N/ 6th St
Santa Paula, CA 93060
Get Directions
Glenda Learn
805-525-4400 x 9030
glearn@santapaulaunified.org
9.68 mi.
1/28/15
6:30 PM 9:00 PM
Santa Paula High College & Career Center
404 N/ 6th St
Santa Paula, CA 93060
Get Directions
Glenda Learn
805-525-4400 x 9030
glearn@santapaulaunified.org
9.68 mi.
2/5/15
5:00 PM 8:00 PM
Carpinteria High School
4810 Foothill Road
Carpinteria, CA 93013
Get Directions
Darcie Campbell
805-684-4107 x 233
dcampbell@cusd.net
18.29 mi.
)