The Scholarship Process Information about how to apply for scholarships and the processes involved Delgado Community College Student Financial Assistance office

What is a Scholarship? A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further their education. Scholarships are awarded based upon various criteria, which usually reflect the values and purposes of the donor.

SCHOLARSHIPS HAVE THREE BASIC COMPONENTS MERIT FINANCIAL NEED MISCELLANEOUS COMPONENTS Scholarships usually have one, two or three of these components. The combination and/or strength of these components will determine how competitive you are for a scholarship.

MERIT Merit consists of recent or current grades Very High Merit is 3.75 and above High Merit is 3.5 Merit is 3.0 Below 3.0 --there are scholarship opportunities, however financial need, gender, or ethnicity as a main component plays a role in eligibility

FINANCIAL NEED There are two types of financial need in the scholarship process— Financial need, which requires FAFSA completion and Individual Scholarship Assessment

1. FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid (www.fafsa.ed.gov) Financial Aid Offices are required to utilize a government formula for federal and state grant funds and student loans. The FAFSA has a formula which uses income and income taxes, number of people in the household, and many other concrete measurements. Some scholarships utilize this formula to determine need.

2. Individual Scholarship Assessment Miscellaneous Components Community Service/Volunteer Work – ANYTHING you do for others - at an organization such as a school, church, youth organization or non- profit facility; helping a neighbor or relative who is a senior or disabled Preferences - ethnic minority, first generation (neither parent has a four year degree), single parent and female are common

SCHOLARSHIP CATEGORIES Internal Scholarships - University Or College Local And Regional Scholarships National Scholarships

Scholarships Internal to the University or College These are scholarships offered by the college or university and are offered in general categories such as: Merit College or degree specific within a university General college/university scholarships available to all students who meet the specific eligibility requirements Some colleges institute several applications for their scholarships while other colleges institute one, unified application.

Delgado Scholarships (examples) Café Reconcile – CR grads attending Delgado LA State Fireman’s Assoc. – Fire science majors Leon Giorgio Endowed – For First Generation students Fry Family Leadership – Minimum 3.0 GPA, participates in student organizations, has financial need More Delgado scholarships can be found on our Scholarships page

Local and Regional Scholarships Local organizations - credit unions, churches; organizations in which parents or students are involved Regional and state-wide organizations - such as labor unions, associations and non-profit groups

Local & Regional Scholarships (examples continued) Shell Stars– Targets students in craft labor fields such as welding & electrician NOLA Delta Foundation – Students enrolled at DCC, Xavier, SUNO, & Dillard. Minimum 2.7 GPA St. Tammany Master Gardner – Attended a St. Tammany H.S., majoring in Horticulture/Agriculture More local/regional scholarships can be found on Delgado’s Scholarships page or the Louisiana scholarships page

National Scholarships These are highly competitive scholarships national level and more difficult to get Apply for these if you are competitive or after you have applied for the university and regional scholarships

National Scholarships (cont.) Rhodes Scholars Ronald McDonald House Charities UNCF National Merit Scholarship Coca-Cola Scholars Scholarships.com

Strategies FOR LOCATING SCHOLARSHIPS Be mindful of Application timelines to apply Locate Scholarships Develop an Ongoing List

Application Timelines Most scholarships begin accepting applications in the Fall (October or November) application deadline in late-Winter, early-Spring months Delgado’s Scholarship timeline November – Scholarships updated, application posted March– Scholarship application deadline May – Scholarships are awarded

Locate Scholarships Begin with the college or university you are attending. Locate all scholarships for your major, ethnicity or gender, and any other miscellaneous requirements that apply to you.

Develop an Ongoing List Realize that the process is ongoing. Develop a year round calendar. Be mindful of scholarships you missed out on for another opportunity to apply the following year.

DEVELOP YOURSELF Internships – Temp position w/ on-the-job training Volunteer Work – Local Shelter or elderly home Maintain Or Improve Grades – GPA steadily rises Clubs Or Organizations – Frats, Special Interest Groups

You know have the knowledge to pursue scholarships Questions?? Please contact our Financial Aid/Scholarship Counselors or visit dcc.edu/financial aid/scholarships