The Community Foundation of Madison & Jefferson County has served Jefferson County since 1991, managing over 60 scholarship funds for local students and assisting the community through charitable actions and management of donor funding. On Monday, December 1st, it opened applications for scholarships exclusive to Jefferson County seniors, including Madison Consolidated High School students. Each scholarship offers a couple hundred to several thousand dollars in tuition and is currently available for all seniors to apply for should they meet their requirements.
Each scholarship has its requirements, which may dampen some seniors’ expectations of unrestricted cash without strings attached. For example, some scholarships only accept applications from Southwestern students, while others only accept from MCHS applicants.
The scholarships can also contain a variety of other, more stringent requirements. These can range from pursuing a certain degree to living in a specific district or essays and letters of recommendation. The scholarships may also apply only to particular schools, can only be used to pay towards tuition, or cannot be received should the student already have a full-tuition scholarship.
Some scholarships also require a FAFSA Student Aid Index (SAI). The figure shows a prospective applicant’s need for financial aid and can be obtained from the FAFSA form, which should open sometime in December at www.studentaid.gov.
These scholarships are also undergraduate only and can only pay for tuition or tuition-related expenses at the undergraduate level.
Students only have until noon on February 9th, 2024, to complete their applications. This deadline may be extended due to the delay of this year’s FAFSA form release, which may be further delayed from December to early next year.
Despite the various requirements, most seniors, should they put in the time and effort, should be able to get many chances at thousands of dollars to put towards their education. Those with the proper credentials or the willingness to fill out some application forms may find themselves with the funding needed to help support their futures.
CFMJC program associate Julie Wells elaborated on the likelihood of getting a scholarship, “Some scholarships are very competitive and receive numerous applications. Others are more targeted, and it is sometimes hard to find qualified applicants. Whether you are a top student or an average one, you will likely find an award for which you might qualify.”
For the lucky few, the winners of each scholarship are scheduled to be announced in May during the Community Foundation’s Annual Meeting and Honors Day.
The previous graduating seniors of 2023 were awarded nearly $200,000 towards their college educations, with over 30 students receiving at least one scholarship prize. This year’s offered amount in scholarship money totals up to more than $200,000.
Regarding juniors, Wells had some additional information to share:
“Juniors need to be aware that their time is coming soon. The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, which pays for four years at an Indiana college or university, opens in July following the junior year. Pay attention to announcements from counselors, and know that we are planning a financial aid and scholarship program for juniors and their families in February.”
