General Undergraduate, Vocational, and Medical/Graduate Scholarship & Medical Loan Program
- Read Eligibility Requirements and important information below.
- Click here and complete PDF Online Application Worksheet .
- Then click here to APPLY ONLINE. Deadline: January 31, 2012. You must turn in all required materials by the deadline.
- Turn in your FAFSA Student Aid Report (SAR) to the Foundation by March 9, 2012. Please Click here for instructions on accessing and submitting your FAFSA SAR. Important notes about the FAFSA SAR: your file is considered incomplete and you will be denied funding if we do not receive your FAFSA SAR. The FAFSA cannot automatically send the Foundation a copy of your FAFSA SAR - we do not have a FAFSA school code. It is your responsibility to submit it directly to our office via email (info@sbscholarship.org) or mail.
Eligibility:
- Applicant must be a U.S citizen or permanent resident (green card).
- Applicant must have attended at least four of the six years between grades 7-12 at a Santa Barbara County school and have graduated or received a GED from a Santa Barbara County high school by June 2012.
- Applicant must be planning to attend full-time as an undergraduate or medical/graduate student at a Title IV-approved school.
Requirements and Selection:
- Application available: October 1, 2011 online at this website. This application will be for funding in the 2012-2013 academic year.
- Application deadline: January, 31, 2012. No late submissions will be accepted.
You must meet the eligibility requirements listed above and complete all parts of the application as well as submit the required supplementary materials on time to be eligible. All eligible and qualified new applicants are required to have a personal interview in Santa Barbara in the month of March following the January application deadline.
The primary criteria for award selection are financial need, potential, and motivation. Financial need is evaluated based on the student’s submission of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Completion of the FAFSA is required for all scholarship/loan applicants - even those applying for merit-based scholarships.
Scholarship awards mostly range from $500 to $5,000 per academic year, with average award amounts of $2,500 at a four-year college and $1,500 at a two-year college. Recipients must maintain full-time status and a minimum 2.0 GPA to remain eligible. Recipients are eligible for 4 years of undergraduate funding and 4 years of medical/graduate level funding. Awards in subsequent years are not guaranteed; applicants must submit a complete reapplication each year to be considered for future funding.
No-interest Undergraduate Loans:
Loan awards mostly range from $1,000 to $5,000 per academic year, with average award amounts of $2,500. Undergraduate Loans are available for up to four years of undergraduate study at a Title IV-approved 4-year institution or vocational/technical school. Loans are interest-free and repayment begins six months after the student graduates or otherwise leaves school. Undergraduate Loans must be paid in full upon graduation or when the student ceases attending college (at 1% of the total amount borrowed per month or $50, whichever is the greater amount). To apply for a student loan, please use the link to the online application above.
No-interest Medical School Loans:
Medical School Loans are awarded to students for up to 14 quarters of medical school, and can be received in addition to a prior undergraduate loan. Loans are interest-free and repayment begins 18 months after the student receives an MD degree or otherwise leaves school (at 1% of the total amount borrowed per month). For students who enter family practice or internal medicine, the medical school loan is considered paid in full when 50% of the loan has been repaid in a timely manner. To apply for a medical school student loan, please use the link to the online application above.
Interviews:
Interviews are generally conducted in the month of March following the January application deadline. In-person interviews are required, no phone interviews are conducted.
High School Seniors: Interviews are generally conducted at the school site, and our interviewers will coordinate the interviews through the school counseling office. The counseling office will contact you when your interview is scheduled. (Note: applicants from high schools with very small enrollments will have their interview at the Scholarship Foundation office.)
College and Medical/Graduate students: Interviews are conducted at the Scholarship Foundation office during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5pm). The Foundation will contact these students by email, postcard, or phone to schedule an interview, so please be sure to keep us updated if your contact information changes. Students currently attending college outside Santa Barbara County should email the Foundation at info@sbscholarship.org to indicate several days when they will be available in the Santa Barbara area for a personal interview in the month of March. A limited number of out-of-state students may request an early interview during the December holiday season, if necessary, only if their application is already complete. Please call the Foundation office at (805) 687-6065 or email info@sbscholarship.org with any questions.
Interview Tips:
- Confirm the date, time, and location of your interview when it is scheduled, and be certain to write down this important information.
- Plan for plenty of time in your schedule to allow for parking or other delays. Be on time for your interview or even a few minutes early. Dress neatly.
- Be prepared to talk about yourself including your background, motivation, academic history, activities, interests, and goals. Be able to discuss what plans you have made for financing your college education.
Important Information
Foundation student aid programs assist applicants studying in standard academic programs on a traditional academic calendar from August - June. The Foundation does not offer student aid for weekend programs, executive programs, online programs, summer sessions, research, part-time studies, correspondence or off-site studies, or for any college or vocational school that has not received approval from the U.S. Department of Education for federal student aid funding. Do not apply if you do not meet all of the eligibility requirements – no exceptions are considered.
Please note: There are two foundations offering student aid funds in Santa Barbara County: the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Foundation. The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara administers most of the student aid programs funded by the Santa Barbara Foundation. For more information on other specialty student aid programs for high school seniors please click here.
For more information, call our office at (805) 687-6065 or email info@sbscholarship.org.