Scholarships

The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara helps students across Santa Barbara County access higher education through scholarships and financial aid advising.

Eligible students can receive a total of four years of undergraduate funding and four years of medical/graduate level funding. The primary criteria for award selection are financial need, potential, and motivation.

Our scholarships are funded by annual support from more than 1,200 private and community foundations, corporations, and individual donors, many of which have been contributing to the Scholarship Foundation for 10 years or more. We currently manage more than 500 scholarship funds, and do not charge administration fees to our donors.

In May 2019, we awarded almost $8 million in scholarship funding to 2,447 students.

Our Scholarship Program requires that applicants have attended high school in Santa Barbara County and plan to be full-time students at an approved vocational school, community college, four-year college, or graduate or medical school. Students complete an application that includes an essay, academic transcripts, extracurricular activities list, an academic recommendation letter, an employer or other supervisor recommendation letter, and parent and student financial information. Applications are evaluated by our professional program staff and each qualified new applicant receives a personal interview by a community volunteer.

For more information on how to donate or create your own scholarship fund, contact Nicole Jones, Donor Relations Manager, at (805) 687-6065 or by email.