Scholarships
Scholarship Spreadsheet / Hoja de cálculo de becas
Local Scholarships for CHS seniors
Coming in spring of 2024
Paul Nelson Memorial: Minimum 2.5 GPA
Central Lions Club: Minimum 2.5 GPA
Masonic Memorial: No Minimum GPA required
Unruh Band Grant: Must pursue music major, no minimum GPA required
MICF: No minimum GPA
Monmouth-Independence Rotary Club Scholarship
Regional Scholarships
2023 OJF Scholarship Guidelines & Application.pdfScholarship Websites
Scholarship websites:
OSAC - There are hundreds of scholarships available to Oregon students. You can apply for up to 40 different scholarships with just one application.
Ford Scholars Program - This life changing scholarship is open to documented and undocumented students.
Oregon Goes to College - Great resource of scholarships for students who plan to stay in Oregon for college.
Scholarships A-Z - This website has scholarships that do not require U.S. citizenship.
JLV College Counseling - Variety of different scholarships for students.
Fastweb.com - This website has a plethora of scholarships for students.
A list of scholarships for women and girls
Extensive list of scholarships - This list was provided by Rudy Sanchez, an admission counselor from Pacific U.
Undocumented/DACA Student Resources
Undocumented Resources - Check out the resources for undocumented students from Oregon Gear Up.
Cómo acceder a la universidad como estudiante indocumentado
My Undocumented Life - Resources for undocumented students
Golden Door Scholars - Outstanding resource for undocumented students.
OSAC - There are hundreds of scholarships available to Oregon students. You can apply for up to 40 different scholarships with just one application.
Ford Scholars Program - This life changing scholarship is open to documented and undocumented students.
Oregon Goes to College - Great resource of scholarships for students who plan to stay in Oregon for college.
Scholarships A-Z - This website has scholarships that do not require U.S. citizenship.
JLV College Counseling - Variety of different scholarships for students.
Additional Information / Información Adicional
There are many different types of scholarships available for many different types of students. Many students wait until their Senior year to begin applying for scholarships ... but many scholarships can be awarded earlier and saved until college.
Scholarships are free money.
Thousands of scholarships are available.
Three basic types: National, State, and local.
Scholarships can be either need-based or merit-based. Need-based scholarships are dependent on your financial need, which is often determined by your expected family contribution (EFC) that you receive by filling out the FAFSA. Merit-based scholarships do not take into account your financial need but rather your grades (GPA), extracurricular activities (sports, leadership positions, and volunteer service), and standardized test scores (ACT/SAT).
National: From corporations or foundations. Example: Coca-Cola Scholarship for $20,000 or Dell Scholars for $20,000.
Pros- large amount of money, may provide mentorship
Cons- Competing against a large pool of students across the country
State: From a variety of businesses, foundations, and other entities. Example: Ford Family Foundation Scholarship which pays for 90% of your schooling expenses or the Harrington Family Foundation which awards $16,000 to Oregon leaders.
Pros- Still large awards, smaller pool of applicants, may provide mentorship
Cons- May have rigorous requirements, may be specific to one major such as forestry
Local: From local businesses, organizations, or individuals. Example: Ivy B. Thomas which is only for CHS students, the Lyons Club, or M-I Community Foundation.
Pros- A much smaller pool of applicants, competing against those who put in work
Cons- Awards can be much smaller
Institutional Scholarships: Scholarships available only to students who have been admitted to a college or university. These awards can vary widely. For example: WOU has a diversity scholarship that is worth $6,000 and is renewable for four years. They also have a full-ride scholarship, the David S. Brody Scholarship, which pays for full tuition and room and board, which is worth approximately $100,000 over four years. CHS had a grad who won this award in 2019.
Pros- Only competing against other admitted students.
Cons- Some scholarships are major specific
Points to note: You can only win scholarships that you apply for. Sounds simple enough, but if you don’t apply for a scholarship because it’s only $500, then you won’t win.
Small scholarships add up. If you win a couple of $500 scholarships and one $1,500 award, it can add up quickly.
Before you apply to any scholarship: carefully read the requirements and look at the deadline. You need to make sure that first, you qualify for the scholarship. Most scholarships have a GPA requirement, make sure you meet that requirement. Next, all scholarships have deadlines, make sure that you have enough time to complete the scholarship and get all required materials before the deadline. For example, some scholarships require an official transcript, which you can only get from Mrs. Love, the CHS registrar. You will need to give her at least two weeks notice. The same goes for letters of recommendation which many scholarships also require; you need to give your teachers or recommenders at least two weeks notice to write the letter for you.
Consider creating an email just for scholarships and other college related business. You should not be using your CHS student email for your scholarship applications.
Be wary of scholarship websites that seem too good to be true. If they ask for your email to create an account, that is acceptable, but you should never have to pay anything for scholarships.
Look out for other programs such as CAMP, TRIO SSS, and other programs schools may have.
Scholarships are free money. You should be applying for as many scholarships as you qualify for. Many students do not want to go into debt for their education, applying for scholarships is a great way to achieve that goal.
Local Scholarships
Scholarships available to CHS students exclusively or within a small region.
General Scholarships
Scholarships available to a much broader audience - statewide or nationwide.
FastWeb Scholarships
A free service that matches members to relevant scholarship opportunities. About 1.5 million scholarships valued at over $3.4 billion dollars, something to meet every student's educational goals, activities and interests.
Scholarships.com
A free college scholarship search and financial aid information resource.
OSAC Scholarships
OSAC awards grants and scholarships of more than $118 million to thousands of Oregon students in their quest to achieve a college education. You will also find the Oregon Promise application on their website. Visit oregonstudentaid.gov or click here.