Scholarships

Some resources you can use to search for scholarships are as follows:

• Opportunity Fund
  The Opportunity Fund provides financial assistance to students taking at least six credits who may not normally qualify for funding based on financial guidelines established by the governmental bodies and private foundations. It is an institutional scholarship with flexible guidelines. Each application is reviewed by an internal committee. Preference is given to those students who demonstrate a contribution to student life at the college. Students can renew their scholarship for a second year if they remain in good standing. Applications should be submitted in the admissions and registration office by July 1 for fall semester and November 1 for spring semester.
  
  Opportunity Fund Scholarship Application (doc)

• ESSENCE Scholarship
  The Hagerstown Community College Foundation, Inc. sponsors a scholarship for high school students enrolled in the Early Support for Students to ENter College Education (ESSENCE) Program, a collaborative effort with the Washington County Public Schools, Washington County Private Schools, ad Washington County Home Schools. The ESSENCE Scholarship is available to students in their junior and senior years of high school, who are taking college course work at HCC while still in high school.

  ESSENCE students receive a 50% tuition discount from HCC. ESSENCE scholarships cover the remaining tuition costs after the 50% reduction. Students are responsible for the cots of the registration fee and books. ESSENCE scholarships are need-based. This means that students must meet the income criteria established by the HCC Foundation. The maximum number of credits covered by the scholarship is six (6) per semester. The maximum credits a student may qualify for the tuition reduction at HCC is 12 credits in total.

  ESSENCE Scholarship Application (pdf)

• Hagerstown Community College Scholarships (doc)
  Applications for both the HCC Foundation Scholarships and scholarships awarded through the Financial Aid Office are available in both the Financial Aid Office and the Office of Institutional Advancement. The HCC Foundation Scholarship Committee awards a number of scholarships each with its own criteria and dollar amounts in the fall and spring of every academic year to students taking at least six credits. Recipients are selected by the Foundation Scholarship Committee. The Student Financial Aid Office uses the same application and awards miscellaneous scholarships from private donors and organizations. They are usually awarded to students in financial need and who show scholastic promise. Most scholarships are for a one year period but some may be renewed the following year. Applications are kept on file for one year in the event additional funds become available to award.
  
  Foundation Scholarship Application Form (pdf)
       (you may need to download acrobat reader)

• HCC Faculty/Foundation Scholarship for Academic Excellence Committee
  The HCC Faculty/Foundation Scholarship for Academic Excellence Committee offers an academic excellence scholarship program for qualified graduates of area high schools. The committee awards these scholarships to the qualified scholar who has the highest Quality Point Average among the applications received from each school. These awards provide $550 per semester at Hagerstown Community College. Recipients who maintain satisfactory academic records at the College will be supported for four consecutive semesters of college for a total of $2200.
  
  Application Guidelines
  Faculty/Foundation Scholarship for Academic Excellence Application (pdf)
       (you may need to download acrobat reader)

• Community Organizations
  Local community organizations have scholarships available. Contact specific organizations for applications and more information.

  The Financial Aid Office receives announcements and notifications about local and nationwide scholarships. These announcements are advertised in The Hawk, the campus newsweb on a regular basis. Please make sure you check it often.

• Computer
  There are a lot of resources available by using the Internet. If you do not have a computer, you can go to the local library or your high school. Following are just a few of the search possibilities:

  http://www.fastweb.com
  http://www.finaid.org
  http://www.collegenet.com
  http://usagroup.com

• Library
  Your local library has a number of books on scholarships which you could review.

NOTE: There are millions of dollars available for scholarships and it takes a lot of time and effort to obtain information on this. Prospective students must be willing to take the time to do it.