1. The Scholarship Process
Information about how to apply for scholarships and the processes involved
Delgado Community College Student Financial Assistance office

2. What is a Scholarship?
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further their education. Scholarships are awarded based upon various criteria, which usually reflect the values and purposes of the donor.

3. SCHOLARSHIPS HAVE THREE BASIC COMPONENTS
MERIT
FINANCIAL NEED
MISCELLANEOUS COMPONENTS
Scholarships usually have one, two or three of these components. The combination and/or strength of these components will determine how competitive you are for a scholarship.

4. MERIT Merit consists of recent or current grades
Very High Merit is 3.75 and above
High Merit is 3.5
Merit is 3.0
Below there are scholarship opportunities, however financial need, gender, or ethnicity as a main component plays a role in eligibility

5. FINANCIAL NEED
There are two types of financial need in the scholarship process—
Financial need, which requires FAFSA completion and
Individual Scholarship Assessment

6. 1. FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid(
Financial Aid Offices are required to utilize a government formula for federal and state grant funds and student loans.
The FAFSA has a formula which uses income and income taxes, number of people in the household, and many other concrete measurements.
Some scholarships utilize this formula to determine need.

7. 2. Individual Scholarship Assessment Miscellaneous Components
Community Service/Volunteer Work –
ANYTHING you do for others - at an organization such as a school, church, youth organization or non- profit facility; helping a neighbor or relative who is a senior or disabled
Preferences - ethnic minority, first generation (neither parent has a four year degree), single parent and female are common

8. SCHOLARSHIP CATEGORIES
Internal Scholarships - University Or College
Local And Regional Scholarships
National Scholarships

9. Scholarships Internal to the University or College
These are scholarships offered by the college or university and are offered in general categories
such as:
Merit
College or degree specific within a university
General college/university scholarships available to all students who meet the specific eligibility requirements
Some colleges institute several applications for their scholarships while other colleges institute one, unified application.

10. Delgado Scholarships (examples)
Café Reconcile – CR grads attending Delgado
LA State Fireman’s Assoc. – Fire science majors
Leon Giorgio Endowed – For First Generation students
Fry Family Leadership – Minimum 3.0 GPA, participates in student organizations, has financial need
More Delgado scholarships can be found on our Scholarships page

11. Local and Regional Scholarships
Local organizations - credit unions, churches; organizations in which parents or students are involved
Regional and state-wide organizations -
such as labor unions, associations and non-profit groups

12. Local & Regional Scholarships (examples continued)
Shell Stars– Targets students in craft labor fields such as welding & electrician
NOLA Delta Foundation – Students enrolled at DCC, Xavier, SUNO, & Dillard. Minimum 2.7 GPA
St. Tammany Master Gardner – Attended a St. Tammany H.S., majoring in Horticulture/Agriculture
More local/regional scholarships can be found on Delgado’s Scholarships page or the Louisiana scholarships page

13. National Scholarships
These are highly competitive scholarships
national level and more difficult to get
Apply for these if you are competitive or after you have applied for the university and regional scholarships

14. National Scholarships (cont.)
Rhodes Scholars
Ronald McDonald House Charities
UNCF
National Merit Scholarship
Coca-Cola Scholars
Scholarships.com

15. Strategies FOR LOCATING SCHOLARSHIPS
Be mindful of Application timelines to apply
Locate Scholarships
Develop an Ongoing List

16. Application Timelines
Most scholarships begin accepting applications in the Fall (October or November)
application deadline in late-Winter, early-Spring months
Delgado’s Scholarship timeline
November – Scholarships updated, application posted
March– Scholarship application deadline
May – Scholarships are awarded

17. Locate Scholarships
Begin with the college or university you are attending.
Locate all scholarships for your major, ethnicity or gender, and any other miscellaneous requirements that apply to you.

18. Develop an Ongoing List
Realize that the process is ongoing.
Develop a year round calendar.
Be mindful of scholarships you missed out on for another opportunity to apply the following year.

19. DEVELOP YOURSELF Internships – Temp position w/ on-the-job training
Volunteer Work – Local Shelter or elderly home
Maintain Or Improve Grades – GPA steadily rises
Clubs Or Organizations – Frats, Special Interest Groups

20. You know have the knowledge to pursue scholarships
Questions?? Please contact our Financial Aid/Scholarship Counselors or visit dcc.edu/financial aid/scholarships