Scholarship Application Directions

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION DIRECTIONS
ADMINISTERED BY POLK EDUCATION FOUNDATION

Minimum qualifications to apply:

Minimum qualifications for seniors graduating from Polk County public or charter high schools to apply:

Be on track to graduate, having passed both the FSA Reading, and, Algebra I or Geometry EOC. Waivers and concordant scores below are accepted for each.

For the Algebra 1 or Geometry EOC, seniors could earn a concordant score of:
ACT Math 16
SAT Math 420
PSAT Math 430
ELA concordant score of 11 on CTL Quantitative Reasoning section

For the FSA Reading, seniors could earn a concordant score of
ACT English and Reading subtests 18
SAT Evidence-Based Reading & Writing 480
ELA concordant score of 36 on CTL Verbal Reasoning and Grammar/Writing.

Minimum qualifications for East and West Area Adult School students to apply:
Any student can apply using our hard copy application.

Minimum qualifications for Ridge and Travis Vocational School students to apply:
Any student who has missed less than 20 hours of their program can apply using our hard copy application.

Required of all applicants:

1. A signed application. Students and their parent/guardian if they are not yet 18, must sign giving permission for information in the application to be shared with review committees.
2. A copy of the students FAFSA Submission Summary.

If you meet the criteria above, please proceed using the following directions.

1. Gather all required information before you start. You'll need to have:

2. To BEGIN a NEW application, after you've read then checked all four “I have read and understand the scholarship application directions” checkboxes, click on the "WORK ON APPLICATION NOW" button at the bottom of the instruction page. Then, use the "Start New Application" section, to enter your student ID and date of birth then click the "Start New Application" button. If your information is accurate, you'll be on your way and can follow the instructions from that point on.

3. After you have successfully completed the previous "BEGIN New Application" step information will be pulled from your permanent record and displayed on the initial application page.

4. To RETURN to an application at a later time, after you've checked all four checkboxes, click on the "WORK ON APPLICATION NOW" button at the bottom of the instruction page. Then, use the "Login to Saved Application" section, to enter your student ID and password, then click the "Login to Saved Application" button.
   
   If you forget your password it can be emailed to the address you provided when you started your application using the 'forgotten your password' link at the bottom of the Login page. 
   HINT: The website will not allow you to start a second application once a student ID is in use, you must go back and make changes to the first saved application. If you get the message "student ID already in use", you must enter as a returning applicant.
   

5. Complete Your Application.
   You should have already reviewed the scholarship list to know what you qualify to apply for.

6. Even though the application is submitted electronically, you must additionally print out your completed application, have it signed (live signature required) by student only if 18, and, parent / guardian if the student is not 18, Attach the students FAFSA Submission Summary and submit the pack to your school's scholarship contact by a date they set. Applications without the proper signatures or FAFSA Submission Summary will not be reviewed. FAFSA Submission Summary should include the student's information and SAI (Students Aid Index). Signatures allow the Foundation to share your application with those other than staff, and, to use your name and picture if you are a recipient. 

7. Student and parents should not rely on school staff to double check or review an application pack, to point out any errors or missing documents, that is the responsibility of the student.

8. A listing of all classes taken in high school will automatically print as part of your application.

** Please attach all items with a single staple. No paperclips, envelopes or folders.

****Minimum qualifications for East and West Area Adult Students to apply
No minimum, any student can apply using a hard copy application from the Polk Education Foundation.


****Minimum qualifications for Ridge and Travis Vocational Students to apply
Any student who has missed less than 20 hours of their program can apply using a hard copy application from the Polk Education Foundation.

REMINDER: You must print a copy of your application, obtain live signatures as applicable, and attach the FAFSA Submission Summary. The pack will then be due to your Guidance Counselor/scholarship contact before their specific deadline. Once again, submitting online does not qualify your application; you must submit a signed hard copy application with FAFSA Submission Summary, by your counselor’s deadline, to be considered. 

AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RECIPIENT FOLLOW-UP:

At the end of the review process, school counselors are notified by the Polk Education Foundation with a list of recipients for their school and they are asked to notify students if they are receiving an award.  Students being awarded a scholarship through the Foundation are expected to attend their senior award ceremony to accept the award in case a donor comes in person to present to them. It is the donor's choice if they would like to rescind the scholarship if you do not attend your senior awards ceremony. If you are unable to attend the ceremony, please reach out to you counselor immediately so the Foundation can inform the donor of the situation. All scholarship recipients will be announced at their high school's senior award ceremonies; no letters of regret will be sent and no early notifications made unless done by a donor (some invite their recipients to club meetings).

Recipients will receive letters of congratulations and instruction from the Polk Education Foundation after all senior award ceremonies are complete. Recipients will be required to send the sponsor a thank you letter. The thank you letters should be mailed to the Foundation, and we will disburse the thank you notes to the donors. Funds are not disbursed until all requirements are met.

If the scholarship is awarded more than one time, it is the student's responsibility to follow up each year with their current transcript. Transcripts must be received by June 15th to ensure payments are posted to the student accounts by Fall term. No reminders are given; students must comply to receive further funding. 

Scholarship funds are held at the Polk Education Foundation for students to use for up to five years, and then if unused, they are returned to the donor fund. 
Do not wait to request funds until after you have graduated college; they cannot be used to make student loan payments after college is complete.  
***Please note: Scholarships administered by the Polk Education Foundation are paid out only after receipt of funds from a donor. This also stands for multiple year awards with annual renewable payments.  We offer scholarships in good faith per donor instructions, and they must pay the Foundation before the Foundation can disburse funds.