Each scholarship has specific requirements defined by the person (or people) who started the scholarship.
Nothing. It is free.
No. All scholarship checks are made payable to the college or university you are attending and mailed directly to the Bursar’s Office or the Financial Aid Office.
No. There are two kinds of scholarship renewals at the Hartford Foundation.
- Some scholarships are one-time awards, but you can re-apply each year. Your application is combined with all others applying for the scholarship. Receiving a renewal award is not guaranteed. Log onto the Hartford Foundation portal each November, take the new eligibility quiz, and applications will be uploaded to your dashboard, including for the award you previously received.
- Some scholarships are renewable and this is noted in your award email. You will receive an email each June with instructions on how to complete a renewal form. If you meet the criteria (gpa, financial need, specific major, etc.) your scholarship will be renewed.
No.
Yes, you may defer your award from the Hartford Foundation so long as you communicate with the Foundation about your reason for deferral. Awards cannot be deferred indefinitely.
Scholarships awarded from other organizations will have their own deferral procedures.
It stands for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It is the form you need to fill out to get any financial aid from the federal government to help pay for college. The application must be completed each year.
Apply online at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
The FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) is sent to you after your FAFSA has been processed. It is a summary of your FAFSA information and may include further instructions.
The Student Aid Index (SAI) is part of your SAR. It is the amount you and your family are expected to contribute to your college education for one year. The contribution may be through personal payments or through loans.
Some schools may offer you enough financial aid (through grants and/or loans) that you will not have to pay all of this amount; other schools will offer less financial aid, requiring you to pay more than this amount.
- A loan must be paid back.
- A grant is free money and does not have to be paid back.
- A scholarship must be applied for and awarded; it is also free money.
Most of our scholarships are for students who live in our 29-town area. There are some for other local areas. Please be sure to check the criteria.
No. While most scholarships are for graduating high school seniors who will attend a four-year college full time in the fall, there are scholarships available for students entering 2-year schools, graduate schools or vocational schools. There are also scholarships for adult learners.
It is always better to apply for scholarships when you are entering college as many are renewable.
Click on 2-Year College in the sidebar of this page, or return to the homepage and click 2-Year College.
Contact or visit your local library, your high school guidance office, your high school career center, or your college financial aid office.
There are also many websites that offer free scholarship searches. You should never pay for a scholarship search.
See the Resources page for a list of websites that offer scholarship searches.