Millions of dollars in scholarships for local college students are available from the San Diego Foundation’s Common Scholarship Application, officials said Thursday.
The Community Scholarship Program offers more than 150 awards to local students attending four-year universities, two-year colleges or graduate or vocational schools.
Graduating high school students, undergraduates and those attending graduate, medical or professional schools and adult re-entry students are eligible, according to a statement from the foundation.
“The increased cost of living in our region, along with complexities in the updated FAFSA, has made it more difficult for local students to determine how they will pay for college,” said Danielle Valenciano, director of the scholarship program. “Thanks to San Diego Foundation donors, we can aid historically under-resourced college students, foster equity of opportunity in San Diego and support the local talent pipeline that builds our region’s workforce.”
Seven new awards are open to students this year, including the Rainbow College Scholarship for local students who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community. More than $4.5 million is available.
In 2023, the foundation awarded a then-record $4 million in college scholarships to more than 1,000 local students. Among the recipients, 70% are first-generation college students or the first in their immediate families to pursue a higher education, and 92% are considered low- or middle income.
The Community Scholarship Program is made possible through the donor support of 154 unique charitable funds at San Diego Foundation and is the largest in the region outside of the university system. Since 1997, the program has awarded $49 million to more than 13,000 college students from San Diego.
– City News Service
