Each year, up to 20 students throughout Siskiyou County, California are selected to receive a Ford Scholars award. The scholarship is not a set amount, but is calculated to cover 90% ($1,000 minimum/$25,000 maximum per academic year) of each student’s college costs that are not covered by other resources (such as grants and scholarships), his or her expected family contribution (EFC) from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and a $1,000 Ford Scholars work expectation. The scholarship can be renewed annually for up to four years of undergraduate study.

Applicants must be residents of Siskiyou County, California as well as U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens. There are two types of eligible applicants: 1) students with a high school diploma or GED, or about to complete high school, and have not attended college full-time 2) students who have completed or will be completing two years at an accredited public or private two-year college, and will be entering their junior year at a four-year college in California in the fall of the application year.

Applicants must plan to earn a bachelor’s degree and to enroll full time in the fall of the application year at a public or private, accredited, Title IV eligible, non-profit California college. Note: Oregon Institute of Technology is an eligible institution for Siskiyou County residents if a tuition reciprocity agreement exists. Southern Oregon University is also an eligible institution if a recipient will transfer from College of the Siskiyous with at least 30 transferrable credits and if a tuition reciprocity agreement exists.

Students with existing bachelor’s degrees are not eligible to be recipients of Ford Family Scholarships.

Graduate school funding may be an option for Ford Scholars who were awarded the scholarship as an undergraduate and who successfully completed their bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.6 cumulative grade point average (GPA) from their degree-granting institution. For further eligibility requirements, contact the Foundation Scholarship Office.

Below are additional selection criteria for the Ford Scholars Program. The applicant must demonstrate:

1. Financial need. Each applicant must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and not exceed the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) limit, as established by the Foundation. For 2012, the EFC upper limit in anticipated to be $6,000. Scholarship offers may be rescinded if an applicant's FAFSA changes prior to fall term of the application year and he or she no longer meets the financial need criteria. The FAFSA should be filed early in January and must not have a rejected status at the time of the scholarship application review (mid-March).
2. Leadership skills and leadership roles in school and community activities.
3. A concern for others and a contribution of time and energy to volunteer projects and/or service organizations.
4. A contribution to personal success through paid work experience.
5. An ability to clearly communicate about personal strengths and goals and to present ideas clearly and concisely in both the essays and the required individual interview with a Foundation selection committee.
6. An ability to succeed in college* as demonstrated by a high school or college GPA of 3.00 or higher, or a GED score of at least 2650. Applicants with less than a 3.00 cumulative GPA or 2650 GED must have a school counselor, advisor, or teacher submit a Special Recommendation as part of the online application. See instructions.
   
   * Submitting SAT or ACT scores is highly recommended.

Apply online for the Ford Scholars Program by visiting www.OregonStudentAid.gov/ford-siskiyou.aspx. The online application is available beginning in the fall of each year.

The Siskiyou County Scholarship Guide & Workbook is released in the fall of each year. Consult the OSAC website or contact the Foundation Scholarship Office for additional information about financial aid and scholarships in Siskiyou County, California.

Don’t forget that in order to qualify for need-based scholarships, applicants must submit a FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1 and before March 1 to be certain it is available in time for the Ford Family scholarship application review. Submit online at www.fafsa.gov.

Your online application must be submitted by March 1. All eligible applications are reviewed and the most qualified applicants are invited to individual interviews in mid-May. Applicant interviews are conducted in Weed, California.

Please contact:

The Ford Family Foundation Scholarship Office
440 East Broadway, Suite 200
Eugene, OR 97401
Toll free: (877) 864-2872
Local: (541) 485-6211
E-mail: fordscholarships@tfff.org
Fax: (541) 485-6223