Scholarships

2025-2026 Scholarship Application

Application Opens: January 15, 2025

Application Deadline: May 15, 2025

Additional open dates may become available, and will be listed here and on the scholarship portal.

Specific scholarship opportunities that open AFTER the deadline will be listed on the scholarship application portal as they become available.

To increase the possibility of receiving a scholarship award, students should submit their completed applications before the deadline. Students are matched with eligible award opportunities throughout the entire academic year. Recipients will be notified through their ACES email and will have two weeks to accept their award.

Students submit ONE general application to be considered for multiple “auto match” Alamo Colleges Foundation scholarships during the current scholarship application cycle.

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Some academic programs also offer departmental scholarships that require you to complete a separate scholarship application. Please inquire about these scholarships with the academic department handling your major/plan of study.

Although many scholarships require a 2.5 or greater grade point average, there are also several scholarships that require a 2.0 GPA or greater.

Most scholarships require you be enrolled full time (12 credit hours or more). Some scholarships, however, require a minimum of only 6 credit hours (part time).

Yes. The Alamo Colleges District recognizes developmental coursework in consideration toward enrollment hours. Refer to the scholarship criteria for which you are applying.

If it states that developmental courses are not allowed in the requirements of a particular scholarship, then you would not be considered in that pool of applicants; however, the majority of Foundation scholarship opportunities allow developmental courses.

Please refer to www.irs.gov for detailed information regarding personal finance and taxes.

Alamo Colleges Foundation offers many different scholarships. It is important that you fully complete the application to allow us to consider you for every scholarship for which you may be eligible.

Some scholarships require additional documents such as letters of recommendation, or an additional essay. Someone from the scholarships team or from the relevant college department will contact you to submit these documents if you are considered for such scholarships.

There are many AI tools available to students (like ChatGPT). While AI tools can be helpful for brainstorming ideas, outlining, or editing, and are often useful when learning a language, your final essay must be your own work. We expect that you write all essays and short responses submitted for review in your application.

The essays we love to read, and that are most helpful to us in making a decision, tell us something new about you and (most importantly) are in your voice. We should hear your voice and your perspective when reading your essay. The quality of your writing isn’t as important to us as the message you’re sharing.

Scholarship judges or scholarship selection committees review and score scholarship applications. Judges/committee members are composed of faculty, staff, and/or community representatives.

Rating points are given to each applicant for GPA, academic plans, extracurricular activities, leadership skills, participation in community activities, and responses to the essay questions.

Selections are based on the applicant meeting the minimum scholarship criteria, and the points given by scholarship judges/selection committees.

Foundation scholarships are awarded and administered without regard to race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. All students are invited to apply for available scholarships

*If you are not a currently enrolled student, and would like to participate in our judging process, please visit Scholarship Judging | Alamo Colleges.

Scholarship reviews begin after the Application Deadline and continue throughout the academic year. You will be notified by email if you are selected to receive a scholarship.

There are some scholarships that are renewable, depending on donor wishes. These scholarships are renewed on a semester-by-semester basis as long as the recipient maintains scholarship criteria and requirements.

At the time of the initial award, you will be notified if the scholarship you are awarded is renewable.

Alamo Colleges Foundation reserves the right to cancel any scholarship at any time if the recipient fails to meet the standards of academic progress, scholarship criteria and requirements, or if falsification of information is reported or determined.

There may be situations where if a scholarship renewal is denied, you can apply for an appeal based on GPA and/or credit hour deficiency, or you have dropped a course, and are requesting an exception for repayment. Please complete the Scholarship Appeal Form.

Click here to view the Scholarship Application Student Presentation.

Essay Prompt: Please describe your journey in attending Alamo Colleges:

WITHOUT USING YOUR NAME include a short description of yourself

• Hometown, hobbies, strengths
• Involvement (employment, family commitments, community service, organizations, military service, other activities)
• Reason for your selected degree program, plans after you complete your degree at Alamo (employment or transfer college)
• And share any particular barriers to your goals that a scholarship may help you achieve.

Essay Tips: The essay is scored based on content and grammar.  Be sure to proofread before you submit.

ALL RESPONSES MUST BE ANONYMOUS. IF YOU INCLUDE PERSONAL IDENTIFIERS (SUCH AS NAME), YOUR ESSAY SCORE WILL BE REDUCED.

Use full sentences and proofread your responses for spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Responses should be at least four sentences and less than 800 words. It is highly encouraged to use word or google docs to calculate word count and make any grammar/spelling edits as necessary.

Scholarship Data at Alamo Colleges

Each academic year has one General Foundation Scholarship application cycle. Students must submit an application every academic year to be considered. There are few faculty selected scholarships at each individual campus that do not require a foundation scholarship application.

Impact of Scholarships on Student Persistence

Persistence is an important measure for colleges and universities in predicting how many students will complete their ultimate goal of achieving their degree so they can move on to advanced studies or to begin their career.