Scholarships
SMCCCD Scholarships
Each year, the three colleges of the San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) -- Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College -- award institutional scholarships to new, continuing, and transfer students. The scholarship awards are based on academic achievement, financial need or specific interests such as clubs, athletics, and service.
Funding for our scholarships comes from contributions to San Mateo County Community Colleges Foundation which ensures that quality, affordable higher education is available to every member of our community. Visit the San Mateo County Community Colleges Foundation website to learn more.
Skyline College Scholarships
Our 2023-2024 Skyline College Scholarship Application
APPLICATION DEADLINE: CLOSED.
2024 - 2025 Scholarship Application will reopen on November 1, 2023
**ATTENTION: Scholarship Recipients who were not able to attend the ceremony may pick up their certificates at our Financial Aid Office until the end of May 2023.
Student Award/Denial Notifications for 2023- 2024 academic year will be emailed to students on Evening of April 21, 2023. Please check your "my.smccd.edu" email account for details and instructions. Scholarship Recipients do not forget to accept your to Scholarship via your AcademicWorks account. Our Scholarship Ceremony will be held In Person and will also be lived streamed on Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 4:00 PM.
Congratulations to all our Scholarship Recipients!
**Click here to view the Scholarship Ceremony Information and pictures **
Need help on writing your Thank You Letter? Click here for helpful tips and advice. If you are experiencing technical difficulities with your submission, contact me directly.
If you are a Transfer Student, who received a scholarship for 2022-2023, do not forgot to submit proof of your Enrollment Status at your new school. The proof must contain a class summary of your classes and displaying units. Please send all proofs to Ms. Patricia Flores at floresp@smccd.edu with your G# for processing. On behalf of Skyline College's Scholarship Committee, we thank you for applying and wish you continued success in your educational goals!
Please Note: External scholarships have their own terms and conditions. The donor determines which academic costs are covered by their scholarship. For example, some scholarships require the cost of books and supplies appear on a student's college invoice and they don't cover items purchased outside of the bookstore. It's important that you review the Terms and Conditions of your scholarship. The Financial Aid Office is a third party, we assist with the disbursement of these funds and follow the requirements set by the donor. We don't have the authority to override these requirements.
Palo Alto Rotary Vocational Scholarship 2023 - 2024
The Rotary Club of Palo Alto vocational scholarships are intended to provide financial assistance to students who will enroll in an accredited career program or vocational program at one of the following community colleges: Cañada College, College of San Mateo, De Anza College, Foothill College, and Skyline College. These scholarships are named in honor of Dr. Robert Smithwick, a founder of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District and long-time Rotarian. Dr. Smithwick was active in community service and devoted to improving health and education locally and abroad.
Eligible students will enroll in a program leading to a certificate or degree, and will plan to go directly into employment in that field upon completion of the program. Examples of vocational programs include but are not limited to: automotive technology, accounting, child development, dental hygiene, fashion design, graphic design, medical assisting, and many others. The scholarships are primarily need-based rather than grade-based. The scholarships are not intended for general academic pursuits, for students intending to transfer to four-year colleges, or for graduate degrees.
Up to ten (10) scholarships will be awarded typically in amounts varying from $1000 to $3,000 for full-time students and lesser amounts for part-time students. The award will be paid to the student upon confirmation of enrollment: it is intended to support the vocational educational goals of the recipient and may be used for tuition or other expenses incurred in pursuit of the educational program.
ELIGIBILITY
Eligible applicants include:
- High school seniors who will graduate in June, 2023 and will enroll in a career/vocational program in fall of 2023
- Students currently enrolled in an accredited career/vocational program described above, and continuing in that program in fall of 2023.
- Returning students: individuals with high school degrees who have been out of school and are returning to pursue a career/vocational education.
All applicants must enroll in no fewer than 6 units in an accredited career/vocational program in fall of 2023, and must intend to remain enrolled in 6 units or more for the full 2023-2024 academic year.
SCHEDULE OF APPLICATION & REVIEW
Schedule of announcement and application process:
- Friday, April 14, 2023—Application Deadline
- Friday, April 21, 2023—Applicants notified if they will be interviewed
- Thursday, May 4 & Saturday, May 6, 2023 —Applicant Interviews via Zoom (Date/Time will be assigned based on availability)
- Friday, May 19, 2023—Notification of decisions
Application Process: Application forms may be obtained from our website: www.rotarypaloalto.org, by clicking on the Vocational Scholarships link. Save the form to your files, fill it out and save the completed form to your files.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION
- E-mail your completed application as an attachment to: parscholarship@gmail.com or printed and mailed to the address below.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION:
One letter of recommendation must also be sent to support your application, preferably from a current or former instructor. You should send this page of application instructions to the person who will be writing a recommendation for you. It will help them understand the intent of the scholarship, and the procedure for them to submit their recommendation.
- Letters of recommendation should be e-mailed to: parscholarship@gmail.com
Or, applications and letters of recommendations may be mailed to:
Palo Alto Rotary
Vocational Scholarships
P. O. Box 592
Palo Alto, CA 94302
Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship
To qualify for the scholarship, students must be:
- Pell-eligible
- Have a Pell-eligible EFC
- Must be less than 24 years of age
- Or enrolled at an institution of higher education at the time of his or her parents or guardians death
For purposes of the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship, a “public safety officer” is:
- An individual serving a public agency in an official capacity, with or without compensation, as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or chaplain;
- An employee of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) who is performing official duties of the agency, if those official duties:
- are related to a major disaster or emergency that has been, or is later declared to exist with respect to the area under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act; and
- are determined by FEMA to be hazardous duties;
Check Children and Fallen Heros Scholarship Act for more information regarding this scholarship and to view definitions.
External Scholarship Opportunities
There are plenty of scholarships available to apply for outside of the district. See a list of scholarships we recommend looking into based on your personal background, interests, and goals.
Additional Scholarship Resources
For more tips on searching for scholarships, please visit:
- www.finaid.org/scholarships
- https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search
- www.thesimpledollar.com/college-scholarship-guide
If you have questions, please contact Patricia Flores or the Financial Aid Office
Application Process
- Student must go to My AmeriCorps Website and electronically submit a request indicating Skyline College as their school.
- Student must be registered for classes in the semester they are requesting funds for.
Please note: To ensure proper and timely payment of your award, it is our practice to accept only one Americorps award request per term. Skyline College must see that you are enrolled in at least 0.5 units for the term you are requesting. If you are not enrolled, your request will be denied. Your award is then pending the release of federal funds to Skyline College.
Timeline for Americorps Scholarships
- The process may take up to 6 weeks
- Email Financial Aid Director Ariackna Soler once you complete your electronic voucher
- A check will be mailed to Skyline College's Financial Aid Office (2 weeks)
- Check requisition forwarded to Cashiers Office (2 weeks)
- A check will be mailed to student's address on file with the Admissions & Records Office (1-2 weeks)
- Please note: mailing address can be updated through your WebSMART account
Payment Schedule for Financial Aid and Other Scholarship Payments
There are two major payment days at the beginning and at the mid-point of each semester for all students eligible for payments by those dates. These are followed by secondary payment dates every week to pay students who were not previously ready for payment. For disbursement dates, please see the Financial Aid Status page.
Additional Assistance
If you have any questions, please email Financial Aid Director Ariackna Soler or call (650) 738-4350.
How do I pay for a study abroad experience?
Study abroad can seem expensive, but there are sources of financial aid available to help with the costs. Please visit the Study Abroad website for more information.