Students can apply for Idaho Opportunity Scholarship
The Idaho State Board of Education is accepting applications for the 2017-2018 Idaho Opportunity Scholarship. The scholarship is available to Idaho resident students who will be enrolled in an Idaho college or university as an undergraduate in the 2017-2018 school year. Scholarship recipients can receive up to $3,000 in a single school year for tuition and fees.
Idaho Opportunity Scholarship award recipients are selected based on a combination of financial need and academic merit. Funds for the scholarship are appropriated annually by the Idaho Legislature with a recommendation from the Governor. For the 2016-2017 academic year, $10 million was appropriated, resulting in 3,452 scholarship awards averaging $2,885 per award.
The deadline to apply for the scholarship is March 1, 2017. To be eligible, current high school seniors or undergraduate college students must:
• Have an unweighted, high school or college cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
• Be an Idaho resident
• Be a graduate (by the end of the Spring 2017 semester) of an Idaho public or private high school or its equivalent, including home schooled students or have a GED from Idaho
• Complete the online State Board of Education scholarship application (www.boardofed.idaho.gov) by March 1, 2017
• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) prior to March 1, 2017
• Enroll as a full-time undergraduate student at Lewis-Clark State College, University of Idaho, Boise State University, Idaho State University, Brigham Young University-Idaho, Northwest Nazarene University, or College of Idaho, or enroll in at least nine credits at College of Western Idaho, College of Southern Idaho, Eastern Idaho Technical College, or North Idaho College
The scholarship funds are available for one school year. Recipients must re-apply each year and are eligible to receive the scholarship for a maximum of four years. The application for this scholarship cycle is available earlier than in previous years to coincide with earlier availability of the FAFSA.
The State Board has established the website, www.NextSteps.Idaho.gov, to be the premier resource for Idaho students, families and educators to find detailed information about going-on from high school to postsecondary education. Additional information regarding the Idaho Opportunity Scholarship, other scholarships offered by the State Board of Education, and the FAFSA can found at the Next Steps web site or by calling Joy Miller, Scholarship Program Manager, at (208) 332-1595.
The State Board of Education is charged with the general supervision and governance of the public educational institutions and the public school system of the State of Idaho. To learn more about the Idaho State Board of Education, please visit www.boardofed.idaho.gov.