The deadline is approaching for students to apply for more than 200 scholarships through the IVCC Foundation.
Each year, the foundation awards 275 students totalling more than $200,000 to IVCC students.
The deadline to apply for this year is March 7.
GPA, hometown, military status, and grade level are all things that should be considered when choosing what scholarships to apply for, according to Foundation secretary Donna Swiskoski. For example, there are some scholarships that are only open to single parents and some scholarships are open to those pursing a specific major.
Applicants are required to write an essay, and essay structure and grammar are the two most crucial aspects of the essay.
Swiskoski said that “the essay is sometimes even more important than GPA.”
Students may receive more than one scholarship, Swiskoski said, but the foundation generally tries to “spread the wealth” between all of the applicants.
Those chosen to receive the scholarships are notified by mail and are invited to a reception around September when they have the opportunity to meet the donors and discuss future plans.
The largest scholarships are both $3,500 and $2,000 while the minimum award for a Foundation scholarship is $500.
Students who receive financial aid that covers their tuition at IVCC can still receive the money from a scholarship. If a student receives more than what is needed to pay for tuition, fees and books, that money is returned to the student to do what they desire with it.
Students can get more information about scholarships by visiting the foundation Web site at https://www.ivcc.edu/foundation.
The scholarship application form also is available on the Web site.
In addition, students can contact Swiskoski in the Foundation office at 815- 224-0551, email her at [email protected] or stop in to Room C-202 to learn more about the scholarship application package.
IVCC started awarding scholarships asan incentive to incoming freshmen in the 1980s. Now, there are 110 donors and a number of awards given to students each year.