Students who want to receive an IVCC Foundation Scholarship for next school year must submit their applications by the 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11 deadline.

One reason students may wish to apply is the high probability of being awarded a scholarship.

Donna Swiskoski, administrative assistant in the foundation office, said 410 applications were filed in 2020, but 55 were ineligible because of either not having completed the FAFSA or neglecting to provide an essay with their application.

“So, from that we had 355 students that were eligible this past year within our pool and from that we awarded 331 students,” she said. This would mean that of the eligible applicants, over 93 percent received scholarships.

The scholarships awarded, totaling $300,000 according to Swiskoski, require that you write and submit an essay with your application for consideration and have filed the FAFSA. The scholarship application form is available at https://www.ivcc.edu/foundation/scholarship-listing.php .

Awards start at $500 and can reach up to $4,500. Scholarships are available for both full-time and part-time students.

Scholarships range from general awards, if you are not currently committed to a major, or major and career specific awards.

The foundation scholarship consists of many different awards, all which can be applied to using the same application, and the process is simple, according to Swiskoski. Just fill out the required information, write your essay, and you will be entered into the pool of other student applicants who are eligible to receive the scholarships that are up for grabs.

The essay length is two pages.

A lot of students may be scared off by the idea of writing an essay, but the reward is much more than worth the time spent writing. In recent workshop for students, Swiskoski said, “It’s just as easy as filling out a job application.”

The Illinois Valley Community College Foundation has awarded over $1 million in scholarships over the last four years.