Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Technical Assistance and Support

PLEASE NOTE: Scholarship America manages this scholarship program. Scholarship recipients are not selected by The George Foundation Trustees or Staff. Please do not mail application packets to The George Foundation.

For questions regarding the requirements and content of the scholarship application, please contact: Scholarship America at georgefoundationhighered@scholarshipamerica.org or 507-931-1682 (ask for The George Foundation Higher Education Scholarship Program) or Foundation staff at scholarships@thegeorgefoundation.org or 281-342-6109.Accordion content.

For questions regarding issues or errors, contact Scholarship America staff at georgefoundationhighered@scholarshipamerica.org or 507-931-1682 (ask for The George Foundation Higher Education Scholarship Program).

Eligibility

Yes. DACA students are eligible and must upload a copy of their approval letter in the “Upload Documents” section of the application.

Yes. High school seniors who are U.S. permanent residents are eligible and must upload a copy of their U.S. permanent resident card in the “Upload Documents” section of the application.

No. Unfortunately, if you are not a U.S. permanent resident or do not fall under DACA, you are not eligible.

Yes, if you meet or exceed the selection criteria, you are eligible to apply.

This is a need-based scholarship program. Financial need, as calculated by Scholarship America, must be demonstrated for the student to receive an award. There is no strict household income limit to apply. Preference will be given to first-generation and non-traditional students.

A first-generation student is defined as a college student from a family in which neither parent has a two or four-year degree.

A non-traditional student is defined as a student returning to college or entering college after an extended delay since their previous educational experience.

Yes, you may apply for a scholarship if you have not yet been accepted to a two- or four-year public college or public university in Texas. However, the eventual awarding of the scholarship will require verification of enrollment.

Yes. As a home-schooled applicant, you are eligible to apply.

Yes. If you received a GED diploma, you are eligible to apply for The George Foundation Higher Education scholarship program.

No. You must be enrolled for a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester, both fall and spring each year, in an undergraduate course of study at an accredited two- or four-year public college or public university in Texas. Students will forfeit their award if enrolled credit hours fall below the minimum full-time requirement.

Yes. You must be enrolled for a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester, both fall and spring each year, in an undergraduate course of study at an accredited two- or four-year public college or public university in Texas.

No. The Higher Education Scholarship program requires all recipients to be enrolled full-time at an accredited two- or four-year public college or public university for the fall term in the year in which they are awarded.

No. Applicants must be pursuing an undergraduate degree at an accredited two- or four-year public college or public university in Texas to be eligible for this scholarship program. Students pursuing a second degree do not qualify for The George Foundation Higher Education scholarship program.

No, accredited online programs are not covered by The George Foundation Higher Education Scholarship Program funds.

Applying For Scholarships

APPLY ONLINE HERE

No. Scholarship applications do not require a fee.

Yes. If students want to be considered for need-based scholarships, they must complete the FAFSA.

Those students who receive a Higher Education Scholarship will automatically renew for up to three years or upon receiving an undergraduate degree (whichever comes first).  Those students who do not receive a Higher Education Scholarship award are encouraged to reapply for the scholarship for up to three years after the initial award or until a bachelor’s degree is obtained, whichever occurs first.

Yes. Students who do not receive a Higher Education scholarship in their first year are still eligible to apply in subsequent years.

The scholarship application allows you to list numerous schools. However, you will be required to declare the specific institution you plan to attend by June via mail. You must attend an accredited, two- or four-year public college or public university in Texas during the fall term to remain eligible for the Higher Education scholarship.

Application

No. The application and required supporting documents are submitted electronically via The George Foundation’s online application program hosted by Scholarship America.

Your application must be submitted by February 15 by 3:00 p.m. Central Standard Time.

No. Once the deadline for the application passes, the application will close and will no longer be available for that academic year.

Students will receive a screen and email confirmation once their application has been submitted. It is recommended that students print a hard copy of the completed/submitted application for their records.

Parent and Financial Information

All applicants must submit a Student Aid Report (SAR) received from filing a FAFSA form.

Total Income of parent(s) should be reported individually for both parents if applicant is a dependent student, or by the applicant if independent. Provide information for both natural parents when possible. If the student resides with only one parent, financial information must be received from the parent who claims the child as a dependent for tax purposes. If a parent has remarried, the spouse’s information is required if the spouse is a legal guardian of the student, claims the student as a dependent, or the student is included in the spouse’s benefit plan. If necessary, two Supplemental Financial Data forms may be submitted: The first parent/guardian may submit their information within the online application in the “Financial Information” section.  A copy of the Supplemental Financial Data form is available to download within the “Financial Information” section of the online application. The student may print the form for the second parent/guardian to complete.

Yes. Place a check in the box marked as “Non-custodian statement applies” if your custodial, non-custodial parent(s)/guardian(s) are no longer legally responsible or have failed to help contribute to your financial needs. If you check the box, you are not required to supply a copy of their W-2s or federal income tax returns.

A portion of each scholarship award may be considered taxable by the US Internal Revenue Service. Scholarship recipients are responsible for ascertaining the scholarship’s tax liability and reporting the taxable portions of their scholarship as income. See publications 520 and 970 on the IRS website for details.

The information is in IRS publication 970 on pages 5-7.

Supporting Documents

It is preferred that all documents be attached to the online application in the “Upload Documents” section rather than sent by mail.  Do not mail any documents to The George Foundation. If your College/University prefers to mail sealed transcripts or If the student’s parents are no longer together and the non-custodial parent prefers to send in the Supplemental Financial Data form separately for confidentiality purposes, they may do so by mailing the completed forms to:

Scholarship America
One Scholarship Way
Saint Peter, MN 56082

All materials must be postmarked on or before February 15. It is the responsibility of the applicant to contact Scholarship America via phone or email to confirm receipt.

Non-U.S. citizen applicants must be U.S. permanent residents and submit a copy of their U.S. permanent resident card. Student visas are not accepted. DACA students must submit their approval letter.

Please upload all required application documents in the “Upload Documents” section. Scan and attach all files as separate documents.  If a particular transcript runs more than one page, you must scan all pages and merge them into one file, then upload the entire transcript in PDF format to the “Upload Documents” section. The same procedure is required for any additional, multi-page documents you wish to upload.

As a home-schooled applicant, you should submit your parent-issued transcript.

Transcripts from different institutions must be uploaded into the “Upload Documents” section separately, each one as a separate file in PDF format.

To reduce file size, try one of the following:

  • Use a PDF converter program
  • Use an online conversion service
  • On a MAC, use Macintosh Preview
  • Compress the file
  • Use Google Drive and Adobe Acrobat to upload, then save as a compressed file
  • Use Microsoft Word conversion

After You Apply

Once the scholarship application has been submitted, you will not be allowed to make any changes to it. However, if your information changes and you are selected as a recipient, you will be able to update your information at a later date.

Recipients will be selected on the basis of students who demonstrate a strong academic performance, leadership, and financial need as determined by Scholarship America. Scholarship recipients are required to provide proof of Fort Bend County residency. Consideration will be given to first-generation and non-traditional students.

Scholarship America makes the selection of recipients. No officer or employee of The George Foundation or the schools plays a part in the selection. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.

Scholarship recipients will be notified by Scholarship America of the outcome of the application by April 30 via mail.

All applicants not awarded a scholarship will be notified via email once the selection process has been completed by May 31.

Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of The George Foundation. Payments are made in August. Checks are either electronically transferred to the college/university a student attends or mailed directly to the student (depending on the academic institution). The student is responsible for remitting payment to their college/university, for checks that are mailed to the student’s home address.

Best Practices Timeline

The scholarship check is remitted (either electronically or by the student) to the college/university you are attending as credit towards education-related expenses. When this happens, the school adjusts your unmet financial need accordingly.

Scholarship funds cover education-related expenses. Students should contact their college/university financial aid department for further details.

No. The George Foundation Higher Education Scholarship is intended to provide recipients with two or up to four years of funding.

Recipients have no obligation to The George Foundation. They are, however, required to notify Scholarship America of any changes in address, school enrollment, or other relevant information and to send a complete official transcript when requested.

Be sure that your mailing address is correct.

Save georgefoundationhighered@scholarshipamerica.org in your email contact list to be sure you receive emails concerning your application.

Review all of the information in your application carefully.

Mark the scholarship deadline in your calendar. Some scholarship programs have different deadlines, so it is very important to keep track of them.

Be sure to allow enough time to complete the application and required documents.