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Apply Online for Scholarships

Please check the Scholarship List often. The PCC Foundation will add new scholarships as they become available.

Applications Open:

Monday, February 27, 2012

Applications Due:

Friday, April 6, 2012 by 5pm

Contact:

scholarships@pcc.edu, PCC Foundation

Scholarships available:

Scholarship List

Application Checklist

Click an item to open more information about it.

1) Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to get your EFC (Estimated Family Contribution) score. International students and other students not eligible to submit a FAFSA, please complete the Financial Need Worksheet.

Applicants for PCC Foundation scholarships must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

• Be sure to print out the confirmation page when you submit the FAFSA. It has your EFC score, which you'll enter into the scholarship application. While all applicants are evaluated for need, not all PCC Foundation scholarships are awarded to students with financial need.
• If you are an international student or other student not eligible to submit a FAFSA, complete the Financial Need Worksheet. Only students who are not eligible to apply for federal financial aid are allowed to submit the Financial Need Worksheet. All other students must submit a FAFSA and submit the EFC score from the FAFSA. If you are qualified to apply for federal aid, but believe you have too large an income to receive federal grants, you still must complete a FAFSA and provide the EFC score to qualify for PCC Foundation scholarships. All EFCs will be verified before funds are distributed.

2) Know your intended degree or certificate.

Know your academic plans before starting. Scholarships are for PCC students taking credit courses and pursuing degrees and certificates.

You will be asked:

Which of PCC's five associate's degrees you are pursuing, or if you are pursuing a certificate. If you will be a first time PCC student and are unsure what degree or certificate you will pursue, please select the one that most closely matches your goals.

3) Complete the PCC STARS application.

STARS works best with Internet Explorer. Computers with Internet Explorer are available at all PCC campus libraries and computer labs.

Once you start and save the application online, you can return to it at a later time. Please note that the pages will time-out after a fairly short amount of time, so you will want to save often to avoid losing information.

• The first time you go to the STARS application, you will click the "START HERE" button.
• If you save your work and come back to it at a later date, you will enter your user name and password to access your application.
• Applications can be changed and are not "final" until the deadline, when all applications are locked.

Sections of the application are explained in more detail below.

4) Apply for the Scoring Scholarship and up to three other scholarships on PCC STARS. One of the three additional applications must be for a scholarship of $1,000 or less.

Please do not apply for more than the Scoring Scholarship and three other scholarships. If you do, we will delete all but three.

5) Secure two recommendations.

This year applicants must submit two recommendations electronically within the STARS system.  Students can use the recommendation letter feature in STARS.  Enter the email address of the person you want to write a recommendation, and the person will be emailed a request. The person will submit their recommendation back to STARS.  It will attach to your application, and will be viewable only to the scholarship reviewers.  STARS will email you when the recommendation is submitted.  

Students can also scan paper letters and upload them to STARS.  Paper letters that are not scanned and uploaded will not be accepted.  Applications without recommendations will be deleted.

If you are a current (or recent) PCC student:

• One letter must be from a PCC instructor or PCC staff person.
• One letter may be from an individual outside PCC.

If you have never attended PCC, or have not attended for a number of years, you may submit two letters from individuals outside PCC.  Good people to ask for recommendations include employers, former employers and former teachers.  Recommendations from family members and girlfriends/boyfriends are generally not scored as well.  It is the student’s responsibility to secure the recommendations by the deadline.

Please Note: For this competition, you need not submit transcripts. We will access your PCC transcripts from the college database. If you are a student at a high school or at another college, please secure an official transcript.  Your school can email it to the Foundation at scholarships@pcc.edu, or you can mail it to the Foundation at PCC Foundation, PO Box 19000, Portland, OR 97280. Unofficial transcripts will not be considered.

Applicants must provide information that is complete and accurate and may be asked to supply additional documentation such as tax returns. Applicants found to have intentionally misrepresented information will have their scholarship rescinded.

PCC STARS Application Details

Personal information

The personal information section gathers information the PCC Foundation uses to process your application and to notify you about your award.

• If you have been a PCC student, please carefully enter your PCC ID number, which starts with the letter G. Incorrect ID numbers will delay consideration of your application.
• If you have never been a PCC student, please use the ID generator and Stars will create a number for you.

Please enter your PCC email address. Award letters will be sent to PCC email addresses.  If you do not have a PCC email address, enter another email address and notify us as soon as you register and get a PCC email address.

Opening Questionnaire

The questionnaire collects information that helps PCC STARS list the scholarships for which you are most closely qualified. This screen will prompt you to select the degree/certificate you are seeking.

Academic information

This screen will prompt you for academic information. You may also be asked for your Student Grade Status and Earned Credits.

• If you have completed 0-44 credits at PCC, enter freshman as your Grade Status
• if you have completed 45 or more, enter sophomore.

Essay Questions

Question 1, Question 2 and Question 3 on this screen help the committee evaluate your educational goals and your potential to reach the goals.

• Please ask someone you trust to review your essays before you add them to the application.
• Here are the questions:
  1. Explain your career goals and your educational plan to meet these goals. (200 to 250 words)
  2. Describe an obstacle or challenge you faced in the last 10 years. What did you learn about yourself from this experience? (200 to 250 words)
  3. Describe a personal accomplishment and the strengths and skills you used to achieve it. (200 to 250 words)

What Happens Next?

Following the application deadline, the Foundation will forward all completed applications and related documents to the reviewers. All applicants whether they are awarded a scholarship or not, will be notified by August 1, 2012. If selected, the student is expected to:

• Return the required materials (scholarship agreement, a thank you letter, and a photo) to the Foundation office.
• Maintain the enrollment and academic status as indicated by the scholarship criteria.

Disclaimer: Many of the scholarships offered by Portland Community College Foundation are funded by local organizations, individuals and corporations. Scholarship criteria or the availability of scholarships is subject to change.

Department-Awarded Scholarships

A few PCC departments have been approved by the PCC Foundation to select scholarship recipients for skills-based scholarships. If you are interested in being considered for a skills-based scholarship, please contact your Department to see if scholarships are available.

Related Pages

PCC Foundation Annual Scholarship Banquet, Establish a PCC Foundation Scholarship