Scholarship Season Kicks Off

Homepage archive, published 2/3/10

CCF scholarship recipient Norma Sanchez with her mother at the Fraser Scholarship dinner in November 2009. (Photo courtesy of Norma Sanchez)

CCF scholarship season is under way, with selection committees convening and students beginning to apply for scholarships for the 2010-2011 academic year. This year especially, students need scholarships to support their educational pursuits because of tuition increases and fewer scholarships available to them.

Deep budget cuts and increased tuition at California’s public colleges and universities are making college unaffordable for many students. Basic undergraduate fees at UC schools next fall will be about $10,302 a year, a 32 percent increase; room, board, books and additional campus-based charges could add $17,000 more. Community colleges have increased fees 30 percent from $20 to $26 per credit.

The bleak economy has also forced scholarship providers — including foundations, corporations, state governments and colleges — to severely cut back or cancel their support. ACT, a nonprofit that manages and designs scholarship programs for foundations and companies, has seen a decline of nearly 5 percent in total scholarship dollars available.

For many students, CCF scholarships offer motivation and financial resilience when they need it most. For example, Norma Sanchez, an ambitious second-year medical student at UCLA, has her sights set on becoming a general practitioner. Her career path recently got a boost when she was awarded a scholarship from the Robert C. Fraser Fund, the largest restricted scholarship fund at CCF.

Read more about Norma Sanchez and why her scholarships are motivating her to achieve her dreams.

Read about the wide range of scholarship funds and your options when creating a fund.

Find out how you can make a difference in a student’s life.

Learn about a donor’s experience helping students from his alma mater.

Meet CCF's Scholarships Manager Kerry Franco.

Students interested in applying for scholarships should contact the guidance counselor at their institution for more information.