The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara has awarded college scholarships totaling more than $6 million to 1,797 Santa Barbara County students for the 2020-21 academic year. Recipients were notified of their awards on May 15.
Of the $6,000,694 awarded this year, $2,897,798 will help support 1,000 students in North County communities, and $3,102,896 will help support 797 students in South County communities. Scholarship awards for undergraduate students average $2,734. Overall (for both graduate and undergraduate students), awards average $3,357.
Scholarships can be used for college, graduate and vocational studies, including law school and medical school.
“This news could not come at a better time,” said Barbara Robertson, Scholarship Foundation president/CEO. “In spite of everything our community has endured in recent months, we are helping almost 1,800 students get a college education.
“This organization’s status as Santa Barbara County’s leading provider of college scholarships and financial aid advising services is undiminished,”
“As encouraging as these numbers are, more needs to be done,” said Christie Glanville, Scholarship Foundation Board chair. “The foundation was forced to turn away 1,021 applicants this year owing to a funding shortfall.
“We look forward to working with our many generous donors and other community partners to reduce this number in the coming year.”
The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara is the nation’s largest community-based provider of college scholarships, having cumulatively awarded nearly $130 million to more than 53,000 county students since its founding in 1962. A nonprofit organization, the Scholarship Foundation also provides free financial aid advising services.
For more information, visit www.sbscholarship.org.