Scholarships for High School Seniors

Application period for High School seniors graduating in 2025 will be open December 1, 2024 and close February 1, 2025

Middletown Community Foundation Scholarships for High School Seniors are primarily available to students who live in the greater area of Middletown, Ohio, or attend one of the seven schools located within the service area of the Middletown Community Foundation: Al Bayan, Bishop Fenwick, Edgewood, Franklin, Madison, Middletown, Middletown Christian or Monroe High Schools. Students who attend a private school, must live in one of our service area cities (Franklin, Madison Twp, Middletown, Monroe and Trenton) unless you are African American.

If you are African American, we have a specific scholarship (Louie Cox) available to you that is open to any school in Butler or Warren County. Residency is not limited to our service area. Please discuss this scholarship with your school counselor (as there is a letter needed from them within our application) and reach out to us if you have any questions.

We have a few other scholarships which are also available to other schools within Butler, Warren, Preble, and Hamilton Counties. The criteria varied by scholarship and were set by the original donor of each scholarship.

All applicants should be registered in a college or have decided without a doubt to attend college in the fall. Every year, we receive applications from students who win scholarships and then do not attend school, meaning those scholarship dollars are unused, and other applicants are denied funding. If you are not certain you will be attending school in the fall, please do not apply for scholarships at this time.

The Common Application for the Middletown Community Foundation Scholarship program will be open from December 1st to February 1st at 5pm.

The largest pool of scholarships we have available is for High School Seniors. Make sure that you use an email account that you actively and regularly check. This is the way you will be contacted by staff regarding missing items, interview times, awards, and follow-up information.

There are two additional separate categories within the High School Seniors category: (1) Scholarships held and administered by The Middletown Community Foundation and (1) Scholarship which is sponsored and funded by the Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation: The Louie F. Cox Scholarship.

Interviews: Should you be selected for an interview after fully completing your application, they will start the first week of March, Monday - Friday. We will add additional time on the following Monday for special circumstances, upon staff approval. You will be contacted by our team via an email from the SLM portal with a date and time of your scheduled interview. Your school will also be made aware of your date and time for absentee purposes. Please keep this full week in mind when scheduling other personal events, as we cannot veer from these dates in order to keep the process moving.

You may register at any time by accessing our SLM Portal. However, you should be aware that access to site information is not available until the application opens for a cycle.

Or Scan this QR code to access the SLM Portal

Essays: Answer these essay questions. It is STRONGLY ENCOURAGED that you complete them in MS Word or a similar program and save them. (Please also take advantage of spellcheck and have your essay proofread by another person):

1 Why did you choose your stated major? If undecided, please tell us which area of interest you think you might focus on. What are your future career plans?
2 Describe an event or person, or experience that has impacted who you are.
3 Describe something you would have done differently in High School. Project what the outcome might have been.
4 Are there any extenuating circumstances that affect your family's ability to contribute to your college expenses? (If applicable) describe the extenuating circumstances and provide details explaining the financial impact on the family.

Honor Statement: We require backup documentation uploads for all self-reported academic and financial information. Your reported unweighted GPA will be compared to your transcript. We ask questions to certify eligibility for specific scholarship requirements (First in the family to attend college? Appalachian descent? Participation in Big Brothers/Big Sisters program as a LITTLE brother or sister?), which we then verify before awarding. Students who misrepresent data or falsify supporting documentation will not be considered for any scholarship.

We have compiled FAQs here as well as for each scholarship category, which can be accessed on the pertinent pages. Please read all that may apply to you. If you have any additional questions regarding deadlines, scholarship requirements, or attachments, please contact the Middletown Community Foundation at (513) 424-7369 or email [email protected].

Payments will be sent to your college/institution by mid-July.

Things to Do Before Applying for Scholarships

1 Sit down with family and discuss family finances. How much are your parents or guardians willing and able to contribute to your education? How much will you be expected to contribute?
2 Think about your “end goal.” Where do you want to be in 5 years? The answer should be employed or entering an advanced degree program if you are considering college. Do you have a career in mind? If so, how does a person get the certification necessary for that degree? If you are among the “undecided,” consider schools that offer a range of programs.
3 Research schools: Keep your budget, your level of academic ability, and your “end goal” in mind.

For budgeting, we find http://collegecalc.org/ to be a very useful resource. You can see what the bottom-line cost is for each school.
While researching schools, also research the scholarship opportunities available to you through the school. Are there automatic merit scholarships? At what point in the year do you need to apply in order to be considered for automatic scholarships?
Consider the programs available at the school. Are credits transferrable? If your chosen career has a graduate program as a requirement, does your undergrad school choice have a program that will increase your chances of getting into the graduate program of your choice? Example: Student wants to be a Veterinarian in Ohio. The ONLY Veterinary Doctorate program in the state of Ohio is at Ohio State University, and it is very competitive. The student needs to find an undergraduate program that is recognized by Ohio State as a superior program in order to give them an advantage.
Consider your academic record. What does the average student profile look like for students who are accepted into the school? (Grades, Academic Standing) If you KNOW that you want to attend a certain school, and it fits your other requirements, but you are just below their requirements for admission, consider applying by the early binding decision date, and know that you may have to work a little harder than your peers if you are accepted.

4 Visit studentaid.gov with your family for announcements and resources about federal student aid.

Things to Consider When Applying for Scholarships

Common Forms:

1 Our scholarship program is very complex. We have scholarships for varying levels of need, varying levels of merit, and scholarships that are specific to certain majors. One thing that is certain: there is a degree of merit required for each award.
2 The amount of scholarship funds awarded varies, however. Keep in mind that none of the scholarships we offer will pay for your education entirely. At best, an award can take some of the “stings” out of paying your college debt. For example, in recent years, we have gotten some great press from giving away scholarships of $25,000 and $12,500 per year. This sounds FANTASTIC if you are attending Miami University, with a price tag of about $28,000 per year! However, for this scholarship, you must attend Wittenberg with a cost of about $50,000 per year. This scholarship is actually often turned down because even the awardees have trouble affording the remaining tuition. Do NOT pick your first-choice college based on “if I get enough scholarship money from the Middletown Community Foundation….”
3 You will need to have available your financial supporting documentation that you receive.
4 You will need to have available a 7 Semester Academic Transcript. It does not have to be certified. Your counselor will need to upload a PDF of this transcript. YOU WILL NOT HAVE A SEVEN-SEMESTER TRANSCRIPT BEFORE JANUARY.
5 You will be uploading a high-resolution picture.
6 If applicable, third party recommendations will need to be submitted before the deadline of February 1st, for all "supplemental questions". These requirements will be found on your dashboard once you complete the general application.
7 All completed applications will be reviewed by a committee. If you're selected, you may be called in for an interview in early March.
8 The committee meets to review and award scholarships. You will be notified of your status via email in the last week of April.
9 If you are awarded a scholarship, you will be asked to attend (with your family) our annual award ceremony. Date, time and location will be emailed to the student and schools, each year.
10 First time scholarships will require a follow-up to be completed, by logging into your online account and complete the items on your dashboard (school name, address, student ID, 500 word essay/thank you to the donor that made your scholarship award possible. You'll also list your degree and the school you are attending). These items must be completed through the online portal by June 1st. Once completed, the payment will be processed by mid July. Note: Payments will NOT be sent to your school until these items are fulfilled.
11 Renewable scholarship payments (Years 2, 3 and 4) : If you received a scholarship that is renewable scholarship in year 1, you will receive an automated email reminder in late April of the following year to log into your online account and complete the necessary follow-up items on your dashboard (school name, address, student ID, 500 word essay describing your college experience in the past year and how this scholarship made that possible). These must be completed through the online portal by June 1st. Once completed, the renewal payment will be processed by mid July; for each year you have a renewal. Note: Renewal payments will NOT be sent to your school until these items are fulfilled.
12 Award Deferrals: If you decide after you've been awarded, that you are going to take a gap year, please contact our office at [email protected] to discuss your options. MCF staff will make a decision regarding your remaining scholarships on a case-by-case basis.
13 Early Graduation: If you were awarded a 4-year Renewable Scholarship and are on track to graduate earlier than expected, please contact us at [email protected]. MCF staff will make a decision regarding your remaining scholarships on a case-by-case basis.