Scholarship FAQ
Scholarship Central accepts applications from January 1 – March 1 each year. These applications are for scholarships to be used during the upcoming academic year beginning with the fall semester and concluding the following summer term. The application deadline for scholarships is March 1.
Applicants are required to share financial information to be eligible for Scholarship Central Scholarships. This information is typically collected through the submission of the FAFSA. This year’s FAFSA is changing to be available on December 1st.
All scholarship applications in Scholarship Central require the following information:
- A completed FAFSA. Click HERE for step-by-step instructions on completing the FAFSA.
- Your GPA – unweighted; your school counselor will verify the information you provide.
- Official school transcript
- ACT and/or SAT scores
- Some scholarships require additional information, which is noted with that scholarship. Criteria vary for each scholarship and applicants must meet the specific criteria for each scholarship. Award amounts and the number of awards are estimates and may change.
Scholarships will be announced at Celebrating Achievement, CKCF’s annual event that recognizes the academic excellence of scholarship central recipients. This also allows an opportunity for scholarship donors to meet the students who benefit from their generosity.
Most scholarships are for one academic year, but we do offer some renewable scholarships.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I apply?
- What are the basic eligibility criteria?
- When is the scholarship application deadline?
- What types of scholarships are available?
- How much time will it take to complete the online application?
- Is there a cost to apply for a scholarship?
- What documents do I need to complete my online application?
- What will my Guidance Counselor have to do to complete my application?
- Can I mail my supporting documents?
- What if I don’t have a scanner to scan and upload my support documents?
- When will I be notified of the decision?
- Will the scholarship awards cover the entire cost of my college education?
- Are the scholarship awards taxable?
- Am I required to repay scholarship money?
- How are scholarship recipients selected?
- If I receive a scholarship one year, will I automatically receive an award for the following year?
- Where do I send a letter to thank the selection committee?
- Will Central Kentucky Community Foundation release any of the personal information I submit?
- I forgot my Username and/or Password. What should I do?
- What are the recommended browser requirements?
The online application opens January 1 each year and closes March 1 at midnight (EST). You will not be able to submit your application after midnight (EST) on March 1. To register, go to Scholarship Central. Paper applications are not accepted.
Central Kentucky Community Foundation offers a wide range of scholarships for undergraduate students – from graduating high school seniors to current college students and anyone planning to study at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College. To see a list of scholarships click this link: Browse Scholarships.
Each applicant will be considered for all available scholarships based on information submitted on the common application. A review committee will consider each application based on specific criteria for each individual scholarship.
- Applicants should fill out the application as thoroughly and accurately as possible. All questions with an (*) are required to be answered.
- Once you register and begin the application process, you can save and return to your application at any time. You don’t have to complete the application at one time. You will have a dashboard where you can easily see the status of your applications. Please monitor this to ensure any additional information such as letters of recommendation are submitted on your behalf by the deadline.
- Each question on the application is designed to save individually. You can revisit your application as many times as you choose before submitting it. Once your application is submitted, you may not edit it.
- Incomplete applications won’t be considered.
- Applicants may be contacted for additional information if needed.
- Any omissions or distortions of the truth may result in disqualification.
- CKCF Scholarship awards will only be paid directly to the recipients’ school and not to individuals. Other scholarship award details will be contained in the scholarship award documents sent to recipients upon their scholarship selection.
Applicants must be planning to attend a 2- or 4-year accredited institution of higher education for the upcoming academic year. Eligibility criteria vary for each scholarship. Go to “Browse Scholarships” for eligibility details. Some scholarships are academic/merit-based, some are financial-based, and many consider both merit and need. To complete an application, the student must provide a copy of the FAFSA.
The online application opens January 1 each year and closes March 1 at midnight (EST). You will not be able to submit your application after midnight (EST) on March 1.
Scholarship Central contains scholarships from CKCF funds and from our community partners. Many of the scholarships offered on Scholarship Central are from our scholarship funds. Some scholarships are offered by other organizations, our community partners, who use the Scholarship Central platform to facilitate their scholarship process. Parameters for awarding and the distribution process may vary depending on the awarding organization.
The time to complete applications varies significantly across students and depending on the number of scholarships a student is eligible to complete. Typically, it will take approximately 2-3 hours to fill out the application. You may save your application and return it at any time prior to the deadline date.
There is no charge to apply for scholarships through Scholarship Central.
You will need to prepare the following support materials to attach/upload to your scholarship application:
- Completed FAFSA
- Some scholarships may require additional information such as an essay or letter of recommendation.
Your Guidance Counselor will be notified via email to confirm your academic information. Make sure the academic information you included in your application is consistent with what they will upload. They will attach the following documents and information to your application:
- Unweighted GPA (grade point average)
- Your ACT or SAT scores
- Your high school transcript
All applications must be submitted online through the Scholarship Central portal.
You may want to seek assistance from a relative, friend, working professional, or counselor, who may have access to a scanner. You can also visit a public library – a free resource – or a copy center, such as Staples, which can assist you for a small fee. The recommended file format is PDF for attachments. You may also download a free PDF converter on your computer, which converts any saved document to a PDF format for easy uploading to your application. Recommended websites are www.freepdfconvert.com or www.pdfonline.com/convert-pdf. Many programs, including newer versions of Microsoft Word, have a save-to-PDF option as well.
You will be notified of CKCF scholarships before June 1 in most cases. Scholarships awarded by CKCF will be announced at our Celebrating Achievement event, which typically occurs at the end of April. Partnering scholarship organizations may have different timelines.
No. Scholarship awards are intended to be part of assisting with your higher education expenses and typically provide only partial support. Scholarships offer varying amounts depending on the size of the scholarship fund, the number of qualified applicants, and the criteria of the fund. Students should investigate additional sources of financial aid such as those listed in financial aid offices of high schools, colleges, and public libraries. High school and college counselors can also provide information for federal financial aid.
Scholarships awarded by CKCF are paid directly to the institution and applied to the student’s account to be used for tuition or other qualified expenses, not to exceed the cost of direct expenses incurred from the institution. The scholarship may not be refunded to the student and, if not used in its entirety within one year of the award date, it must be relinquished back to Central Kentucky Community Foundation to be used for future scholarship awards.
Generally, scholarships used for educational costs such as tuition, fees, books, and supplies are not taxable. However, any portion of the scholarship used for room and board or miscellaneous expenses is taxable.
No. Scholarships are charitable grants and don’t need to be repaid.
We use over 150 volunteer reviewers each year to review and score each application. The reviews are all conducted blindly, so reviewers do not know the identity of the applicants. Parameters for awarding and distribution process may vary depending on the awarding organization.
16. If I receive a scholarship one year, will I automatically receive an award for the following year?
No. Each year students must submit a new application unless awarded a renewable scholarship. Recipients of renewable scholarships are provided instructions for subsequent years.
Without the generosity of many people, these scholarships would not be available. We encourage you to thank those who make these opportunities possible. You will be given the opportunity to thank donors when it comes time to upload your verification documents after you’ve been awarded a scholarship. You can also send a handwritten correspondence letter to “Scholarship Committee” and mail to Central Kentucky Community Foundation, 200 Jim Owen Drive, Elizabethtown, KY 42701.
Most of the information provided is only viewed blindly by reviewers. All information received is confidential and will only be reviewed by the appropriate scholarship review committee members who abide by our strict confidentiality policy. CKCF will not release any information to other entities.
Click on the “forgot your password” button on the sign-in page. You will need to use the same email address you used when first setting up your account. Please do not create another account if you forgot your username, password, or email address. Contact the scholarship help desk at scholarships@ckcf4people.org or call 270-737-8393 to reset your original account.
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