South Torrance High School: Financial Aid & Scholarships

FAFSA/CA Dream Act:

FAFSA: You submit a FAFSA if you are a U.S. Citizen, National or Permanent Resident. The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is used to apply for financial aid. Apply for Financial Aid

|| A Step-by-Step Guide to Completing the FAFSA Questions ||

CA Dream Act:

For students who are not U.S. Citizens, National or Permanent Residents or do not fulfill ALL of the FAFSA requirements. The Dream application is unique to California, promoting access to all students regardless of immigration status and/or documentation. www.caldreamact.org

Whether you file FAFSA or the CA Dream Act the deadline to submit your application is March 2nd.

Cal Grant:

TUSD submits GPAs for all seniors each year. This means that you DO NOT have to fill out the GPA Verification Form. As long as you complete your FAFSA by March 2nd, you will be considered for Cal Grants.

In addition to the FAFSA, some colleges and universities will require the CSS Profile. Apply for College Financial Aid – CSS Profile – The College Board

Intro the FAFSA Webinars (Available in English & Spanish)

Check out the chart below to see which application you should use to apply.

FASFA	DREAM Act
U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen with valid social security (not DACA).	Undocumented students with a social security, or only a DACA social security.
	Students must meet the AB540 criteria.
What will I need to apply? INFORMATION NEEDED: Student License # (if applicable) Student’s SSN or Permanent Resident number Student date of birth Parent 1 date of birth Parent 1 Social Security number (if applicable) Parent 2 date of birth Parent 2 Social Security number (if applicable) Date of parent marriage, remarried, divorced, or widowed (if applicable) Parent(s) total cash, savings, checking account value State Disability received (if applicable) Child Support amount received or paid (if applicable) DOCUMENTS NEEDED: Student W-2 (if student worked) Parent(s) W-2 Students most recent tax return Parent(s) most recent tax return For the year 2018-2019 did you or your parents receive any of these benefits: Social Security, TANF, Workers Comp, WIC, Food Stamps	AB540 Eligibility Criteria: Attend a California High School for 3 or more years Graduate with a High School Diploma or GED equivalent Enroll in an accredited higher education institution in California Must file an affidavit, stating that the filer will apply for legal residency as soon as possible. Must not hold a valid non-immigrant visa (F, J, H, L, A, E etc) DOCUMENTS NEEDED: Driver's License (if you have one) Social Security Card or number (if you have one) Alien Registration number (if you have one) Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) number (if you have one) List of colleges you are interested in attending
VISIT: FAFSA® Help	VISIT: Help Center - CA Dream Act Application

Scholarships for Current Seniors:

Top 175 Scholarships for College Students

College Board Opportunity Scholarships- Deadline ongoing

Beginning with the class of 2021 (Current Seniors), CollegeBoard will be awarding scholarships ranging from $500 to $40,000. This scholarship program does not have a minimum GPA or SAT score. Students have a chance to earn scholarships when they: Build their college list, Practice for the SAT, Improve their SAT score, strengthen their college list, Fill out the FAFSA and apply to college.

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarships

The Cooke College Scholarship Program is an undergraduate scholarship program available to high-achieving high school seniors with financial need who seek to attend and graduate from the nation's best four-year colleges and universities.

Elks National Foundation Scholarships

Additional Elks Scholarship Information Flyer

Kinecta Scholarships

Kinecta provides eight $2,000 scholarships each year to help full-time students achieve their educational goals. Students are eligible if they are: Age 24 or younger, A high school senior applying for, or already accepted as, a full-time student at an accredited college or university, or A full-time student attending and continuing at an accredited college or university. Applications are accepted February 11 - March 15 annually. *Kinecta membership is not required

Navy ROTC Scholarships

To qualify applicants must: Score 1000 combined on SAT, 22 on the ACT, Must be a US Citizen, and meet physical qualifications.

Scholarship Chair for the LA Military Charitable Fund (LAMCF) Scholarship:

The 2020 LAMCF Scholarship program is for graduating high school seniors who are dependents of an Armed Forces member or Department of Defense civilian. Now accepting applications from Dec 1, 2019 through Feb 29, 2020.

California-Hawaii Elks Major Project Inc Scholarships:

Undergraduate scholarship program for students with disabilities. Must be a U.S Citizen, resident of California or Hawaii. Have a physical, neurological, visual, hearing impairments, and/or speech-language disorder and be a senior in high school, high school graduate, or have passed the GED or the CHSPE. For more eligibility details visit their website. Application must be postmarked on or before March 15th.

The Sandpipers Scholarship Program:

Application date tbd. Students must create an account in the system to begin their applications. For transcripts and letters of recommendation, the students will upload the documents themselves. If necessary, there is also an option for the student to email a request to a teacher (supervisor, leader, etc.) who can then upload a confidential recommendation that only the Sandpipers Scholarship Committee can see. *Applications are not complete until students answer all required questions and upload all required documents (including transcripts, letters of recommendation and financial records).

Hispanic Scholarship Fund:

Every year, HSF selects ~10,000 outstanding students as HSF Scholars from a broad and talented pool of applicants. HSF Scholars have access to a full range of invaluable Scholar Support Services, including career services, mentorship, leadership development, knowledge building, and wellness training. Career services include access to internships and job opportunities with HSF corporate partners. HSF Scholars are eligible to apply for all Scholar Conferences including, the STEM Summit, Finance Conference, Media & Entertainment Summit, Entrepreneurship Summit, Healthcare Summit, and Alumni Symposium. Exclusive access to the HSF Insider which shares invaluable information and select career opportunities with HSF corporate partners. Finally, and importantly, HSF awards more than $30 million in scholarships annually and, depending upon available funds, HSF Scholars may also be eligible to receive a scholarship, which ranges from $500-$5,000 and awarded directly to students.

Eligibility: Must be of Hispanic heritage, U.S. citizen, permanent legal resident, or DACA, Minimum of 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent) for high school students, Plan to enroll full-time in an accredited, public or not-for-profit, four-year university, or graduate school, in the U.S., for the 2021-2022 academic year, Submit the FAFSA or state-based financial aid forms (if applicable).

SME Scholarships:

The SME Education Foundation online scholarship application is now open for the 2021/2022 academic year.

Annualy the SME Education Foundation awards scholarships to graduation high school seniors and undergraduate stusents pursuing two or four-year degrees in manufacturing engineering, technology or other closely related disciplines. Scholarships range from $1,000 - $40,000 and can be used for tuition, books, course/lab fees. Scholarships are NOT need based and are open to students with an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher. Visit www.smeef.org/scholarships for more information or to begin the online application process. *By filling out one application students will be considered for all scholarships for which they are eligible.

Application Deadline: February 1, 2021.

California Alarm Association(CAA) Youth Scholarship Program:

**For children of law enforcement and fire service personnel

Every year, the CAA awards $20,000 in college scholarships to children of active duty law enforcement and fire service personnel across California. Apply online.

Application Deadline: April 12th, 2021.

Scholarship Opportunity for Seniors who plan to go into CTE:

Attention Seniors who are planning to pursue a technical career after high school (Auto Mechanic, Carpenter, Welder, Electrician, Surgical Technologist etc.) There is a special scholarship for you! Please see Ms. Ramirez for details on how to apply.

PTA Scholarships:

In order to be eligible for a PTA scholarship, senior students must be a PTA Member and in addition must complete the local scholarship application which typically opens up in November/December every year. Interested in getting a PTA membership visit https://jointotem.com/ca/torrance/south-high-pta/join/register. *Membership must be under the students name, NOT the parents.

Local Scholarships:

** Local Scholarship application for 2021-22 will be announced when it opens.

Towards the end of the Fall semester, a local scholarship program is administered through the South High Counseling Office. Through this program, a number of community agencies, foundations, corporations, clubs, and civic groups offer scholarship awards to graduating seniors. Interested senior students must submit a “TUSD Local Scholarship Application” on the indicated deadline for that school year. Application period will be shared with Seniors as soon as it’s available. For questions, contact Ms. Ramirez at ramirez.stephanie@tusd.org

Grades 9 - 12:

Student Scholarships:

There are several scholarships programs available for all grades. View all the scholarships offered, additional information, and deadlines. If you have any questions please see Ms. Ramirez in the counseling office.

Scholarship Buddy:
There are several scholarships programs available for all grades. View all the scholarships offered, additional information, and deadlines. If you have any questions please see Ms. Ramirez in the counseling office.

College Covered (Discover) (Check website for deadline information, each one varies)
Discover Student Loans is giving away a $5,000 scholarship each month this year! The earlier you enter the more chances you have to win 1 of the 12 scholarships available. More information is available here.

Cirkled in Scholarship
$2500 scholarship for 8th-12th grade students. It’s an easy scholarship to apply for, with no income bracket requirements, no minimum GPA, and no lengthy essay to write. Students can use it for any educational need, such as college tuition (4 year, 2 year, or trade school), books and supplies, even transportation if necessary. It’s free to apply. It’s open to all high school grades, not just the seniors. Apply here.

2021 Scholarships Opportunities
Attached is annual compilation of key scholarship opportunities, internships, and summer programs. View a list of scholarship opportunities.
Interested in an internship? View a list of career focused internship opportunities for students looking to gain valuable career experience. Both lists are updated regularly. It's not too early for students to begin planning for summer, also offered is a list of college focused summer programs.