Scholarships You Should Apply to if You’re from SoCal
By RJ Edrolin
You often hear that there’s millions of scholarships available for college students. But most of these scholarships can have extremely niche criteria that you don’t feel like applies to you, or feel like a shot in the dark. As someone who’s successfully landed thousands in scholarships, in my experience, the more narrow the criteria to apply to a scholarship, the more likely you are to get that scholarship. And surprise, surprise, there can be one piece of criteria that already benefits a large percentage of USC students.
From the Class of 2023 alone, about 29% of the incoming class hail from Southern California. This criteria in itself contains a treasure trove of scholarships for students to apply to that you might’ve not even known. From one SoCal resident to another, below I’ve listed a few scholarships that I suggest applying to. A small disclaimer though, I do want to preface that just because the pool is smaller, it doesn’t mean these scholarships are any less competitive. But nevertheless, the pool is going to be a lot smaller than applying to those big national scholarships.
The Ebell of Los Angeles is an LA-based foundation granting scholarships for over 100 years. This is a yearly scholarship (maximum 3 years), and is $5,000/yr for undergraduate students. In addition to the scholarship money, being a scholar for this foundation opens up many doors with extremely supportive women as your mentors. These women persisted through numerous obstacles, becoming partners of firms, CEOs of companies, holding many ‘first ofs’ etc. By becoming an Ebell/Flint scholar, you not only join over 4,000 scholars, but you also have the opportunity to be mentored by such supportive and courageous women.
As of now, the eligibility requirements to apply to the Ebell/Flint Foundation is as follows (but check the website for more information).
The Ebell/Flint Scholarship is open to males and females
Undergraduate students of any major who currently attend private or public non-profit colleges or universities in Los Angeles County and live in Los Angeles County
Scholarship recipients are chosen based on financial need, academic achievement, and community service/leadership.
2. Town and Gown of USC Scholarship
This $10,000 yearly (until graduation) scholarship is one of the most competitive USC merit scholarships. This scholarship is available to both undergraduate and graduate students and also accepts applicants from incoming and transferring Trojans. The criteria for this scholarship is a lot more detailed than the others I’ve listed, so I would highly recommend going to the website to make sure you meet all eligibility. But, below are some of the common eligibility requirements you would expect:
Applicant must be a citizen of the United States.
Applicants must have a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.4 or higher to be considered for the scholarship.
Applicant must exhibit strong academic performance, effective leadership skills, and active participation in the community.
Applicant must establish permanent residency within the geographical boundaries of Southern California, stretching from the Kern County border to the California/Mexico border.
3. USC Alumnae Scholarships
First of all, shoutout to our wonderful local alumni for these incredible scholarship opportunities!
These scholarships are hyper specific to the region you are from, not only making the chances of the pool you are applying to even smaller, but you also have the opportunity to be mentored by alumni in your own backyard! These scholarships are awarded annually to continuing undergraduate students and range between $1,000 - $3,000. Each regional scholarship has its own set of criteria, so I recommend checking that out before applying. Below I’ve listed the represented areas:
Los Angeles County
Coachella Valley
South Bay
San Fernando Valley/Santa Clarita Valley/Antelope Valley/Ventura County
San Gabriel Valley
Orange County
An important note: this is not a yearly based scholarship, meaning you must re-apply to this scholarship every year.
4. California Water Service College Scholarship Program
Wait – California Water Service offers scholarships?!? That’s right! This scholarship ranges between $2,500 to $10,000. In 2023, 12 scholarships were awarded, and out of these 12, 83% were pursuing a STEM major and 67% demonstrated need. Additionally, location eligibility depends on if you live in a Cal Water district, so non-SoCal residents may also be eligible to apply! This scholarship is also not a yearly based scholarship, meaning you must re-apply every year. Below are some of the eligibility requirements:
The applicant or the applicant’s parents or guardians must live in one of Cal Water’s service areas. *
Be a minimum of 16 years of age and a high school senior or high school graduate, have received GED certification, or be a current post secondary undergraduate student.
Plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming academic year.
* To check if you are eligible based on you or your parent’s service area, input your address into their district search.
5. The Los Angeles County Commission for Women (LACCW) Resilience Scholarship Program
Created in 1999, this scholarship is aimed to financially and motivationally support women in Los Angeles County who have overcome hardship. As such, scholars do not have to necessarily use their funds for tuition, but can also use it for medical insurance, books, school supplies, etc. Below are some of the eligibility requirements:
Must be a woman
First-time applicants must reside within Los Angeles County.
Students must attend an accredited university, community college or post-secondary certification program and provide proof of enrollment.
Student applicants must have a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA.
If you read this article and couldn’t find any scholarships in your area, I highly recommend either using USC’s Scholarship Universe portal or even just looking up “[your city/county name] scholarships.” You may be surprised just how many scholarships are available within your region. Additionally, many schools (SCA, Dornsife, etc.) offer their scholarships only available to their students, and these pools may be even narrower!
As a recipient of some of these scholarships, my biggest piece of advice is to be authentic in your application. We all have our own stories, accomplishments, extracurriculars, etc. Through your application materials, you are telling scholarship committees why YOU deserve this scholarship. Don’t try to become someone you aren’t just to appease the committee. The more genuine you are in showcasing your story and passions, trust me, the more likely you are to get that scholarship.
And with most applications, be sure to prepare for those interviews! Do your research on the organization, practice your responses to the mirror, or even ask a friend to do a fake interview with you!
Good Luck!
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