Sinclair has many scholarship options for students who are looking for funds to help pay for their tuition.
Scholarships are offered three times a year for each semester. Those for the upcoming summer semester will be open from March 1-31. Scholarships run from June 1-30 for the fall semester and Nov. 1-30 for the spring. Students can find more information on opportunities and how to apply at Sinclair’s scholarship page. This page is constantly being updated with new information.
“It’s really a good idea for students to be looking at this page…at least once a month for updates on scholarships because there are lots of different kinds,” said Financial Aid Officer over scholarships, Katherine Gonzalez.
The scholarship page has tabs on the left side of the page that directs viewers to scholarships from Sinclair and outside organizations. There is also a link to the High School Merit Scholarship program for high school seniors who are planning to attend Sinclair. An opportunity for new students will be available also:
“The state of Ohio let us know that the Ohio First Scholarship will be open for new students that are just starting their program,” said Gonzalez.
When applying for Sinclair scholarships, students will be asked to fill out one general application.
“The application imports the students’ record information and it will automatically consider them for all the scholarships for which they qualify,” said Gonzalez.
They will also be asked to write an essay about their education and career goals. Sinclair has resources for those who may be in need of assistance while writing their essays:
“We have the writing lab that partners with us, basically 24/7,” said Gonzalez. “They’re available to help with scholarship essays specifically. Students can either set up a Zoom appointment or even just email them the copy of the essay they might have drafted. We also have a scholarship essay worksheet… [that] the writing lab created for us.”
The worksheet has areas such as fill in the blanks to help students with brainstorming ideas. It includes prompts such as why the student is unique or an excellent candidate for scholarships.
Students will receive an email a week after the scholarships close with updates. While there may be some opportunities for students who apply later, the scholarships are typically awarded after the deadline.
“At Sinclair, we’re really looking to see if students still have tuition fees and books that are not covered by other financial aid,” said Gonzalez.
The external scholarships are listed in an order so that those with the closest deadlines appear first. Students have to click on a scholarship to read about it and then follow the provided link to go to the website and apply. The external scholarships can be found for the current semester or for the next school year. They are available throughout the year, even when Sinclair scholarship applications are closed.
The external scholarships page allows students to search for scholarships by keyword. Students can search for words such as “foundations” if they are interested in those types of scholarships or words that apply to their life circumstances.
Sinclair’s main outside scholarship partner, The Dayton Foundation, has over 160 scholarships available. Similar to Sinclair, students fill out one application to apply for many scholarships at the same time.
“A lot of scholarships right now are from foundations,” said Gonzalez. “The early springtime and the wintertime are good to look for scholarships from foundations. This is kind of the prime time for them to be open.”
Dr. Scott Markland, the Sinclair Senior Vice President, strongly encourages students to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. He also advises that students do this as early as possible.
“The money is distributed…like a first-come first- serve [basis],” said Dr. Markland. “People that apply by the deadline have the first opportunity at the funds. I tell students that it’s never too early to fill out the FAFSA.”
New students can fill out the form as early as the October of the year prior to attending school.
After filling out the FAFSA, students can then begin to apply for scholarships on Sinclair’s website. While the students are automatically considered for some scholarships, others require that students apply.
“There are dollars available, but you have to apply,” said Dr. Markland. “You have to let us know that you need the funds.”
Even if students did not fill out the FAFSA when it first opened, they still have the opportunity to do so now.
“It’s a good idea to do the FAFSA,” said Gonzalez. “It’s always recommended for scholarships because… outside organizations as well as Sinclair scholarship reviewers like to have a picture of students’ financial needs.”
The upcoming summer semester is part of the current school year. Students will need to fill out the 2021 FAFSA form to apply for scholarships for this semester. The following fall semester is considered part of the 2021-2022 year. Therefore, Sinclair’s academic year begins in the fall semester and ends in the summer. Students can begin to take classes in any semester they wish, however.
“If you’re continuing on beyond spring, we want to make sure that continuing students see their advisor and… register for the next term they’re going to be enrolled for…during the spring term,” said Dr. Markland.
As Sinclair hopes to return to face-to-face classes in the fall, there will be much more going on than usual.
“We want to make sure that continuing students get the classes they need during the spring because during the summer and fall the new students are going to be coming in.” said Dr. Markland. “We want to make sure that continuing students get the sections… [and] the schedule that they need, because if they wait, they’re going to be in the mix with everyone else.”
Rebekah Davidson
Intern