Scholarships will always in December. Please check on the Scholarship homepage for the specific date. Applications are due by 3pm on the first Friday of March. Recipients will always be notified no later than May 15.

General Eligibility Requirements

• Be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or documented U.S. permanent resident

• Have completed the current year's FASFA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

• Have access to personal (NON-SCHOOL) email address or parent's email address for scholarship communications

Early Middle College (13th Year)

If you will be in a college program while still enrolled in high school during the 2023/2024 school year, you are not yet eligible to apply for scholarships.  If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact us.

Basic Selection Criteria

Once applicants have been determined to be eligible for one or more awards, our scholarship committees review applications to determine which applicants best meet the selection criteria for each scholarship. Committee members review applications to find applicants who have demonstrated they have the potential to be successful in college and in the selected course of study.  Two major success indicators are career exploration or experience and paid employment and/or volunteer service in the chosen course of study or career area the applicant intends to pursue.  Applicants who have related career and technical education (such as attending the Branch Area Career Center), volunteer or paid experience in a job related to that field (such as a summer job at a veterinary clinic for those who want to become vets), or engaged in other career exploration approaches often receive priority in the highly competitive selection process.

Some scholarship funds seek to give priority to applicant’s who require financial assistance in order to access post-secondary education.  Although there are many factors in awarding financial-based scholarships, we generally give priority to applicants whose EFC numbers are between 4000 and 9000.

Qualified education expenses include tuition and fees; and course-related expenses such as books, supplies, and equipment. Room and board, travel, research, clerical help, and non-required equipment are not qualified education expenses, and scholarship funds used for those purposes may be considered taxable income for the recipient.

Scholarship selection committees may have hundreds of personal statements to review. A good application is memorable and stands out from the crowd.

Remember to:

• Think before you write. Brainstorm to generate some good ideas and create an outline to help you get going.

• Be original and be creative in your answers.

• Show, don't tell. Use examples to individualize your statement and demonstrate the point you want to make.

• Avoid vagueness to make a strong impression.

• Proofread. This is very important! You do not want to have any typos on your statement. Check spelling and grammar.

• Share your statement with a friend, parents, or teachers. Another pair of eyes can catch errors you might miss!

• Create a vivid self-portrait that will depict the person behind the grades, activities and awards.

• If a committee member feels like he or she knows you, you have done your job and created a powerful emotional connection that elevates your application, and makes it stand out from others.

Need help scanning your documents to upload for your scholarship application? We can help!

• Step 1: Email info@brcofoundation.org or call (517) 278-4517.

• Step 2: Set up an appointment to come into the Community Foundation, located at 2 W Chicago St. Suite E-1; Coldwater, MI 

• Step 3: Be prepared. Bring all documents that you need to have scanned. Please have documents ready and organized.

Scholarships at Your College

ALWAYS look for scholarship opportunities at the college or colleges you're thinking about attending.  Make a phone call to the person in charge of financial aid or scholarships there if you think you might qualify. ​

Online Help

Find additional scholarship opportunities by searching the internet. NEVER PAY for help. No legitimate site or company charges for this service. While we do not endorse these sites, these search sites (mostly for first year college students) are free to use and have good consumer ratings: FastWeb.com, Scholarships.com, CollegeBoard.org, CollegeNET.com, and ScholarshipMonkey.com.

Other Area Scholarships

Other Area Scholarships This list is to be used as a guide to identify other area scholarships that may be available. The Community Foundation does not have any more additional information about these scholarships.

Altrusa International of Branch County Offers Scholarships to Nontraditional Students

This information was put together by Altrusa International of Branch County, and should be used as a guide to identify other area scholarships that may be available.

Coldwater High School Scholarship Packet

This packet of information was put together by Coldwater High School for their students. This packet should be used as a guide to identify other area scholarships that may be available.

Quincy High School Scholarships Packet

This packet of information was put together by Quincy High School for their students. This packet should be used as a guide to identify other area scholarships that may be available.

Marshall Community Foundation Scholarship Opportunities 

We have been asked to share these scholarships administered by the Marshall Community Foundation:

Clyde and Marian Connelly Music Scholarship (Branch and Calhoun Counties -- college juniors and seniors.)

Rolland J. and Dorothea R. Face Family Christian Ministry Service College Scholarship (Students pursuing full-time ministry or mission work)

UAW Local 220 Scholarship (Barry, Branch, Calhoun and Eaton counties -- graduating seniors)

Ron Glant Memorial Art Scholarship (Marshall and Coldwater -- graduating seniors)

More information and criteria can be found by visiting https://marshallcf.org/receive/scholarships/.

If you have submitted your BCCF Scholarship application in error, please contact BCCF staff. We allow the application to be re-opened only once before 12:00 pm EST on the scheduled deadline date. Applications are allowed to be re-opened only one time. There will be no exceptions for re-opening a submitted scholarship application after 12:00 pm EST on the scheduled deadline date.

If you need a blank application please email info@BrCoFoundation.org to request a copy.