Frequently Asked Questions About Scholarships
Why can’t I get into the scholarship system with my North Shore login/password?
If you are not able to log in to the system, you do not presently meet the criteria to earn a scholarship: 1) continuing student with 6 earned credits from a prior term and a GPA of 2.5 or higher; 2) ESL student with 3 earned ESL credits from a prior term; 3) Adult Basic Education student working on a GED; 4) past or current graduate of NSCC. If you feel you were omitted in error, please contact nsccscholarships@northshore.edu.
Who can complete the recommendation form for me?
Students may seek a recommendation from a current or past NSCC faculty or staff person, an employer, or a community mentor. Don’t wait until the last minute to ask for a recommendation! Here is some helpful information on asking for a recommendation:
How to Ask Your Professor for a Letter of Recommendation
How to Ask for a Scholarship Recommendation Letter
Seeking Your Scholarship Letter of Recommendation
Check your application to verify that recommendation letter has been completed.
Will I have to write an essay?
The main scholarship requires a personal statement of no more than 500 words. This statement is your opportunity to share your personal and academic accomplishments and your career goals, as well as any relevant financial information. Scholarship reviewers are scoring your essay, so put your best effort into it. Depending on the scholarships you qualify for, you may be required to write an additional essay, also of no more than 500 words. These are the possible additional essay topics:
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Please describe your community service experience and what you learned from it
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Please describe any leadership roles you have held in your school or community
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Please describe a life-changing event
You may type the essay(s) directly into the text box, or paste text into the box if you copy from an external document. You may find these links helpful:
Top 10 Tips for Writing Effective Scholarship Essays
Scholarship Essay Tips to Make Your Application Stand Out
How to Write an Essay for a School Scholarship
The Tutoring Center will help you with your essay! Click to schedule an appointment at the Tutoring Center. Help is also available in the Trio Center, for students accessing Trio Services.
How will I know which scholarships to apply for?
The scholarship system will automatically match you to scholarships based on the answers you provide in the application, and based on other data that the system has uploaded. If you match with any scholarships that have additional requirements (essays), you will be informed as part of the scholarship application process.
Do I have to complete the entire application in one sitting?
You do not need to complete your application all at once. The system will save your information after each login. However, currently enrolled students must complete the application by April 8th. We recommend that you complete your application BEFORE April 8th, so that in the case of any issues, there is time to resolve them before the system closes.
I’ve finished my application, but it won’t let me submit it. What’s wrong?
All questions in each section of the application must be completed before submitting the application. Students can see their progress in each section on the left-hand side of the application area, where a “status” is displayed (Not Started, In Progress, Completed). When the status of each section is “Completed,” then the application may be submitted.
I think I’m qualified for XYZ scholarship, so why isn’t it showing up in my “Applied Scholarship” list?
Applicants are automatically matched to scholarships based on a combination of the criteria for the scholarship, the information provided by students on the application, and data automatically supplied to the system. If you believe that you should be considered for a scholarship, but it is not showing up as a match, please email nsccscholarships@northshore.edu to request a review of your record.
How many scholarships may an applicant be awarded?
In most cases, selected applicants are awarded one scholarship, in order to provide scholarship assistance to as many applicants as possible.
In what term will the scholarship award be applied?
Most scholarships will be split between the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 academic terms. Scholarships of $750 are applied in full to the fall term.
Are scholarships renewable?
Most scholarships are not renewable. In the few instances where the scholarship is renewable, awardees will be informed and must meet the specific conditions of the scholarship to receive the additional funding.
When will I be notified if I've won a scholarship?
Scholarship notifications for continuing students will be finalized in May. New student scholarships will be announced a little later.
If I win a scholarship, are there any other requirements to fulfill?
Scholarship awardees are asked to write and submit “thank you” notes to the donor(s) who sponsor the scholarship awarded. Scholarships that are awarded to graduated students for use at a transfer college will have follow-on conditions to allow for disbursement of funds. The NSCC Foundation will host an event to celebrate scholarship awardees and donors in September 2024. Scholarship awardees are expected to participate in that event as a condition of the award.
What if I win a scholarship and am unable to enroll for six credits in the Fall?
You must contact the scholarship team (nsccscholarships@northshore.