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Scholarships

Scholarships earn you money to pay for college that you won’t need to pay back! Scholarships offer free money for college. Families think that students need to apply for dozens and dozens of community scholarships, when the reality is that the majority of scholarship money comes from the college themselves.

ECA Juniors and Seniors, make sure you check your Class of 2023 or Class or 2024 Google Classroom. Mrs. Faulds posts many scholarship opportunities there, sometimes daily!

Some tips to follow:

  1. Get your list of colleges together that you will be applying to and comb through their 1st time freshmen scholarships and program specific scholarships. DON’T MISS A DEADLINE! This is where the majority of your scholarship money will likely come from
  2. Look at local scholarships first. There’s less competition, which means the odds are better for you to receive one. Even if you plan to go out of state for college, many local scholarships are not just for in-state schools.
  3. After you have found all local and regional scholarships that you will apply for, look at the big, competitive, national scholarships.
  4. Don’t forget to fill out your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for other money for college.

Always look at individual college/university financial aid websites for scholarships specific to that institution.

Letters Of Recommendation

Students may need letters of recommendations for college applications, job applications, scholarships and more. Most organizations will specify who they need a letter from but typically teachers and counselors are they main point of contact for recommendations.

Tips

  • Students should ask their teacher and/or counselor at least 10 business days prior to the deadline to allow enough time to write the letter
  • Students should provide a resume or a completed student profile to the counselor and/or teacher to help them write the letter
  • Make sure to also provide your recommender with any detailed information that the college, scholarship organization or other entity has provided with guidelines for writing and submitting the letter of recommendation

Letter of Recommendation Questionnaire for Seniors (DOCX)

Students are advised to fill out this questionnaire and provide it to their recommenders. The information is used by the recommender to write a letter of recommendation for you.

List of scholarships compiled by the APS Counseling Department

Albuquerque Community/Regional Scholarships

less competitive

APS Education Foundation Varsity Scholarship

Seven scholarships will be awarded to students in the amount of $1,000 each. A student’s name can be entered once for each category listed below that they complete. There are ten (10) categories which means a student who completes each item will receive up to 10 entries.

  1. Apply to a 2- or 4-year college or university, trade school, certification or apprenticeship program
  2. Complete your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), CSS Profile (College Scholarship Service) Profile through College Board or if you are not eligible to fill out the FAFSA, you can complete a school-based financial aid form
  3. Participate in a college or university visit with a tour (it can be virtual); you can also attend an online information session; you can also contact a recruiter directly or a member of admissions for more information
  4. Complete a Career Assessment through online programs such as YouScience, My Next Move, or NM Career Solutions (click on Work Interests Assessment)
  5. Plan to take and complete an AP test your senior year
  6. Participate in a job shadow, internship/mentorship, or pre-apprenticeship program
  7. Pass a Dual Credit Class with a “C” or above
  8. Take an ACT, SAT or ACCUPLACER Practice Test
  9. Set up a Career Solutions Student account at NM Career Solutions Website and complete the “Why I Work” Financial Tool Activity (under the Career Exploration Tab).
  10. Apply for a scholarship (other than this one)

The 2023-24 APS Education Foundation Varsity Scholarship application is now open, and the deadline to apply is March 31, 2024.  APS Education Foundation Varsity Scholarship Application. 

College Board Opportunity Scholarship

The College Board offers nearly $5 million in scholarships each year to reward students for their efforts to plan and pay for college. 
How to Qualify:
Earn entries in monthly drawings for $500 and $40,000 scholarships by completing steps on BigFuture. Log in to your account, complete the steps on your dashboard, and earn entries to win. One step completed = one entry in each monthly scholarship drawing. There are scholarship drawings starting January of your sophomore year until February of your senior year.
Start your search today!

1. Go to the BigFuture website
2. Create an account or log in to your account
3. Click on "Plan for College"
4. Click on "College Quiz"
5. Add to your college list

Enter to Win a $40,000 Scholarship.
To qualify, follow the steps on your dashboard. 

The Daniels Fund

The Daniels Fund Scholarship Program offers a four-year college scholarship that provides financial and personal support focused on helping Daniels Scholars succeed in college, and in life. The Daniels Scholarship can be used at any accredited nonprofit college or university in the United States. Our goal is not only to help Daniels Scholars succeed in college, but to ensure that they thrive beyond their years in college. Every year, Daniels Scholars are selected from our four-state region of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Daniels Scholars have attended more than 400 colleges and universities in 48 states. For more information and how to apply, visit the Daniels Fund website.

National Scholarship Search

More competitive

Questbridge National College Match - For Seniors

Are you a low-income high school senior who has excelled academically, but feels that the nation’s best colleges are financially out of reach? The QuestBridge National College Match can be your pathway to a top college. Through this college and scholarship application process, you can apply for free to the nation’s best colleges and be considered for early admission and a full four-year scholarship from the college. For more information, visit the QuestBridge website.

Horatio Alger Scholarship

For Juniors

As one of the nation's largest need-based college scholarship programs, the Horatio Alger Scholarship Programs specifically assist high school students who have faced and overcome great obstacles in their young lives. While many programs are directed primarily to recognizing academic achievement or leadership potential, the Horatio Alger Association seeks students who have exhibited determination, integrity, and perseverance in overcoming adversity, as well as have critical financial need. For more information, visit the Horatio Alger Scholarship website.