Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara General Scholarship Program
Offered by Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara
About this scholarship
The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara General Scholarship Program matches eligible local students with awards from more than 500 managed funds. The Foundation has announced that applications for 2027–28 open October 15, 2026, and its current general-program application page sets a January 15 deadline. Applicants may pursue undergraduate, vocational, graduate, or medical education. They generally must have attended school in Santa Barbara County for at least four of the six years between grades 7 and 12 and graduate from, or earn a GED through, a Santa Barbara County high school. Homeschooled and boarding-school students have parallel county-residency and affidavit rules; current or former wards of the Santa Barbara County Court may have an exception and should contact the Foundation. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or AB 540 eligible and plan full-time enrollment at a Title IV-approved institution. Primary selection factors are financial need, academic potential, and motivation. New qualified applicants complete a March interview. The application requires a personal essay and profile, transcripts, activities and employment information, an academic recommendation, financial information supported by a FAFSA or California Dream Act Submission Summary, and an enrollment plan. Awards cover qualified education expenses, and students must reapply for each fall–spring academic year.
Eligibility
- Attend a Santa Barbara County school for at least four of the six years between grades 7 and 12 and graduate or earn a GED from a Santa Barbara County high school, subject to published homeschool, boarding-school, and foster-youth provisions
- Be a United States citizen, permanent resident, or AB 540 eligible
- Plan to attend a Title IV-approved undergraduate, vocational, graduate, or medical program full time
- Provide the required transcripts, personal essay, profile, activities, recommendation, and enrollment plan
- Complete the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application and provide the required Submission Summary
- Participate in a personal interview if invited as a qualified new applicant
- Apply between October 15, 2026 and January 15, 2027