Scholarship FAQs

Welcome to our Scholarship FAQ's. Here, you can find out everything you need to know about this year's scholarship season.

Q: How can my school get involved?

A:  Ask your Guidance Counselor or Principal if they currently receive an application from the Carson Scholars Fund. If they do not, they can request an application by sending an email to Rebekah@carsonscholars.org, including their school name, school address, principal name, and principal email address. At this time, our school nomination procedures do not allow homeschool parents or tutors to request applications.

For more information on how to receive an application, visit our Request an Application page.

Q: What qualifications are needed in order to be selected to apply for the Carson Scholarship?

A:  Be enrolled in grades 4-11 in the United States.  Have a GPA of 3.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale in the following academic subjects:  English/Reading/Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies and Foreign Languages.  Demonstrate humanitarian qualities in school and community, above and beyond what is required, i.e. – volunteering in a soup kitchen, nursing home, senior center, etc.  Be nominated by your school.

To view the 2012 academic qualifications, click here.

Q: What do Carson Scholars win?

A:  First-time Carson Scholars receive a $1,000 scholarship to be applied toward the scholar’s college education, along with a medal, a certificate, a trophy nameplate for his or her school, and an invitation to an awards banquet. Previous Carson Scholars receive a recognition pin to attach to their medal, a certificate, and an invitation to an awards banquet.

Q: When will our school receive an application?

A: If you have received an application before, or you have recently requested an application, you can look forward to receiving it by the third week in November. If you do not receive your application by then, please email Rebekah@carsonscholars.org.

For more information, visit our Important Dates & Deadlines page.

Q: What is the nomination process?

A:  The nomination process varies from school to school. CSF encourages each school to hold a fair and impartial nomination process to determine which qualifying student at their school would best meet the requirements for a Carson Scholarship. Many schools hold an informal essay contest to determine their nominee.

Q: When are the applications due?

A:  Applications for the 2012 scholarship season were due in early January. We will post the deadlines for 2013 over the summer.

For more details, visit our Important Dates & Deadlines page.

Q: When will I know if I have won a scholarship?

A: All Scholars and schools will be sent notification of the status of their application by the first week in March.

Q: How are the winners chosen?

A:  Carson Scholar winners are chosen by a panel of impartial judges, comprised of teachers and educators using a standard set of rules.

Q: Can I re-apply?

A:  Yes. Every Carson Scholar is encouraged to reapply for Carson Scholar status each year until s/he graduates high school. Though scholars only receive a monetary award their first year, they can reapply for recognition each subsequent year.

If you have won before, you can look forward to receiving your Previous Scholar application by the second week in November. If you do not receive your application by then, please call 410.828.1005 or click here to send us an email.

Q: How do I receive my payout?

A:  A student’s scholarship money is held in an account where it will gain interest until he or she attends college. The summer after the scholar graduates high school, CSF will send him/her a Payout Request Form to be filled out with information about where s/he is going to college in the fall. CSF will then write a check directly to the college indicating that funds may be applied to tuition, room/board, and/or books. In order to receive scholarship money, the scholar must be enrolled full-time at a four-year accredited college or university within the United States. Scholars may defer their payouts for up to 3 years following high school graduation.

To be paid out for the Fall 2012 semester, scholars must return their Payout Request Forms on or before the postmark due date of July 6, 2012. Any forms received after this date will be processed for the Spring 2013 semester. Fall 2012 Payout Request Forms will be mailed in May.

For additional questions regarding payouts, contact Rebekah Lin at Rebekah@carsonscholars.org.

Q: How do I contribute to the Carson Scholars Fund?

A:  CSF is always looking for dedicated individuals to volunteer at our events or in our Baltimore, MD office. If you are interested in volunteering, click here!

If you are interested in donating to the Carson Scholars Fund, click here.

Q: I have a question that is not answered here. Where can I look?

For Scholarship questions, please email Rebekah@carsonscholars.org.

For Reading Room questions, please email Tammy@carsonscholars.org.

For General questions, please email Communications@carsonscholars.org.