Please read this page in its entirety prior to
beginning the application process.
Apply for 2013 CollegeBound Foundation Competitive Scholarships and
Last Dollar Grant with the STARS Online at:
http://scholarships.mycbf.net/STARS/
APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 1st
Important computer requirements
- Use Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher (Version 7.0 is preferred), Firefox or Safari.
- Allow pop-ups on your computer.
- Enable cookies on your system.
- The first time you enter the STARS Online system, click “START HERE to create your account.
- After your initial registration, you will use your “User Name” and “Password” to log into STARS Online. Keep a record of your password so you can edit any previously entered information.
Before you start - each application must include each of the following:
Email Address: you must provide a valid email address. All scholarship award letters and other important communications regarding scholarships will be sent via email.
Student ID Number: your Social Security Number (Example: 123-456-7890).
High School Transcript: must include the first semester of your senior year.
Academic Resume: please list your community service, extracurricular, sports, employment and other activities. Indicate the dates you participated in each activity, positions held and number of hours per week you spent on each activity. Community Service Scholarships require verifiable community service. If applying for one of these, ensure your resume includes :
- The complete name of the organization or activity
- A contact name and phone number
- A mailing address
A list of Community Service Scholarships in this year’s application can be found on the last pages of these instructions.
Depending on the criteria of the scholarships for which you apply, the following documents may be required:
FAFSA and Supporting Financial Aid Documents: submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASA) before March 1st. The FAFSA can be completed online at: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. For the Last Dollar Grant and scholarships requiring proof of financial need, you will need your Financial Aid Award Letter (FAAL), Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) Notification Letter, and Student Aid Report (SAR) (or copies of your 2012 tax forms).
ACT or SAT Scores: some scholarships require college entrance scores (ACT or SAT). Include a copy of your official scores if they are not on your high school transcript.
Letters of recommendation: some scholarships may require letters from specific individuals—teachers, school counselors, community service coordinators, church leaders, coaches, etc.
Essay Questions: you will be asked to answer essay question(s) depending on the scholarship. We highly recommend that you complete your work in Microsoft Word or a comparable program, then copy and paste your answer into the box provided. The online application does not notify you of grammatical or spelling errors.
A list of scholarship eligibility requirements and essays used in this year’s application can be found on the last pages of these instructions.
College Acceptance Letter: if you are applying for the Last Dollar Grant, you must provide a copy of the acceptance letter from the Maryland college/university you will attend.
A note about supporting documents: all documents must be uploaded as Microsoft Word (saved with the .doc extension only) or .pdf files. Other file formats will not be recognized by STARS. Transcripts should be uploaded as one document. If you do not have access to a home scanner, you can visit your CollegeBound Foundation Specialist to assist you.
You may “Save and Exit” STARS Online at any time. Enter your User Name and Password to log back into the system. You may make changes to your application until the scholarship deadline.
By submitting this online scholarship application, you are certifying that all information you have provided is true and complete to the best of your knowledge. You are also authorizing the release of information on this application and other necessary financial and academic information to the CollegeBound Foundation, individual donors and selections committees.
CollegeBound Foundation has over 60 scholarships available. Certain scholarships have different criteria; these range from gender to program of study. Because some donors have designated their scholarship donation for students in those specific categories, you will be asked questions in the application about your intended major, race, gender, if you or a family member has a disability, and if your parent works for a particular company. These questions are asked to make sure you are considered for all of the scholarships available to you. If you do not wish to disclose this information, there will be an option for you to indicate this. By using this option, however, you will not be considered for those scholarships. Be sure to answer all questions honestly, as scholarships are available for all types of people. Please note that students will be disqualified from being awarded a scholarship if they misrepresent themselves in any way. Winners will be notified by mail of the results of their applications sometime in early spring. No information will be given over the phone prior to the letters being mailed.
Full application instructions
and scholarship details can be found here.
Who can I contact if I have questions?
Michael Thornton, Associate Program Director, Scholarships
(410) 783-2905 ext 207
Email: mthornton@collegeboundfoundation.org
Mollie Maul, Scholarship Administrator
(410) 783-2905 ext 201
Email: mmaul@collegeboundfoundation.org
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