Application Period Closed
The next scholarship application period will begin in January 2025.
General Scholarship FAQ
The scholarship application is currently closed. We will accept applications for the next round of scholarships in January 2025.
Basic Requirements
- You must have a Los Rios student ID number.
- You must have a 2.0 or higher grade point average (GPA).
- You must have completed a minimum of six units at one of the Los Rios colleges.
If you are applying for scholarships at a specific college, then you need to have completed six units at that college and also be currently be enrolled in six units at that same college (see exception for Folsom Lake College). If you meet the minimum criteria for multiple colleges, then you may apply to multiple colleges.
Exception for FLC Students
If you are currently a high school student who plans to attend Folsom Lake College, then you can apply to FLC and get a student ID number. After you receive your student ID number in your email, you can complete the scholarship application without being a currently enrolled FLC student.
Yes, scholarships are available for those who meet the criteria for DACA, Dreamers, TPS or have undocumented status. TPS stands for temporary protected status and includes asylum-seekers and refugees.
CRC, FLC, and SCC Students
Yes, but you should read all the requirements to find the scholarships for which you qualify.
ARC Students
No, ARC students must be working on an AA or AS degree to be eligible for scholarships.
Yes, as long as the scholarship requirements don't specify a certain college. We suggest looking for transfer scholarships.
Yes, all students who meet the minimum criteria are encouraged to apply for scholarships.
Recent high school graduates who have earned at least six units at a college in Los Rios may apply for scholarships at that college if they are enrolled in at least six units in the spring, with the exception of Folsom Lake College (FLC).
FLC is currently the only college that has scholarships for high school students who will be attending FLC but have not yet completed any units.
Go to the Los Rios scholarship system and sign in with your Los Rios student ID number and password. Only students who have been accepted to a Los Rios college will have an account.
Complete a general application to apply to most of our scholarships. The answers you provide along with admissions and academic data will determine the scholarships for which you qualify. After all required answers are complete, you may submit your application.
Students who complete the general application through the Los Rios scholarship system will be automatically considered for several scholarships based on qualifications, such as academic merit and financial need. If you are eligible, then you'll also be notified of recommended scholarship opportunities for which you may qualify after providing additional information.
You only need to submit a transcript if a recommended scholarship specifically requires you to do so.
Students who complete the general application through the Los Rios scholarship system will be automatically considered for several scholarships based on qualifications such as academic merit and financial need.
Recommended Opportunities
Because of limitations with AcademicWorks, you will not see all of the scholarships that you have been matched to. There may be some additional recommended opportunities to which you may apply. These are opportunities for which the system cannot determine whether you qualify without more information. Students are encouraged to review recommended opportunities and determine those for which they are eligible based on things like club involvement, planned career field, or athletic teams. Only apply to opportunities which are recommended to you. If you apply to opportunities that are not recommended, then you will not qualify.
Give yourself plenty of time. Don't miss your chance because you missed the deadline.
Read carefully. If you do not meet all the eligibility criteria, then your application won't be considered. Instead, spend your time doing the best job you can on the scholarships that you do qualify for. Understand what is being asked and provide it. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Essay Questions
Fully answer all parts of the question and provide as much detail about yourself as possible. It is better to write too much than too little, and generalities are less meaningful to readers than your specific goals, aspirations, challenges, and experiences. Do not copy and paste one answer to another question. Reviewers will see that you have copied and pasted and will deduct points for this. Ask someone to proof read your essays, and use spell-checking and grammar tools like Grammarly if no one can help you.
Letters of Recommendation
The best letters come from faculty and staff at Los Rios. The next best letters come from employers or former teachers. Friends and family members are not good sources. Give the person you are asking at least two weeks to complete the form for you, and even better, provide them with a resume, so they know about your accomplishments and can talk about them.
Double-check that you have provided the correct email address in your application. You do not want to miss out on scholarships because of a typing error. To avoid this, we strongly recommend that you reach out to the person from which you're asking for a recommendation personally and confirm that they received the link and are able to provide a recommendation for you. If the person is faculty or staff, then they may have been asked by many students and they may not have time to write you a letter by the deadline. It is best to ask someone who you know will give you a strong recommendation. Review committees will deduct points for recommendations that reflect poorly on your performance in a class.
Contact your campus Tutoring Center for individual help – the scholarship office cannot do this for you.
In general, you should provide thorough answers to all parts of the question and provide as much detail about yourself as possible. It is better to write too much than too little, and generalities are less meaningful to readers than your specific goals, aspirations, challenges, and experiences.
Do not copy and paste one answer to another question. Reviewers will see that you have copied and pasted and will deduct points for this.
Ask someone to proof read your essays and use spell-checking and grammar tools like Grammarly if no one can help you.
You are still eligible as long as you still meet the minimum criteria for the scholarships for which you have applied.
Application FAQ
Los Rios has contracted with Academic Works, a third-party scholarship management system, to enhance and streamline the scholarship search and application process for all currently enrolled Los Rios students.
Visit the Los Rios scholarship system and sign in with your Los Rios student ID number and password.
The Los Rios scholarship system uses the term "opportunities" when referring to scholarships.
In some cases, individual scholarships require additional information that is not on the general application. Students are encouraged to review the suggested list of these recommended opportunities. If you meet all of the eligibility requirements listed, then provide the additional information requested to receive consideration for those scholarships.
In addition to completing the required fields – indicated with an asterisk (*) – we encourage students to answer all the questions to maximize scholarship consideration. It is better to err on the side of too long an application than too short an application.
You have likely already been matched to many scholarships based on your academic record and answers to the general application, which require no additional steps from you.
If you don't have any recommended opportunities, then review the minimum requirements. If you meet the requirements, then there may be an issue with your academic or admissions record.
Log in to the Los Rios scholarship system and click on My Applications, then click on General Application, and then click on Applicant Record to confirm that this information is correct. If there is an error, then contact Admissions and Records to have it corrected.
Students who submit an application will see a "submitted" status on their My Applications tab. Students who have an incomplete general application will be directed there after login until the application is complete. A student may continue to edit their application even after it is submitted.
You can continue to edit your application even after you have submitted it, up until the deadline.
Los Rios is fortunate to have hundreds of scholarships available to help students achieve their academic goals. When you complete the general application, you are automatically considered for several scholarships based on your general application answers as well as academic and admissions data. Recommended opportunities require additional information.
Letters of Recommendation FAQ
A letter of recommendation is a letter written by someone who can recommend your work or academic performance. It should reflect highly on you and it will be used to score your application.
Some Foundation scholarships require a letter of recommendation. Carefully check the requirements for each scholarship you intend to apply for to determine whether a recommendation is required.
The best letters of recommendation come from someone who knows you well and who will judge your work highly. Faculty and staff at Los Rios make the best references. The next best letters of recommendation come from employers or former high school teachers. Friends and family members are not good sources.
If you are applying to a scholarship that requires a recommendation, then you will be asked to provide the name and email address of the person who will be recommending you. An email will automatically be sent to that person with a link to a letter of recommendation Form. That form will ask them to rate you in several areas and provide a written recommendation of your performance. This must be received by the deadline for you to qualify for scholarships.
Tips
- Give the person you are asking at least two weeks to complete the form for you, and even better, provide them with a resume so they know about your accomplishments and can talk about them.
- Double-check that you have provided the correct email address in your application. Many students have lost out on a scholarship because of a typing error. To avoid this, it is strongly recommended that you reach out to your recommender personally and confirm that they received the link and are able to provide a recommendation for you.
- Faculty and staff often receive many requests for recommendations and they may not have time to write you a recommendation by the deadline.
- It is best to ask someone who you know will give you a strong recommendation.
- Review committees will deduct points for recommendations that reflect poorly on your performance in a class.
For scholarships that require a letter of recommendation, your application will not be considered complete until you letter of recommendation is received. You should receive an email from scholarships@losrios.edu when this step is complete, but you may check the status of the letter of recommendation at any time by logging in to the Los Rios scholarship system and clicking My Applications.
We recommend that you check with the person you have asked for a recommendation to ensure that they are able to submit a recommendation for you by the deadline. If they report that they have not received your request, then start by confirming that you entered the correct email address on the application. If it is incorrect, then will need to make a new request in your general application.
Financial Aid FAQ
Yes, you can apply for both financial aid and scholarships. You may qualify for one and not the other, or you may qualify for both.
Your financial aid may be affected by any scholarships you receive. If you receive financial aid, then consult with your college's Financial Aid Office for more information.
Scholarships may affect your financial aid awards. Consult with your college's Financial Aid Office if you have a question about a pending scholarship offer and its impact on your financial aid.
Yes, all students who meet the minimum criteria are encouraged to apply for scholarships.
Award FAQ
Each scholarship has its own eligibility and selection criteria. Applicants who meet the eligibility criteria are considered by a scholarship review committee. Each campus has their own scholarship review committees. Scholarships are competitive, and more students apply each year than there are awards available. Not every student who applies will receive a scholarship, so it's important to make your application as strong as possible.
Students who are selected for a scholarship will be notified by email to their Los Rios email account, usually in April or May.
Note: final scholarships awards are valid only after you receive an "offer" email from the Los Rios Colleges Foundation.
It takes several weeks (and sometimes more than a month) after the scholarship application deadline for scholarship reviewers to evaluate all of the thousands of applications.
All applicants will be notified through their Los Rios email account as to whether or not they have received a scholarship, usually in April or May.
Students who have been awarded a scholarship must accept their scholarship online through the Los Rios scholarship system. Students should follow the instructions as prompted to review the scholarship offer and click Accept under the appropriate scholarship.
If/when you accept a scholarship, then you will need to complete the Post-Acceptance form to receive your scholarship check. Students who fail to complete this form will not receive their scholarship award. This form is usually a thank you letter and a photo, but may have additional requirements depending on the scholarship.
All scholarships require that a thank you letter is submitted before any funds are disbursed to a student. This thank you letter will be sent to the donor who provided the scholarship, so you should take the time to make it meaningful. The scholarship offer will include information about any additional requirements.
If a response date is required for a specific opportunity, then it will be indicated when you view your scholarship offer. Generally, a date will be provided to be included in the initial scholarship check mailing.
If a student misses that date, then their scholarship check will be delayed. Generally, students who fail to accept their award by the fall semester will lose their scholarship and it will be awarded to another student.
Scholarships are awarded in the form of a check made payable to the student. The scholarship award notification will include information on how to receive your scholarship funds.
Please be aware that all scholarships require students to write a thank you letter, provide a photo, and verify their mailing address. Many have additional requirements like attending an awards ceremony before the scholarship funds are disbursed.
There is currently no appeal process.
Faculty and Staff Letter of Recommendation FAQ
Go to the Los Rios scholarship system sign-in page and click on the references and reviewers tab. Then click on "Trouble signing in?" and request a new password. A password reset email will be sent to you.
The reference and reviewers sign in does not use Los Rios Single Sign-On for authentication. If you have signed in before, then you most likely set up a password a year or more ago. We recommend clicking on "Trouble signing in?" to reset your password.
If you use the wrong password, then a bug in the software will redirect you to the student page. Log out and then sign back in on the reference and reviewers tab, and if you don't remember your password, then click on "Trouble signing in?" to reset your password (it may not be the same as your Los Rios password).
If you see a Los Rios Single Sign-On request, then you have landed on the student portal. Navigate back to the references and reviewers tab.
Double-check that you signed in with the correct email. The reference request is tied to the email that the student entered into their application. If multiple students requested references from you but they entered different email addresses for you, then they may end up in different accounts.
We realize this is an inconvenience and we apologize for the extra step.
Questions?
If you have a question not answered here, then send an email to scholarships@losrios.edu. Be sure to include your ID number if you have questions specific to your application or account.