It’s that time of year again. The Eagan Scholarship Program has begun accepting applications. The window to submit applications will close on February 6th at 6:00 pm.

The Eagan Foundation awards scholarships to graduating seniors living in Eagan or attending Eagan High School. The scholarships are based on criteria specified by the scholarship donor, such as academic merit, financial need, and other requirements. For 2017, there are about 110 scholarships, totaling over $100,000. You need only fill out one application to be considered for all scholarships for which you are eligible.

Applications can be accessed through the Eagan Foundation’s website. If confidentiality is a concern, all application information is handled with extra care for privacy. When each application is processed, all identifying information is stripped away, and each application is assigned a random ID number.

Before applying, you might want to consider a few guidelines. All decisions of the Foundation are final. Recipients will be recognized at an awards ceremony and may be pictured in promotional materials. Scholarships will be made payable to the recipient’s educational institution when the Foundation has received proof of enrollment. All applications submitted online after the deadline (6:00 pm CST on February 6, 2016) will not be considered. Scholarships based on financial need will require that you submit your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) reported on the front page of your Student Aid Report (SAR). After you submit your free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), you will receive an SAR. To qualify for any financial need scholarships, a copy of the SAR must be submitted. Be sure and file your FAFSA by the scholarship deadline. For more information on SAR and FAFSA, click here.

If you decide to apply for an Eagan Foundation Scholarship, click here to start the process. To qualify for any of the scholarships, you must submit the required essay. The scholarships that require an additional essay are detailed in the application. You will be asked to upload your document(s) (in Microsoft Word format) to the application. Failure to submit the required essay will disqualify your application. A scholarship might also require a letter of recommendation. Letters should be mailed by the person who is writing the recommendation and must be postmarked by February 8, 2016. Mail letters to Eagan Foundation, P.O. Box 211192, Eagan, MN 55121. Alternatively, the recommender may sign and email the letter to [email protected]. Every applicant must submit a copy of their high school transcript (an unofficial transcript will suffice). You can copy and paste a print screen of the transcript to a Word document or scan a printed copy to a PDF. The application will require you to upload this document. The application also requires you to upload your senior photo to be used in the scholarship book in the event you are awarded a scholarship. Scholarship Awards will be announced in April.

In order to select the winners, the Eagan Foundation reviews and scores all applications using a “blind” process — the selection committee does not see applicant names — and matches students to scholarships, based on the specified criteria. The Eagan Foundation Committee will determine any and all scholarships for which the applicant is qualified, based on the information an applicant provides on the online application. Scholarships are awarded to the worthiest students, with higher level scholarships going to the students who reach the highest level of achievement per the criteria of each scholarship. Though an applicant may be considered for multiple scholarships, they may only be awarded one. To see the complete 2017 scholarship list, click here.

Every year, the Eagan Foundation hosts a breakfast at Eagan High School for scholarship winners, family members, and donors. This year, the breakfast will be taking place on April 19th at Eagan High School.

Donors for scholarships range from local businesses, organizations, foundations, school and athletic associations, families, and the Eagan Foundation itself. If you would like more information about becoming a scholarship donor, email [email protected] or call (651) 243-1198.

Before you apply, consider reading Scholarship FAQ and Scholarship Program and Application and Awards Policy, as both contain quality information applicants may find helpful. Happy scholarship applying!