Earning transfer scholarships involves a number of factors: having a good academic and service record, meeting deadlines, and simply finding available/relevant transfer scholarships. We hope the advice and resources here will help you obtain scholarship/financial aid support for your undergraduate education when you transfer from BCC.

Page Contents:

• Prepare a strong college resume
• Apply for admission at universities
• FAFSA (the first step for financial aid)
• University Scholarships
• List and links to available transfer scholarships at FAU and FIU
• Online resources for finding 3rd party scholarships
• List (including links) of substantial 3rd party scholarships

  Download a partial list of colleges who have awarded
  transfer scholarships to BCC Honors students.

College Resume

Your college resume has two major parts: your academic performance and your extracurricular activities. You should work to build up both.

GPA and Honors Institute Certificate:

While your SAT/ACT scores and high school record are important at the freshmen level, your college record will be much more significant as you seek to transfer into university undergraduate programs and earn scholarships. Your GPA is perhaps the most important factor. As an Honors student you already have certain advantages, but it is also recommended that you earn an Honors Certificate (see the Honors Certificate page for more information). You may also want to tryout for the Brain Bowl and Math teams. Successful team members may earn BCC scholarships and are often offered transfer scholarships.

Service and Extracurricular Activities:

Extracurricular activities may play a major role in your scholarship search, especially when you apply for 3rd party funds. Many universities are also placing increasingly more weight on service activities and student organization participation in making financial award decisions. The available opportunities at BCC are countless. Most Honors students are eligible to join Phi Theta Kappa, the official Honors Society of the two year college. Phi Theta Kappa chapters are very active on all three of BCC's major campuses, offering a wealth of activities, including regional and national conferences. Many universities offer scholarships to Phi Theta Kappa members, especially those who are very active in the organization or have become chapter officers. The campus Student Life offices organize many community service projects and help students find service opportunities. Student Life also maintains a list of student organizations like Phi Theta Kappa. Becoming involved in community service and volunteer work is usually a rewarding and meaningful experience.

University Admission

With nearly all college applications, early action is best. If you have decided which colleges you would like to attend, go ahead and apply by the priority deadlines. It is preferable to apply at least nine months before the date when you would begin your studies. Begin collecting recommendation letters even sooner. Applying early is a good idea, even if the university does not make final admission decisions until months later, because you will have extra time to search and apply for scholarships.

FAFSA

The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and is the most important factor in applying for financial aid, and sometimes scholarships as well. Students must submit a new one each year, and it is essential that you complete the FAFSA as soon as possible the year you plan to transfer. Students may complete the FAFSA as early as January, since some college priority deadlines begin in February. Meeting the financial aid priority deadline guarantees that you will be considered for the maximum amount of financial aid that the university offers.

Some universities require the FAFSA even for scholarship consideration. Likewise, some universities may offer ONLY financial aid, and no merit based scholarships. Very often the FAFSA is the only form that a student needs to complete when applying for financial aid, but do not stop there. Find out if there are additional aid applications at the school of your choice.

Note: International students should check with the financial aid office to see if their status requires completion of the FAFSA.

University Scholarships

After financial aid, university scholarships are your second most important resource. Finding out about the available university scholarships is not usually that difficult, but you will need to set aside some time to carefully review the scholarship information that colleges have sent you as well the university financial aid websites. Search not only for general scholarships, but also for departmental scholarships related to your major. Another resource might be the university's foundation.

As with admission and the FAFSA, early action is key. Start searching for scholarships right after filing your early admission application. It is important to have time not only to find the scholarships, but also to work on the applications when you are not under pressure. Remember that you may need time to gather recommendation letters. For applications that require an essay, you should first write a draft and then come back and revise it after a short break. Repeat this process, refining your essays until you believe that you are sending your best work. Proofread carefully and have others proofread for you as well; spelling/grammar errors weaken your application significantly. Realize that poorly written essays can automatically eliminate you from being considered for many scholarships.

Local Transfer Scholarship Opportunities

Since many BCC graduates transfer locally, we have prepared a list of scholarship opportunities at a few major South Florida universities. The information below has been placed here for your convenience, but may not be complete or up to date. Please contact the university for the most recent information. BCC Honors students have a terrific record in earning local transfer scholarships, with many receiving enough to cover tuition, books, and more. You can see a list of students who have earned these funds in the Student Hall of Fame.

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY

• The NSU-Broward Community College Transfer Scholarship: This scholarship opportunity is available to BCC students who have successfully graduated with an Associate degree and plan to transfer to Nova Southeastern University (NSU). Preference will be given to students who have a 3.5 GPA and are members of the Honors Institute, Phi Theta Kappa and the National Scholastic Honors Society. Eligible Bright Futures students and students who are majoring in nursing, education and other critical shortage areas as determined by the state of Florida will also be considered.(link - Scroll down to "NSU Transfer Scholarship")
  Deadline: March 3, 2008
  Application:  Download application here

  
  

FAU (students are encouraged to apply for all of the scholarships for which they are eligible)

• All Academic Team Scholars: $3,000 scholarships to members of the Florida All Academic Team with a minimum 3.5 GPA. Renewable up to 5 semesters contingent upon maintaining a cumulative 3.2 GPA while a full-time student at FAU. Deadline for nominations is June 1st for transfer in the following Fall or Spring semester. (link)
• Brain Bowl: Two scholarships of $1,350/semester for students on the winning brain bowl team. Renewable for up to 5 semesters or until graduation (whichever occurs first). Apply through the FAU Undergraduate Admissions Office by June 1st. (link)
• Community College Honors Scholarship: Limited awards of $1,500/semester for incoming junior transfer students with a minimum 3.5 GPA and graduates of the Honors Program at a Florida community college. Student must maintain a minimum 3.2 GPA. Deadline for nominations is March 1st for transfer in the following Fall or Spring semester. (link)
• Community College Scholars Award: Limited 2+2 Scholarships of $1,350/semester for students at Palm Beach, Broward, and Community Colleges. Students must have a minimum 3.5 GPA and must have received a scholarship to attend the community college straight from high school. Student must maintain a minimum 3.2 GPA. Deadline for nominations is March 1st for transfer in the following Fall or Spring semester. (link)
• Depan International Transfer Student Scholarship: Depan International Student Scholarship is an award of $2000 for a student transferring to FAU on a student or scholar visa, includes a nonresident tuition fee waiver, after completion of at least one year of study at another institution. Eligibility criteria include outstanding academic achievement, English proficiency, and evidence of community service or activity. Renewable up to three years contingent upon maintaining a 3.2 GPA at FAU and full-time enrollment. Application deadline is March 1st. (link)
• M. Brenn Green Scholarship: Two renewable awards of $1000, for an undergraduate transfer student majoring in one of the following areas: Anthropology, Criminal Justice, Economics, Geography, Health Administration, Political Science, Social Psychology, Social Work or Sociology. Application deadline is March 1st. (link)
• Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship: Awards of $1,350/semester for each student at a Florida community college where there is Phi Theta Kappa chapter. Students must have a minimum 3.5 overall GPA. The scholarship is renewable for up to 5 semesters or until graduation (whichever occurs first) contingent upon maintaining a 3.2 GPA while a full-time student at FAU and active membership in the Alpha of Florida alumni association at the University. Deadline to receive nominations is March 1st for transfer in the following Fall or Spring semester. (link)
• Transfer Educational Achievement Award (TEAA): Awards of $1,350/semester for incoming junior transfer students from a community college with a minimum 3.5 GPA and demonstrated financial need. Limited to US citizens or permanent resident aliens. Renewable for up to 5 semesters or until graduation (which ever occurs first) contingent upon maintaining a cumulative 3.0 GPA while a full-time student at FAU. Application deadline is March 1st. (link)
• Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College Scholarships: (link)
• Additional Resources: FAU recommends it's alumni association as a resource (link). You should also contact the department that corresponds to your major.

   

FIU (there are so many different scholarships available, by department and by circumstance, that only a few are listed here, along with some links)

• Honors College Scholarships: Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of transfer GPA (special attention is paid to prior performance in honors courses), extra-curricular activities, and letters of recommendation. To be considered for these awards, students must submit the following documents: a completed application for membership in The Honors College, a current official transcript showing all courses taken, two letters of recommendation from previous instructors, an application for FIU admission to the University's Office of Admissions. Students who submit these documents will be considered for applicable awards.

  Willis Holcombe Scholarship: Available only to graduates of Broward Community College, this award covers the full cost of in-state tuition and registration fees. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 is required. (link)

  Presidential Scholarship: Available to graduates of all Florida community colleges, this award covers the full cost of instate tuition and registrations fees. Students who are interested in this award should submit a letter of recommendation from the college President. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 is required. (link)

  FIU/Community College Honors Scholarship: Recognizing the academic achievement of students who have received the A.A. degree or are transfer-approved from Florida community colleges, this award provides $750 per semester for a maximum of four semesters. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.3 is required. (link)

  Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship: Each year one outstanding member of PTK is awarded $2000 per year for a maximum of two years. Students who are interested in this award should submit a letter of recommendation from their PTK faculty advisor. A minimum grade point average of 3.5 is required. (link)

• FIU Main Transfer Scholarships Page
• FIU Engineering Scholarships
• Transfer Counseling Manual (PDF)

Online Resources

• FastWeb.com: (free) Largest online scholarship database. It find scholarships for you based on a profile you provide. Excellent resource for third party scholarships
• Scholarships.com: (free) Another scholarship search service similar to FastWeb
• Scholarship Scams: Information to help you recognize and avoid scholarship scams
• The Scholarship Page: Differs from the two above scholarship searches in that it provides a list that you can actually browse through. On the hand, this list is much smaller.
• FIU Scholarship Database List (Word Document): An excellent and thurough list of 3rd party scholarship resources

Partial List of Major/Prestigious 3rd Party Scholarships

This list will soon include more detailed information about these scholarships, including links to the websites.