Scholarship FAQ

Marion Community Foundation offers a scholarship program awarding more than $500,000 annually to high school seniors, college students, and non-traditional students. Scholarships are available to applicants planning to attend a trade school, two-year or four-year college or university, graduate school, law school, or medical school. Each scholarship fund has specific criteria and requirements, established by its donor(s). Scholarships requirements focus on students in the Marion (Ohio) geographic area.

While a majority of our scholarships available are for Marion County past or present residents or those who attended a school in Marion County (Elgin, Harding, Pleasant, Ridgedale, River Valley), students residing in Crawford, Delaware, Hardin, Morrow, Union, or Wyandot Counties may also qualify for certain scholarships.

Additionally, there a handful of scholarships specifically for past and present students of Bellevue Senior High School, Buckeye Central High School, Bucyrus High School, Colonel Crawford High School, Ridgemont High School, and Wynford High School.

Current high school seniors set to graduate in May 2025 or anyone with a high school degree enrolled or planning to enroll in a higher education institution for fall of 2025 can apply. This includes trade schools, two-year institutions, four-year institutions, graduate schools, law schools, and medical schools.

The 2025 deadline is February 11, 2025, at 1pm. The deadline is absolute. All portions of the application – including the two letters of recommendation and, for high school seniors, a guidance counselor transcript submission – must be completed and the online application in the SUBMITTED status by this deadline date and time for an application to be considered for awards.

It is the student’s responsibility to make sure their application is fully complete and submitted by the 1pm deadline on February 11, 2025. This includes two recommendations (one teacher and one community member) and for high school seniors, the Guidance Counselor portion of the application.

To be eligible for consideration by the Marion Community Foundation Scholarship Committee, a person must submit a completed online Common Application with all necessary attachments and recommendations by the deadline. Click HERE to go to the APPLY page.

With more than 160 scholarships available to area students, each with their own set of criteria and requirements, Marion Community Foundation utilizes one Common Application for students to submit. From their responses, students will be matched to specific scholarships based on criteria and awarded on merit.

With more than 160 scholarships available, each with their own set of criteria and requirements, questions specific to those requirements are included so students can use a Common Application. From their responses, students will be matched to specific scholarships based on criteria and awarded on merit.

All applications require:
– two letters of recommendation
– three essays
– basic demographic and background information
– plans for higher education, and
– financial information. 

Current high school seniors are also required to have their Guidance Counselor submit their transcript.

Of the scholarships available, some require an additional essay submission. Should students meet the criteria listed in the option essay description, they can complete the essay to also be considered for that particular scholarship.

The Marion Community Foundation scholarship application does not require applicants to submit a FAFSA; however, we use the FAFSA information to help determine eligibility for our need-based scholarships. You may choose to NOT submit a FAFSA as part of this scholarship application. If you do not submit a FAFSA, you will not be eligible for scholarships that have a criteria for financial need.

Our online scholarship application is on the SmarterSelect platform. Click HERE to go to our APPLY page to start or continue your application.

Be sure to use a password not associated with your school, so you have access to your SmarterSelect account regardless of your school status. You will need your username and password to log back in to continue your application and, should you be awarded a scholarship, you will need your username and password in July to submit your proof of enrollment so your school can receive scholarship payments.

Applicants may submit the Common Application with all required fields completed. The applicant will receive a confirmation email indicating the application has been SUBMITTED. Applications will not be in the submitted status until ALL required fields in the application are completed, including essays and recommendations. Applications must be in the Submitted Status by the deadline date and time in order to be considered eligible.

You can reset your password on the homepage of the SmarterSelect application site. Please note that applicants sign in and create a password on the SmarterSelect website, which is NOT the Marion Community Foundation website. It is VERY important that you remember and keep a record of the sign-in credentials you create when you start your application. You do not need to complete the application all at one time. Should you be awarded a scholarship, you will be asked to submit proof of enrollment in July through the same application.

Marion Community Foundation awards approximately $500,000 in scholarships annually. Typically, a little over 200 students are awarded scholarships each year. Scholarship award amounts for each scholarship fund are determined at the beginning of March each year and amounts vary for each scholarship fund.

We encourage each individual to review the list of Scholarships Available. Applicants need only apply using the Common Application, but this list will give them a sense of what the scholarship review committee is looking for in applications and give them the best assessment of how many Marion Community Foundation scholarships for which they are eligible.

For applicants who are currently high school seniors, Guidance Counselors will be asked to provide the student’s GPA (based on a 4.0 scale), class rank, ACT and/or SAT scores, and a high school transcript.

Guidance Counselors and School Staff: Please encourage students to begin the Marion Community Foundation scholarship now and submit their application by the February 11, 2025, deadline.

Please communicate this scholarship opportunity and deadline with parents/guardians any way you can (e.g. school website, Facebook, newsletter, events).

Please post the promotional flyer on student bulletin boards and staff lounges.

Please reiterate to students that it is the student’s responsibility to make sure their application is fully complete and submitted by the 1pm deadline on February 11, 2025. This includes two recommendations (one teacher and one community member) and for high school seniors, the Guidance Counselor portion of the application.

Applicants chosen to receive a scholarship award will be notified in early May. Applicants are encouraged to notify the Marion Community Foundation if any of their contact information changes from what they put on the submitted application. On the application, please use an email that you check regularly and that you will have access to when not at school.

Applicants with a submitted application, but not selected for a scholarship award, will also be notified.

Marion Community Foundation will pay all scholarship awards directly to the accredited educational institution. No scholarship dollars will be sent to individual applicants. Scholarships may only be used toward tuition, fees required for enrollment, and books, supplies, and equipment required for instruction and billed directly by the institution.

Recipients of Marion Community Foundation will receive instructions in July to provide proof of enrollment using the same username and password created at the time of the application. This documentation is required before scholarships are paid. If proof of enrollment is not submitted, your scholarship will be considered declined.

Recommenders are encouraged to provide narrative:
– Indicating how they know or have interacted with the student
– An evaluation of the student’s skills, strengths, characteristics, and/or qualifications
– Share unique characteristics or circumstances that they believe will help the student to be successful or challenge them as they pursue higher education.