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DVC Scholarships

The DVC Foundation offers numerous scholarships funded through donations from alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of DVC. The online DVC Scholarship Application opens on October 31, 2024. Review the information below to learn more about the DVC scholarship application process.

Eligibility

• You must be enrolled in at least 6.0 units at DVC for both the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters and must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0.
• The additional criteria for each scholarship varies and may include financial need, declaration of a particular major, community service, and/or other requirements.

To learn more about DVC scholarships and their specific requirements, please refer to the comprehensive list of scholarships in the online DVC Scholarship Application portal.

Application deadline

The deadline to submit the online DVC Scholarship Application is Thursday, February 13, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.

How to apply

DVC students may apply through the online DVC Scholarship Application portal starting October 31, 2024. Scholarship opportunities are listed on the application homepage, and you may apply for all DVC scholarships with a single online application. You are not required to select individual scholarships for which you would like to receive consideration, as the auto-match feature of the application will automatically match your application to the scholarships for which you meet the minimum criteria.

On the application homepage, click on the "Sign In" button located in the upper right hand corner of the page. You will be prompted to enter your InSite username and password to access the application.

You may save your application prior to submission and access the application again if you are not able to complete all of the questions in one session. After you submit your scholarship application, you will be able to make updates until the scholarship application deadline. You will also be able to monitor the status of your reference requests.

Additional application requirements

You must upload your unofficial DVC transcript as part of the application process.

• Unofficial DVC transcripts are accessible via InSite.
• Instructions for accessing your unofficial DVC transcript are provided in the application.

You must write a 500-word essay in which you will be asked to:

• Discuss your academic and career goals
• Provide information about your financial need
• Share information about your campus involvement
• Describe how your volunteer/nonpaid service and/or your experience participating in leadership activities have contributed to your personal growth and/or academic goals.
• Highlight any other strengths which you feel make you a strong candidate for a scholarship
• Share information about unique circumstances or experiences that have inspired your academic success

You must secure two references.

• At least one reference must be from a DVC faculty member (DVC academic course instructor or DVC academic counselor).
• The second reference can be from another individual who knows you professionally or academically (a second DVC faculty member, a DVC staff member, a supervisor, a high school teacher/counselor, a community leader/member, etc.).  Recommendation forms submitted by family members, relatives, or friends will not be considered.  
• Your recommenders should be able to highlight your academic performance, leadership skills, community service activities, and/or other strengths/attributes which they feel make you a strong candidate for a scholarship.
• In the application, you will be prompted to provide the email addresses of your recommenders so that they can receive instructions by email for submitting the recommendation forms through the online DVC Scholarship Application portal.  Please ask your recommenders to serve as references and obtain their permission prior to entering their email addresses in your scholarship application.  After you have entered the email addresses of your recommenders in the online application, the system will automatically send them your request with a link to submit the recommendation form.
• You can log in to your application and click on the "References" tab to confirm that your recommenders have submitted their recommendation forms.
• The DVC Scholarship Work Group recommends that DVC faculty and staff complete a recommendation form for no more than three DVC scholarship applicants.  If more than three recommendations are being submitted, the DVC Scholarship Work Group suggests that recommenders do their best to differentiate them.

Selection and Notification

Selections are made by the DVC Scholarship Work Group which is comprised of DVC faculty members. Scholarship award notifications will be emailed to recipients by the first week in May each year.  The email will provide details of the scholarship award, including the name of the scholarship, the amount of the award, and information regarding disbursement.  Applicants who are not selected to receive a scholarship are also notified by the first week in May.

External scholarships

Additional scholarship opportunities are available from external organizations and private donors. Learn how to find and apply for external scholarships.

Contact Scholarship Office

• Pleasant Hill
• San Ramon