Ford Scholars
The Ford Family Foundation · Free to apply
Award
$40,000/yr
$40,000 per year · Renewable in later years
Free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge a fee. We use your student's information only to build their plan.
- Closes
- March 1, 2027
- closes in 109 days
- Essay
- No
- Recommendations
- None
- Need-based
- Yes
- Merit-based
- No
- Time to apply
- ~1 hr
Rules read against the official award page. Confirm on the provider's site before applying.
Requirements
Who can apply for the Ford Scholars, as the official award page states them. Your student must meet each one.
- Must be a resident of Oregon or California
- Open to high school seniors
To apply
- Must have a Student Aid Index (SAI) of 8,000 or less and demonstrate significant financial and personal barriers to attending college.
- Must plan to enroll full-time on campus in fall to earn a bachelor's degree at an eligible public or nonprofit college in Oregon or California, and must have never previously enrolled full-time in college.
- Must reside in Oregon or Siskiyou County, California (online-only college programs do not qualify).
- If previously convicted of a felony, applicant must satisfy all terms of the conviction by August 1 of the application year.
No essay, recommendation letters or transcript are required: one of the lighter applications in the directory.
Good to know
- 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on March 1, 2027.
Personalized matching
Does your student qualify?
Answer the open rules below and this page checks them. Each answer is kept and applied to every other award, so you never answer it twice.
Requires OR/CA residency
For high school seniors
Your answers stay in this browser and apply to every award. Check all 870 scholarships with them
About the scholarship
The Ford Scholars Program supports graduating high school seniors and recent graduates from Oregon and Siskiyou County, California, who face significant financial and social obstacles to higher education. Recipients can receive up to $40,000 per year toward tuition, living costs, and fees for full-time undergraduate study in Oregon or California. Selection is based on academic potential, community engagement, mindset, and work ethic rather than a GPA cutoff.
How to apply
Online form on the provider's site
- 1File a financial aid form (FAFSA, or state equivalent such as ORSAA or CADAA).
- 2Submit the online Ford Family Foundation scholarship application once it opens on December 1.
- 3Submit the completed application by March 1, 2027, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
From the sponsor's page, which is always the final word.
How the winners are chosen
The sponsor picks the winners from the students who apply. Most sponsors do not publish how many students apply.
- Time to apply
- ~1 hr of work
Deadline and application cycle
The current deadline is March 1, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around March 1 each year. Applications typically open in December.
- Applications open
- December 2026
- Applications close
- March 1, 2027
Free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge a fee. We use your student's information only to build their plan.
Other deadlines near this one
Common questions about the Ford Scholars
How much is the Ford Scholars worth?
The Ford Scholars awards $40,000 per year and is renewable in later years.
When is the Ford Scholars deadline?
The current deadline is March 1, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around March 1 each year. Applications typically open in December.
When do Ford Scholars applications open?
Applications typically open in December, and close March 1, 2027.
Who is eligible for the Ford Scholars?
Key requirements: Must be a resident of Oregon or California; Open to high school seniors.
Does the Ford Scholars require an essay?
No essay is required. The application is light on requirements. Expect to spend about 1 hour on it.
How hard is it to win the Ford Scholars?
The sponsor picks the winners from the students who apply. What limits who can enter: limited to 2 states and open to a single grade level only. Plan on about 1 hr of work.
Is the Ford Scholars free to apply?
Yes. The Ford Scholars is free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge an application fee, and Solyo verifies every listed award against its official page.
More need-based scholarships
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- Foundation for Seminole County Public Schools ScholarshipsMostly $500 to $2,000, with occasional larger awards and a two-year Florida Prepaid award · due April 1, 2027
- Francis Ouimet ScholarshipVaries based on financial need · due December 1, 2026
- George Snow ScholarshipsVaries · due February 1, 2027
- Grand Lodge of Ohio ScholarshipsVaries · due March 1, 2027
- Grand Rapids Community Foundation Scholarships$2,000 to $5,000 · due March 1, 2027
Lists this award appears on
Award details are curated by Solyo and verified against the official scholarship page. Deadlines and requirements can change between cycles, so always confirm on the provider's site before applying.