Need-Based ScholarshipsLong shot

Sam and Lydia Payne Scholarship

Offered by The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida · Free to apply

Award

Up to $12,000 across four years

renewable in later years

Deadline

March 13, 2027

deadlines recur around March each year

Estimated odds

1 in 193

Solyo estimate, not a published rate

Application effort

~3 hrs

about $31 of expected value per hour

The Payne Scholarship, administered by the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida in Jacksonville, is built for exactly the student most scholarships overlook: its GPA window runs from 2.2 up to a 3.5 ceiling, meaning straight-A students are deliberately excluded and solid, ordinary students with financial need compete only against each other. It pays up to twelve thousand dollars across four years to a small number of North Florida graduates, and in a region whose community foundation otherwise runs hyper-specific funds, it is the one broad door for a general senior.

How hard is the Sam and Lydia Payne Scholarship to win?

A large applicant pool chases this award. Apply if the student is a genuinely strong fit, but build the plan around better-odds awards first.

Estimated odds: roughly 1 in 193 applicants
Modelled applicant field: ~600 students
Awards each cycle: 3
Payoff per hour of work: $31 / hr

What drives the odds here

Odds on a scholarship are mostly a question of how many students can enter. Each rule below changes the size of that field.

Fewer rivalsOpen only to Florida residents
Fewer rivalsAn essay is required, which filters out casual applicants
Fewer rivalsAn official transcript is required
Fewer rivalsOpen to a single grade level only
Fewer rivalsRequires at least a 2.2 GPA
More rivalsA five-figure award attracts a bigger field

How Solyo estimates this: We model the applicant field from how narrow the eligibility rules are, then divide the awards available by that field. Requirements such as essays and recommendation letters improve a serious applicant’s odds, because most browsers never complete them. These are estimates derived from each award's published structure, not reported acceptance rates, which almost no scholarship provider discloses. Treat them as a way to rank where the hours go, not as a guarantee.

Who can apply for the Sam and Lydia Payne Scholarship?

These are the eligibility rules Solyo verified against the official award page, translated into plain English. Your student must meet each one.

Must be a resident of Florida
Open to high school seniors
GPA of 2.2 or higher (unweighted)

Confirm these before applying

North Florida high school graduates with a weighted GPA between 2.2 and 3.5 and financial need. The 3.5 CEILING is a hard bar: students above it are not eligible, by design.

Good to know

The window runs January to March on the foundation's shared application form.

What the application takes

Essay required.
Transcript required. Request it from the school registrar ahead of the deadline.

Deadline and application cycle

The current deadline is March 13, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around March 13 each year. Applications open January.

Applications open: January 2027
Applications close: March 13, 2027

Apply on the official site →Free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge a fee.

Does your student actually qualify?

See if your student qualifies in 30 seconds. Solyo checks 20+ criteria against their real profile: GPA, state, grade level, intended major, and more, across every award in this directory at once.

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Common questions about the Sam and Lydia Payne Scholarship

How much is the Sam and Lydia Payne Scholarship worth?

The Sam and Lydia Payne Scholarship awards up to $12,000 across four years and is renewable in later years. 3 awards are made each cycle.

When is the Sam and Lydia Payne Scholarship deadline?

The current deadline is March 13, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around March 13 each year. Applications open January.

When do Sam and Lydia Payne Scholarship applications open?

Applications open January, and close March 13, 2027.

Who is eligible for the Sam and Lydia Payne Scholarship?

Key requirements: Must be a resident of Florida; Open to high school seniors; GPA of 2.2 or higher (unweighted).

Does the Sam and Lydia Payne Scholarship require an essay?

Yes. The application requires an essay and a transcript. Expect to spend about 3 hours on it.

How hard is it to win the Sam and Lydia Payne Scholarship?

Solyo estimates the odds at roughly 1 in 193 applicants, against a modelled field of ~600 students. The pool stays that size because open only to Florida residents and an essay is required, which filters out casual applicants. At 3 hrs of work, that is about $31 of expected value per hour. This is an estimate from award structure, not a published acceptance rate.

Is the Sam and Lydia Payne Scholarship free to apply?

Yes. The Sam and Lydia Payne Scholarship is free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge an application fee, and Solyo verifies every listed award against its official page.

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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.