LA PLATA, Md. (February 2, 2011) — Now through May 31, College of Southern Maryland students can search more than 39 scholarships for matches to their backgrounds and financial needs in a wide variety of academic programs using CSM’s Online Scholarship Finder for the 2011-12 academic year.
“Many of our students rely on scholarships in order to attend CSM. Since Scholarship Finder was introduced in 2009, we’ve seen a tremendous increase in applicants,” said Martina Arnold, CSM development director. “The process is extremely user-friendly and everything a student needs to know about a CSM Foundation scholarship is right there on the site. Scholarship Finder guides students directly to scholarships for which they are most eligible and allows them to apply for multiple scholarships with one unified application. The best part is that students can apply at their convenience since the site operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Students register at
www.csmd.edu/financial/scholarships/ and use the online scholarship application system to answer questions pertaining to their education (such as high school, year of graduation, etc.), finances (income, work status), county residence, responsibilities (dependents, volunteer activities, etc.) and educational goals (intended major, program of study, projected graduation date, etc.). The system then takes the students’ answers and matches them to scholarships available only through the CSM Foundation.
“What I like about the program is that students are guided directly to the local scholarships that best match their situation, thereby increasing the chances the students might receive an award,” said CSM Development Specialist Erika Abell.
“Now in its third year, the online service provides a vehicle for students to apply for multiple scholarships,” said CSM Director of Financial Assistance Chris Zimmermann. “Last year, over 850 students applied for 43 separate scholarships and we were able to award over $103,736. We hope to see an increase in applicants this upcoming academic year,” he added.
“Award committees composed of faculty, staff and donors review and score all applications submitted by the deadline. Applicants who receive the highest scores (for the criteria on which they are judged) will be awarded scholarships,” said Abell.
Ashleigh Barnes of Indian Head applied for scholarships using Scholarship Finder last spring. “The online application process was very helpful to me in finding scholarships,” Barnes said. She was awarded the Gary Smith Memorial Scholarship, and the Helen and Mickey Todd Scholarship.
“The CSM Scholarship Finder puts students in charge of their education and how they finance it and making that process easier is something we should all be proud of,” said CSM Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management Team Joan Middleton.
For information on scholarships and financial aid assistance at CSM, call 301-934-7531 or 301-870-2309, 240-725-5499 or 443-550-6199, Ext. 7531.
For information on contributing to the CSM Foundation scholarship fund, visit
www.csmd.edu/foundation/.
Not all Foundation scholarships can be applied for through Scholarship Finder. To see a listing of all scholarships, visit
www.csmd.edu/Financial/awards.html.
To see a listing of scholarships awarded for the 2010-11 academic year, visit
bit.ly/haGhlr.
Source: CSM