Frequently Asked Questions

Defining a Scholarship

A Foundation scholarship is a monetary amount (grant-in-aid) given to a Gulf Coast State College student who has applied and been selected to receive a scholarship award. Scholarships are not meant to cover 100% of a student’s educational cost, but are intended as a ‘supplement’ to cover the cost of education.

How is the Scholarship Award Amount Determined Each Year?

The Foundation’s Board of Directors sets the award amounts each year for endowed scholarships. The amounts will usually be announced in April or May and will be noted on a recipient’s offer letter. The Board of Directors do not set the award amounts for scholarships that have a pre-determined payout.

What is the Scholarship Award Amount Range?

The Foundation’s Board of Directors usually sets a single award amount for each endowed scholarship.

How Many Applications Will I Have to Complete?

The best way to explain it is that “All roads go through our general application”.

Once a general scholarship application is submitted, our system looks at all of our scholarship opportunities and “matches” an applicant to a qualified opportunity or opportunities. This is what we refer to as “auto matching”. An applicant will never know they have applied for these scholarships. There are some cases where our system will match an applicant up to a scholarship opportunity and more information is required. We refer to those as “apply to” scholarships. An applicant has a choice on whether or not he/she wants to apply or not. Our honors scholarship is an example of an ‘apply to” scholarship.

Approved Scholarship Uses

Scholarship awards can be used to cover the cost of tuition, books, fees, or other supplemental educational expenses.

Scholarship Payouts

Once an award amount has been established, the payout procedure is as follows:

12 or more credit hours– 100% of award
9 to 11 credit hours– 75% of award
6 to 8 credit hours– 50% of award
3 to 5 credit hours– 25% of award
0 to 2 credit hours– 0% of award

Scholarship Status

The Foundation’s scholarship program has six (6) status indicators that are noted inside an applicant’s portal. Each status has a distinct meaning:

Drafted: Indicates that an applicant has started the application process, however, the application remains incomplete.

Submitted: Indicates that the application has been completed and submitted for review.

Offered: Indicates that an application has been selected and the applicant has been offered a scholarship.

Accepted: Indicates that an applicant has accepted the scholarship offer.

Awarded: Indicates that an applicant has completed all required steps for payment of scholarship award.

Declined: Indicates that an applicant has officially declined the scholarship offer.

Scholarship Portal

Every Scholarship applicant will have their own individual file inside the Foundation’s scholarship system. This is where an applicant can review their scholarship application, monitor the application process, and receive notification of scholarship awards.

GCSC Email Setup

All applicants must have an active Gulf Coast State College email account. The Foundation sends out notifications using an applicant’s GCSC email. Very seldom will the Foundation use an applicant’s personal email address (i.e. Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud etc.)

Authorization of Use of Student Data

Scholarships are awarded using Gulf Coast State College enrollment and financial aid data. The Foundation acknowledges that certain information about the applicant is contained in the records maintained by Gulf Coast State College and is deemed confidential by reason on the Family and Educational Rights and Private Act of 1974 (FERPA). By processing an applicant’s scholarship application, the Foundation will consider such information confidential and will use all commercially reasonable efforts to protect these records in accordance with FERPA.

All applicants must grant to the Foundation the unrestricted right and permission to gather student information for the sole lawful purpose of scholarship selection, awarding and monitoring. All applicants must grant the unrestricted right and permission to copyright and use, re-use, publish, in whole or in part, in any and all information contained in an application for any lawful purpose that may promote the Foundation or it’s scholarship program.

Gulf Coast State College Student Record Confidentiality Selection

All GCSC students who select to have their records kept “confidential” will not be eligible for Foundation scholarships. To comply with a student’s request, the College will not forward any student information to the Foundation. Without the necessary student information available, the Foundation would be unable to make a scholarship qualification determination.

Non-Discrimination

The Gulf Coast State College Foundation does not discriminate against any person in its scholarship activities, programs, policies or procedures on the bases of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, marital status, religion, age, gender identity, genetic information, disability or veteran’s status. All questions or inquiries regarding misconduct or discrimination may be directed to Ms. Ashlin Glatthar, Executive Director, Gulf Coast State College Foundation, 5230 West Highway 98, Panama City, Florida 32401.