The Central Oregon Community College (COCC) Foundation is awarding $2 million in scholarships for the coming 2024-25 academic year — an all-time high for the college’s scholarship fund. The application window, one of two cycles taking place this year, opens Feb. 1 and closes May 1. Visit cocc.edu/scholarship to learn more.

Annual COCC Foundation scholarships are awarded based on financial needs and a demonstrated commitment to educational goals. A full $5,000 scholarship is enough to cover an enrolled student’s tuition and fees for 12 credits per term for three terms. The COCC Foundation is offering 400 scholarships for this year’s cycle.

“The scholarship criteria has been simplified and students no longer need to be an in-district resident nor do they need to be a documented citizen to apply,” said Brittany Nichols, director of COCC Foundation programs. “Receiving a scholarship is one of the best opportunities a student can have — they take more courses, complete their studies quicker, have higher GPAs and less debt.”

At COCC, scholarship students — in programs as diverse as engineering, humanities and nursing — earn an average 3.34 GPA and take two credits more per term than their peers, according to recent data. More than 8% of credit-seeking students at COCC received a Foundation scholarship this past year.

The application process allows students to apply during one of two windows: beginning Feb. 1 or Aug. 1. Selected students in the spring cycle can then set their sights on enrolling for fall term; students who enrolled after the spring term have a chance to apply during the fall cycle.

The COCC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization whose purpose is to further the educational and charitable activities of the college through financial assistance to students, fiscal support for college programs and in campaigns that support needed college capital improvements.

Contact the COCC Foundation at cocc.edu/foundation to learn how tax-deductible giving can contribute to the advancement of local lives and the community.