ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS

Merit-based awards for high school seniors

Charles L. Hebner Memorial Scholarship – formerly the Diamond State Scholarship

In honor of the former Speaker of the State House of Representatives
Deadline: Submit the scholarship application by 4:30 p.m. February 24, 2023.
Eligibility: High school seniors who have a combined score of 1290 on the SAT. Must enroll full-time at a nonprofit, regionally accredited college.
Award: Renewable for up to three years with a cumulative GPA of 3.0.

B. Bradford Barnes Memorial Scholarship 

In honor of the former Speaker of the State House of Representatives
Deadline: Submit the scholarship application by 4:30 p.m. February 24, 2023. Must file FAFSA before application deadline.
Eligibility: High school seniors who have a combined score of 1290 on the SAT. Must enroll full-time at University of Delaware.
Award: Full tuition, fees, room, board and books at University of Delaware. Renewable for up to three years with a cumulative GPA of 3.0. One award per year.

Herman M. Holloway Sr. Memorial Scholarship  

In honor of the first African American State Senator in Delaware
Deadline: Submit the scholarship application by 4:30 p.m. February 24, 2023. Must file FAFSA before application deadline.
Eligibility: High school seniors who have a combined score of 1000 on the SAT. Must enroll full-time at Delaware State University.
Award: Full tuition, fees, room, board and books at Delaware State University. Renewable for up to three years with a cumulative GPA of 3.0. One award per year.

NEED-BASED SCHOLARSHIP

Scholarship Incentive Program (ScIP)

Deadline: May 15, 2023. The application requires three steps:

• Complete the FAFSA by May 15, 2023.
• Application opens January 2, 2023. Log onto your DHEO Student Account to apply, complete the online scholarship application and provide your anticipated college enrollment information for 2023-2024 by May 15, 2023.
• Submit requested supporting documentation.

NOTE: Communications for additional deadline information are sent to the email address you provided in your DHEO Student Account. Check your email frequently. To avoid delivery problems, add dheo@doe.k12.de.us to your address book or safe list.

Award: Check your email frequently. Award is not renewable; students must reapply every year.

OTHER SCHOLARSHIPS

Educational Benefits for Children of Deceased Veterans and Others

Deadline: May 15, 2023. Students can create an account and apply online at doe.k12.de.us/Page/996.

Eligibility: Must be age 16 to 24 and have been a resident of Delaware for three or more consecutive years before the date of application. If applicant’s parent was a member of the armed forces, the parent must have been a resident of Delaware at the time of death or declaration of missing in action or prisoner of war. Must be the child of one of the following:

• Member of the armed forces whose death was service-related; who is being held or was held as a prisoner of war; or who is officially declared missing in action.
• State police officer whose death was service-related.
• State Department of Transportation employee routinely employed in job-related activities on the state highway system whose death was job-related.

Award: Limited to four years and will not exceed tuition and fees per academic year at a Delaware public college; or a Delaware private college, if applicant’s program of study is unavailable at a Delaware public college; or an out-of-state public or private college, if no institution in Delaware offers the program of study. Prorated for eligible students who choose to attend an institution that is out of this sequence.

Michael C. Ferguson Achievement Award 

If you were a recipient of the Michael C. Ferguson achievement award in eighth or tenth grade, you can claim your award by creating a DHEO Student Account online. Once your account has been created and you have updated your college/university enrollment for the upcoming year, DHEO will match your Michael C. Ferguson Achievement Award to your account, and you can claim your award.

Career Based Scholarship 

Deadline: Submit the scholarship application by May 15, 2023 and complete the FAFSA by May 15, 2023.

Eligibility: Scholarship for full-time undergraduate students enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program in a Delaware public or private college in a major leading to a career in a high-need field in Delaware. The Delaware Higher Education Office and the Delaware Department of Labor will review employment trends in Delaware and update the high-need career fields list every five years.

Award: $5,000 per year. Students can re-apply each year and preference will be given to former recipients who continue to meet eligibility criteria.

Educator Support Scholarship 

Deadline: Submit the scholarship application by May 15, 2023 and complete the FAFSA by May 15, 2023.

Eligibility: Scholarship for full-time graduate or undergraduate students attending a Delaware public or private college who intend to pursue a career in education in high needs teaching areas and education specialist areas such as speech language pathologists, school psychologists, school social workers, and school counselors.

Award: $5,000 per year. Students can re-apply each year and preference will be given to former recipients who continue to meet the eligibility criteria.

SCHOLARSHIPS ADMINISTERED BY DELAWARE COLLEGES

Delaware SEED (Student Excellence Equals Degree) Scholarship Program 

Deadline: Must meet all institutional deadlines to apply for admission, complete the FAFSA and submit all required forms.

Eligibility: Provides tuition for eligible students enrolling at Delaware Technical Community College or the University of Delaware’s Associate in Arts program.

The SEED scholarship can be applied to an associate degree, diploma, credit certificate, bachelor’s degree, or workforce training program at Delaware Tech. The free tuition can be applied to five years of courses (paying for a full associate degree and one additional year toward a bachelor’s degree).

Award: Provides tuition for eligible students at Delaware Technical College or the University of Delaware’s Associate Degree program after other financial aid received is deducted from total tuition costs. Does not cover books, fees, or other related expenses.

Contact: Delaware Technical Community College
dtcc.edu/seed
Financial Aid Office, Owens Campus, 302-855-1693
Financial Aid Office, Terry Campus, 302-857-1040
Financial Aid Office, Stanton Campus, 302-453-3706
Financial Aid Office, Wilmington Campus, 302-434-5552
University of Delaware, Student Financial Services, 302-831-2126

Inspire Scholarship 

Deadline: Must meet Delaware State University’s deadlines to submit application for admission, complete the FAFSA and submit other required forms.
Eligibility: Provides full tuition assistance for eligible students enrolling full time in a degree program at Delaware State University.
Award: Provides tuition assistance for up to eight semesters. Recipients must qualify annually.
Contact: Delaware State University
Financial Aid Office
1200 N. DuPont Highway
Dover, DE 19901
302-857-6250
scholarships@desu.edu
desu.edu/inspire

OTHER FINANCIAL AID OPPORTUNITIES FOR DELAWARE RESIDENTS

DELAWARE COLLEGE INVESTMENT PLAN

Delaware’s 529 college savings program
The Delaware College Investment Plan is sponsored by the state of Delaware and managed by Fidelity Investments. It provides parents, grandparents and others a tax-advantaged way to save for a child’s college education. Any earnings grow tax-deferred and qualified withdrawals are free from federal and Delaware state income taxes. Withdrawals can be used to pay for qualified higher education expenses. The Delaware Plan offers various investment options.

To obtain an enrollment kit, call the Wilmington Investor Center at 800-201-5380 or visit fidelity.com/delaware.

Academic Common Market 

Regional tuition-savings agreement

The Academic Common Market (ACM) is a tuition-savings agreement between 15 Southern states that are members of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). If your degree program is not offered at a public college in Delaware, you may be eligible to attend an out-state college and receive in-state tuition at a public college that participates in the ACM.

To be eligible for the ACM, you must be:

1. A Delaware resident whose degree program is not offered at Delaware State University or University of Delaware.
2. Accepted into an eligible baccalaureate or graduate-level degree program selected for the ACM by a participating college. Note: The ACM does not include first professional degree programs, such as pharmacy, medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, optometry, theology or law.

The 15 participating states are:

Alabama
Arkansas
Delaware
Florida (graduate-level programs only)
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Mississippi
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas (graduate-level programs only)
Virginia
West Virginia

Programs offered in the ACM are selected by the participating public colleges and are subject to change. States and colleges may also set restrictions on ACM participation, such as undergraduate or graduate-only enrollment; full-time enrollment; or the completion of specific coursework to enter the degree program.

You can submit your ACM application to the DHEO after you have been accepted into an eligible degree program. If you remain continuously enrolled in the same program at the same school, make satisfactory academic progress and retain your Delaware residency, you do not have to reapply each year. Institutional requirements to retain ACM status may include full-time enrollment and maintaining a minimum GPA.

Contact DHEO if you have questions or if your program is not offered in the ACM. The participating institutions will sometimes add a program upon request. To learn about eligible programs for Delaware residents, ACM deadlines, or to download an application, visit delawarestudentsuccess.org/acm.