College Scholarships, the FAFSA and Paying for College

While finding ways to pay for college can be a major challenge, Seminole State College of Florida aims to make a high-quality education affordable and attainable. As Your Learning Partner for Career Success, Seminole State is dedicated to making paying for college easier.

Seminole State awards nearly $50 million in financial aid each year. And at Seminole State, students can receive their education at about half what they would pay at a state university. In fact, the College has not raised tuition in over a decade, and to offer more payment flexibility to students, tuition due dates are based on when students register for classes. The earlier they register, the more time they have to pay!

The Foundation for Seminole State College

At the front of the efforts to make college accessible to our students is the Foundation for Seminole State College that helps students through program support and scholarships. Last year the foundation awarded $1.32 million in scholarships, raising the bar from $1.27 million in scholarships awarded during the previous year.

The scholarships offered are divided into three categories: program-based, student demographic and general scholarships. To make the process easier, students fill out a singular application that is applied to all opportunities for which the student is eligible. About 1,500 students were awarded scholarships in 2024-25 with an average of $846 awarded per student, easing their financial burden during the semester.

Students who are enrolled in a degree-seeking or career certification program are eligible to apply for Foundation scholarships and are strongly encouraged to have a current FAFSA on file.

Students are encouraged to follow the Foundation on RaiderConnect to stay informed about scholarship workshops and updates regarding the application process. 

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

The bulk of financial aid awards, including scholarships, grants, federal work-study programs and loans, are estimated based on information in the FAFSA. Since the FAFSA is integral to students receiving financial aid, Seminole State created a dedicated FAFSA webpage in both English and Spanish to walk students through how to apply for aid. Even if students don’t think they qualify for federal aid, having a FAFSA on file makes them eligible for financial aid options that don’t have income cutoffs.

Students are encouraged to start their FAFSA early as they will need to create an FSA ID first if they do not have one already, and it can take several days. To help students learn more about financial aid, scholarships and the FAFSA, the College is hosting Financial Aid Sessions each month throughout the Fall Term in the Wayne M. Densch Partnership Center at its Sanford/Lake Mary Campus. Sessions in October will take place on Oct. 7 and 21.

Private Scholarships

Even outside of the Foundation for Seminole State College there are national scholarship programs and private scholarships aimed at helping every kind of student. Not every scholarship is determined by grades. Associations, companies and other organizations grant scholarships based on academic program, community involvement and life experiences, so students can keep searching for scholarships that are a good fit for their situation. This fall semester, Seminole State students have received a wide variety of private scholarships including:

PTK Honor Society Oberndorf Lifeline to Completion Scholarship

PTK Honor Society partnered with the Oberndorf Foundation to offer the Oberndorf Lifeline to Completion Scholarship that grants students $1,500. Need-based, this scholarship focuses on helping PTK members cover costs of their education when they are overcoming unexpected financial barriers that would prevent them from completing their degree. Students who receive these funds complete college at an 88% rate, double the completion rate for community college students. This year, Seminole State student Caleb Hardy was awarded the Oberndorf Lifeline to Completion Scholarship along with the Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship.

Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship

Sponsored by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, the Leaders of Promise Scholarship selects 200 Phi Theta Kappa members based on outstanding academic achievement and demonstrated leadership potential. With over 600 applicants this year, Caleb Hardy was chosen as one of the promising students who received $1,000 he can put toward his associate degree.

Sophia Ruggieri Memorial Foundation

Seminole State student Kelly Wolf battled bilateral Wilms tumors, a cancer that affected her kidneys, and developed Type 1 Diabetes as a result of her cancer treatments. She attends Seminole State pursuing a career in hospitality and tourism and was awarded the Sophia Ruggieri Memorial Scholarship for $2,500. The scholarship is dedicated to helping college students with Type 1 Diabetes and upon receiving the scholarship, Wolf commented, “The Sophia Ruggieri Memorial Scholarship has allowed me to focus on my education covering a good portion of my tuition. Your belief in me means so much and allows me to focus on studying without having to work full time.”

Charlotte Stockton Memorial Scholarship

During the Florida Health Information Management Association (FHIMA) conference, medical coding student Christine Copley was awarded the Charlotte Stockton Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship, focused on assisting those in CAHIIM-approved programs related to health information management, awards $1,500 to undergraduate and graduate students based on their academic performance, professionalism and potential contribution to the healthcare profession.

Seminole State supports the belief that cost should never be a barrier to education. Students are encouraged to apply for College and private scholarship opportunities, complete the FAFSA and make the most of their participation in extracurricular activities to find the resources they deserve to fund their dreams.