Scholarship Foundation Interest-Free Student Loan

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis provides student loans that are renewable, interest-free, and available in amounts up to $11,000 per academic year. Students who receive an interest-free loan will have a 12-month grace period following graduation and returning a final promissory note, and an income based repayment schedule. The cumulative maximum that The Scholarship Foundation will loan to an individual is $55,000. This application is funding consideration for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Please read the following eligibility criteria carefully before applying. In order to qualify for an interest-free loan from The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis, an applicant must:

  • Be a resident of the St. Louis metropolitan area for at least two years prior to the date of the application or have graduated from a St. Louis metropolitan area high school in the past two years. The metropolitan area includes St. Louis city, the Missouri counties of St. Louis, Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, or Warren, and the Illinois counties of Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, or St. Clair.
  • Demonstrate significant financial need, as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or similar need calculations. Students with an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) over $15,000 must have significant and extenuating circumstances to be considered.
  • Have achieved a minimum cumulative 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale
  • Plan to attend an accredited, nonprofit college or university
  • Be seeking a first certificate, associate, or bachelor’s degree
  • Applicants with history of educational loan default or bankruptcy are asked to submit a statement of explanation

All fields of study, except the ministry and divinity degrees, are eligible for funding. Students who have already obtained a bachelor’s degree are not eligible to apply.

To be considered, completed applications and all required supporting documents must be submitted by the deadline of April 17. It is the applicant’s responsibility to make sure that ALL required documents have been submitted by the deadline. The Scholarship Foundation may not be able to notify the applicant of missing documents prior to the deadline.

Awards will be announced in June.

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis
6825 Clayton Ave, Suite 100, St. Louis, MO 63139
(314) 725-7990
info@sfstl.org

Award
up to $11,000 renewable
Deadline
04/17/2023
Supplemental Questions
  1. Have you lived in the St. Louis metropolitan area for at least two years? If not, will you have graduated from a St. Louis metropolitan area high school within the past two years?
  2. Applicant's Current Employer
  3. Applicant's Current Job Title or Occupation
  4. Hours Worked per Week
  5. List any other significant employment positions held within the last year.
    • 1. Employer
    • 2. Position/Title
    • 3. Dates Employed
    • 4. Reason for leaving
  6. Spouse/Partner Full Name
  7. Spouse/Partner Full Address (if different from applicant)
  8. Spouse/Partner Phone Number
  9. What is the current marital status of your parents?
  10. If applicant's parents are divorced, upload a copy of the portion of the divorce decree relating to child support and payment for college.
  11. Parent (or legal guardian) 1 Full Name
  12. Parent (or legal guardian) 1 Phone Number
  13. Parent (or legal guardian) 1 Current Employer
  14. Parent (or legal guardian) 1 Occupation or Title
  15. Parent (or legal guardian) 2 Full Name
  16. Parent (or legal guardian) 2 Phone Number
  17. Parent (or legal guardian) 2 Current Employer
  18. Parent (or legal guardian) 2 Occupation or Title
  19. Do your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) have a bachelor's degree?
  20. Is English your first language?
  21. Have you (applicant) ever declared bankruptcy?
  22. Have you (applicant) ever defaulted on a loan made to you for educational purposes?
  23. If you answered YES to either of the two previous questions, please write a statement explaining the circumstances that led you to file for bankruptcy or default. Please indicate the type of bankruptcy (i.e. Chapter 13) and describe how long ago it occurred.
  24. Are you, or will you be, pursuing your first certificate, associate, or bachelor's degree?
  25. List the most significant volunteer and extracurricular activities in which you have participated.
    • 1. Name
    • 2. Date
    • 3. Brief Description
    • 4. Leadership Positions Held
  26. List the most significant honors or awards that you have received.
    • 1. Name
    • 2. Date
    • 3. Type of recognition
  27. Who has supported your ambition to work toward completion of your college/postsecondary education program? Please describe how this individual supported you.
  28. If there is information about your or your family’s financial circumstances and ability to pay for college that you wish us to take into consideration as part of your application, please describe them here. Examples include a change or loss of income over the past year or medical costs due to illness in the household.
  29. OFFICIAL COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT: If you are a current college student, upload your official college transcript. The transcript should reflect grades from your most recently completed semester.
  30. HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT: Upload your complete high school transcript. If you are a high school senior, upload your high school transcript INCLUDING GRADES THROUGH THE FALL 2022 SEMESTER.
  31. List any other postsecondary institutions attended in the last three years. OFFICIAL transcripts are required for any other postsecondary school attended.
    • 1. School
    • 2. Major
    • 3. Dates Attended
    • 4. Degree Attained
    • 5. Upload OFFICIAL Transcript
  32. STUDENT AID REPORT (SAR): Upload all pages of your 2023-2024 Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR is the document resulting from the completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). (Click here for instructions to download the SAR.) Please note that The Scholarship Foundation reserves the right to obtain copies of applicant and parent federal tax returns in order to verify information provided in the SAR. If you are unable to file a FAFSA for any reason, please contact The Scholarship Foundation at info@sfstl.org or (314) 725-7990 for guidance on information that may be submitted as a substitute.
  33. FINANCIAL AID AWARD LETTER: Upload your 2023-2024 Financial Aid Award Letter. If you receive the financial aid award letter from your school by the application deadline, upload the document and submit it with your application. If you do not receive the letter by the deadline, you will be contacted to email the document before an award is considered.
  34. ESSAY: Explain your interest in college and where you think it may take you. What have you done to prepare yourself to pursue higher education?
  35. We want to learn more about you: You may choose to submit something that you’ve created, or you may choose to write an additional essay. If you have a website, an art project, a personal video or other on-line file that you would like to share with us, please place the link in the next question and please explain what it is in the space provided here. If you choose to write an additional essay, please describe a challenge you have faced and how you dealt with it. Explain how having dealt with that challenge has shaped you, and if it has influenced your education and career path.
  36. On-line content (enter a link to the on-line content described above):
  37. SCHOLARSHIP CENTRAL RECOMMENDATION: Enter the name and e-mail address of an instructor, counselor, advisor, supervisor or other similarly qualified individual who will submit a recommendation on your behalf. NOTE: As the applicant, it is your responsibility to inform that person to watch for an email sent on your behalf that will explain how to complete this process.
  38. APPLICANT SIGNATURE: By entering my full name below, I authorize The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis and its agents to examine, verify and discuss my academic and/or financial records and other information which applies to the consideration of this application. I certify that all answers are accurate and truthful to the best of my knowledge, and that all information in the application and essays are my own work. I understand that the decisions made regarding my participation in this program are made by The Scholarship Foundation in reliance upon the truth and correctness of my statements.
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