Broad Prize sets March 3 deadline for $150,000 in scholarships

March 3 is the deadline for graduating students to apply for $150,000 in two- or four-year scholarships, depending on the type of higher education institution they choose to attend, the result of San Diego Unified being a finalist for the 2013 Broad Prize for Education.

If selected as a Broad Prize scholarship recipient, students attending four-year colleges or universities will receive up to a $20,000 award ($5,000 per year, paid out over four years). Students attending two-year colleges or vocational schools will receive up to a $5,000 award ($2,500 per year, paid out over two years). Awards are for undergraduate study only.

Named by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation as one of the top for US school districts to demonstrate the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement, while at the same time reducing achievement gaps across ethnic groups and between low-income and non-low-income students.

Students can apply for the Broad Prize at https://www.scholarshipamerica.org/broadprize/information.php. They can also check with their school counselor for assistance in completing the application.

Although The Broad Prize recognizes urban school district efforts on the whole, the beneficiaries of The Broad Prize funds are the students themselves. The Broad Prize winning district receives $550,000 million in college scholarships for graduating high school seniors, and the finalist districts each receive $150,000 in college scholarships. As an extra bonus, the first high school to reach 100 applicants, or 100 percent of seniors in the case of schools with fewer than 100 seniors, will receive a $500 bonus to support its school counseling center.

All awards may be renewed for up to three additional years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first. Students attending a two-year college or vocational school may transfer to an accredited four-year college or university. The award amount will be adjusted upon transfer. In no instance will an award exceed $20,000.

Renewal is contingent upon maintaining a cumulative 2.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale in a full-time course of study and continuation of the scholarship program by The Broad Foundation.