Money for Idahoans

Idaho Opportunity Scholarship provides residents with up to $3,000

After taking a year off from school, University of Idaho junior and secondary elementary major Chloe Wilson said she returned with fewer scholarships than before. She began to look for other options to pay for her tuition.

Wilson said she applied for the Idaho Opportunity Scholarship because of the ease of the application process. Little did Wilson know, she would be awarded $3,000 to help pay for her education at UI.

“Without it, I would have to work a lot harder outside of school,” Wilson said. “It alleviated a lot of pressure from me.”

Idaho high school seniors or college students can apply for the Idaho State Board of Education (SBOE) funded scholarship to receive up to $3,000. According to Blake Youde, chief communications and legislative affairs officer for SBOE, the money could make a world of difference for some students.

Qualified students must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA, apply online by March 1 and enroll as a full-time undergraduate student at UI, Lewis-Clark State College, Boise State University, Northwest Nazarene University or College of Idaho. Another option for students is being enrolled for nine credits at College of Western Idaho, College of Southern Idaho, Eastern Idaho Technical College or North Idaho College.

According to Youde, about 1,500 students across Idaho are annual recipients of over $5 million in Idaho Opportunity Scholarship dollars.

“The return to students by having that next degree in the long run … that’s an incredible opportunity for all Idahoans, and we want them all to experience it,” Youde said.

At UI, 538 students received funds, including UI senior elementary education major Sydney Butler, who received the full award for the current school year.

“It prevented me from having to fill out another loan,” Butler said. “It was the biggest relief, truly. Being a college student, it’s tough.”

Joy LaRue, Scholarships Program manager for SBOE, said the scholarship is considered need-based with a 70 percent need and 30 percent merit formula. She said with the minimum GPA requirement, the scholarship rewards students for their hard work.

“It’s an important scholarship to the state, because we want to give every student the opportunity to go into post-secondary education,” LaRue said.

Because of the need-based format, Youde said students should accept all federal grants offered through FAFSA for consideration.

LaRue said the purpose of the scholarship is to help reduce the burden of debt so students can graduate and move on to successful careers.

“Idaho’s education system kind of gets a bad rep,” she said “But when they do help, it’s in a good way.”

Students must reapply for the scholarship each year because of changing financial situations, but can be awarded the scholarship for up to four years, Youde said. Next year’s recipients should be notified at the end of April.

Katelyn Hilsenbeck can be reached at [email protected]

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