SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION  

CURRENT SCHOLARSHIPS:

BENJAMIN MILAK MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP:  This scholarship was established in 1994 in honor of a very special young seventeen year old boy that lost his life to Leukemia. One senior will be awarded a scholarship worth between $1000-$1500. To be considered, an applicant must be a graduating senior, possess a realistic career goal, and be community minded. The applying student MUST also struggle with a hearing loss, learning disability or has/is battling cancer.  Click here for further information and an application.  Deadline:  February 1, 2023.  

 ELKS NATIONAL FOUNDATION LEGACY AWARDS:  Legacy Awards are $4,000 scholarships for children and grandchildren of Elks members.  The ENF offers a total of 350 national awards.  Click here for further details and the application link.  

Deadline:  February 6, 2023. 

EIGHTH DISTRICT FEDERATED GARDEN CLUBS OF NEW YORK STATE SCHOLARSHIP:  Eighth District Federated Garden Clubs of New York State offer a $1,000 stipend to a graduating high school senior residing in one of the following Western New York counties:  Alleghany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, or Niagara.  Applicants must be planning to major in one of the following areas of study:  Agriculture, Botany, Conservation, Environmental Science, Forestry, Horticulture, Land Management, Landscape Design, Wildlife Science, or a field related to the above.  Click here for more information and an application.  

Deadline:  Must be postmarked between March 15th and March 31st.  Electronic submissions will NOT be considered.

SCALP & BLADE SCHOLARSHIP: The Scalp & Blade Fraternity awards two (2) scholarships annually.  $2,500 per year, renewable for a total of 4 years.  Total of $10,000 will be awarded provided the recipient(s) maintains satisfactory grades and is considered a full-time student.  A senior male of the current graduating class of any public high school in Erie County in the State of New York may be nominated by his high school principal or guidance counselor.  (1) nominee from each high school will be considered.  Each candidate must demonstrate outstanding academic accomplishment in terms of grades and college entrance exams, extracurricular activities, community involvement as well as financial need.  An application can be picked up in the Student Services Office.  Completed applications must be turned in to Mrs. O’Connor in the Student Services office by March 10, 2023.  Deadline:  March 10, 2023.

THE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF BUFFALO SCHOLARSHIP:  The Junior League of Buffalo will be awarding three $2,000 scholarships to graduating female seniors who have demonstrated a strong commitment to community service and volunteerism in the Western New York Community.  The scholarships are given to the post-high school institution to assist the student in defraying expenses for tuition, books, fees, or housing.  The scholarships are awarded based on evidence of demonstrated  community service, and volunteerism within their school and community.  Additionally, the student’s background should show strong evidence of being well-rounded in personal and academic endeavors.  Please go to www.buffalo.jl.org to access the application package containing guidelines and required forms.  Deadline:  March 10, 2023. 

DENA GOLDSTEIN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP:  The Speech-Language-Hearing Association of Western New York (SHAWNY) will be awarding the twenty-first annual Dena Goldstein Memorial Scholarship in June of 2023.  Any Western New York high school senior who has a speech, language, and/or hearing impairment and plans to further his/her education is eligible to apply.  Application may be downloaded at www.shawny.org.  Deadline:  March 24, 2023.

THE ZONTA CLUB OF CHEEKTOWAGA-LANCASTER EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP:  This scholarship will be awarded to a young woman who has demonstrated that she understands the value and has a personal commitment to community service.  Attends a school in Cheektowaga, Depew, Lancaster, and Sloan School Districts.  The club is awarding 2 scholarships:  One to a student whose GPA is between 80-89 and one whose GPA is 90 or better.  They are looking for a young adult who aspires to support the goals of Zonta International Foundation (www.zonta.org) and who has demonstrated dedication to service in her school community for these scholarships.  Applications can be picked up from Mrs. O’Connor in the Student Services Office.  Deadline:  March 31, 2023.  

BUFFALO URBAN LEAGUE SCHOLARSHIP:  Each year, the Buffalo Urban League awards scholarships to graduating high school students and recent HSE/GED recipients in our community to help them further their education and achieve their career goals. Recipients are determined by academic achievement, community service, character, and financial need. To be eligible for the Buffalo Urban League scholarship consideration you must be a High School Senior or recent HSE/GED recipient (within the current academic year), who plans to attend college or a vocational school in the fall of 2023.  Click here to apply.  Deadline:  April 17 2023. 

STUDENT-VIEW SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM:  The 2023 Student-View Scholarship Program is offering $12,000 worth of scholarships to high school seniors who plan to attend a four-year college, community/junior college or career school.  The program includes; One $5,000 scholarship, Two $1,000 scholarships, and Ten $500 scholarships.  No minimum SAT/ACT score or grade point average, No essay required, No lengthy application forms, No application fees.  Simply log on to www.student-view.com and complete a 15-20 minute application survey about colleges in  your area.  The scholarship will be awarded via a random drawing of all completed applications.  The scholarship winner will be announced in May 2023.  Deadline:  April 23, 2023.

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR GREATER BUFFALO SCHOLARSHIP:  Since 1924, the Community Federation for Greater Buffalo has been awarding scholarships to students from Western New York.  Since 2000, they have awarded over $41 million in scholarships to thousands of local college students.  To take advantage of these scholarships you must be a permanent resident in one of the eight counties of WNY (Allegany, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming); have a GPA of at least 2.0, and be accepted to an accredited non-profit college or university in the United States for full-time study at the undergraduate level.  A strong preference will be given to students who are Pell eligible and attending school in one of the eight counties of Western New York (WNY).  Scholarship applications are available now at www.cfgbscholarships.org.  Deadline:  May 1, 2023.

THE PAST NATIONAL COMMANDER MICHAEL J. KOGUTEK AMERICAN LEGION SCHOLARSHIP:  The Past National Commander Michael J. Kogutek American Legion Scholarship Trust will award two $1,500 scholarships to students/veterans attending college in 2023.  This scholarship will be awarded based on veteran status (including family members), financial need, scholastic ability, realistic goals, extra-curricular activities and community involvement.   Applications can be picked up in the Student Services Office.  Deadline:  May 5, 2023. 

THE BIGSUN ORGANIZATION SCHOLARSHIP:  The BigSun Organization is proud to be able to help young athletes succeed in their academic pursuits. In order to do their part, they are offering an annual scholarship to a deserving student. All student athletes are eligible regardless of the sport they are engaged in or the capacity in which they participate. The student must be a high school senior or be attending a post secondary institute.  Click here for information on how to apply.  Deadline:  June 19, 2023. 

NYS EXCELSIOR SCHOLARSHIP:   The Excelsior Scholarship, in combination with other student financial aid programs, allows students to attend a SUNY or CUNY college tuition-free. The program covers tuition for eligible SUNY and CUNY students. For the 2022-23 academic year, families who earned $125,000 or less in the tax year 2020 are eligible to apply.  Click here for more information.

NYS  SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) INCENTIVE PROGRAM:   The NYS STEM Incentive Program provides tuition awards to students who are New York State residents attending a public degree-granting college or university located in New York State. Recipients must be in the top 10 percent of students of their high school graduating class, pursue an approved, two or four-year STEM degree program and agree to live in NYS and work in a STEM field in NYS for five years after graduation.  Click here for more information.

SCHOLARSHIP SEARCHING:  Click on the links below to access the thousands of scholarships available nationally.  Note:  These sites are free but do ask for personal information to match you with scholarships.

FastWeb

Scholarships.com

Student-Scholarships

College-scholarships

Cappex

Niche

GoingMerry

CareerOnestop scholarships

ScholarSnapp

Scholar's App

Financial Aid Information:

Access to the FAFSA Portal for parents and students begins October 1, 2023.

SUNY Financial Aid Days:

SUNY's Financial Aid Days are offered as a free service to all prospective college students and their families. The programs are designed to answer questions and provide assistance regarding the financial aid application, types of aid available, and the financial aid award process.

Many campuses will provide hands-on assistance from SUNY financial aid professionals in completing the FAFSA.

Websites to help parents and students complete the FAFSA and TAP applications:

Start Here Get There -  This free and new website is an excellent resource tool for parents and students who need assistance completing the FAFSA and TAP forms on-line.   It also provides a link to access regional workshops across NYS.

Please Note: The links listed above will bring you to third party institutions. The Cheektowaga Central School District does not endorse any of these links, nor are we responsible for their compliance.