students sitting in lecture hall

Scholarships

Thanks to the support of the MHCC Foundation, Mt. Hood Community College is able to provide nearly $1 million in scholarship support for our students. 

We provide scholarships year-round as long as funding permits. However, we strongly recommend that all students complete their applications during our primary application period, which is from January to March each year. Applying during this time will give you the best chance to secure scholarship funding.

How to Apply

You must first be an accepted MHCC student to apply for a scholarship. After you’ve received your MHCC student number, you can apply for scholarships through the scholarship portal. There is only ONE application! Ready to get started?

Apply Now

  1. Sign-in with your MyMHCC login and password.
  2. Complete the ONE general application. This automatically enters you for consideration for all MHCC scholarships for which you are eligible.
  3. If you need help understanding the application or would like advice, please contact Shelley McFarland at [email protected].
  4. Check your Saints email to see if you won.

Applications are accepted during the primary (Jan. 1- March 31) or secondary (Aug. 1- Oct. 13) application periods.

Watch our how-to video for application tips

Who Should Apply

Anyone interested in attending MHCC is eligible to apply, including:

  • Adult and returning students retraining for a new career.
  • High school students preparing to start college.
  • Undocumented immigrants/Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.
  • New or continuing students who plan to attend MHCC in 2024-25.*
  • Part-time (more than six credits per term) or full-time students.
  • Applicants should have a high school or college GPA of 2.0 or higher.
  • GED® graduates with no GPA can use their GED® scores to apply.
  • Some scholarships have income limits while others do not. Please apply regardless of your income.

What Happens After I Apply?

We let applicants know the results in May and November. Notifications are sent to students' Saints email addresses. If you applied during the primary application period, your application is still viable for the secondary application period. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Any new or continuing student planning to attend MHCC in the 2023-24 academic year can apply, including undocumented/DACA students. Most scholarships require at least part-time enrollment (more than six credits per term) and a minimum 2.5 GPA.

Please be aware that, starting in 2022-23, MHCC employees and their dependents receiving full tuition waivers are not eligible for MHCC Foundation scholarships.

Your application score is primarily based on your responses to four essay questions. Each essay should be limited to 200 words, approximately one to two paragraphs. The essay questions are:

  • What are your specific educational plans and career goals and why? What motivates you to achieve them?

  •  What have you done for your family, school or community, that you care about the most and why?

  • Describe a personal accomplishment, impactful change or experience that has occurred in your life. What skills and strengths were needed to respond and what did you learn about yourself?

  • Is there any additional information you would like the selection committee members to know? This could include financial situations not reflected on the FAFSA/ORSAA or other information not covered in the application. This statement is not required and will not have any negative effect on the application if left blank.

Have someone else review your essays.
Visit the MHCC AVID Writing Center for help 

Reuse your essays for other scholarship applications. The MHCC scholarship essay questions match the essay questions on the Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC) scholarship application. Check out the $10 million in scholarships available through OSAC

Download examples of winning scholarship essays.
View examples of winning essays

If you are new to MHCC, you must upload an unofficial transcript from the last school you attended, either high school or college.

Returning students who have completed at least one graded class at MHCC do not need to upload a transcript.

GED® graduates should upload their GED® transcript if they are new to MHCC and do not have a high school or college transcript.

Some MHCC scholarships may require recipients to show financial need through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) or the Oregon State Aid Application (ORSAA).

Completing the FAFSA® or ORSAA is optional, but we encourage students to consider doing so. Providing your FAFSA® or ORSAA information may expand your eligibility for more scholarships.

If you filled out the FAFSA, you can log in to studentaid.gov, go to the 'My FAFSA®' page, and select 'View or Print your Student Aid Report (SAR)' to get a PDF copy of your SAR.

If you completed the ORSAA, log in to your ORSAA account to download a PDF of your completed ORSAA application.

MHCC Foundation scholarships are specifically for Mt. Hood Community College. Some scholarships cover tuition and fees only, while others can help with all your college expenses, including tuition, fees, books, supplies, and transportation, among other things. You'll find the details of each scholarship in the offer letters sent to scholarship recipients.

Take the next step with Mt. Hood Community College

Don't miss out on your scholarship opportunity!

Apply for Scholarships