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?
- Sign-in with your MyMHCC login and password.
- Complete the ONE general application. This automatically enters you for consideration for all MHCC scholarships for which you are eligible.
- If you need help understanding the application or would like advice, please contact Shelley McFarland at [email protected].
- 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 videos 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 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.
- Please note: The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools (such as ChatGPT) is NOT permitted in your MHCC Foundation scholarship application and may be considered academic misconduct.
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.
I'm a Scholarship Recipient
How do I petition for an accommodation? Fill out the Scholarship Accommodation Request.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Please note: The use of AI generative tools (such as ChatGPT) is NOT permitted in your MHCC Foundation scholarship application and may be considered academic misconduct.
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
What are the rubric's for scoring?
Essays Scoring Criteria
- 5 Points - Exemplary: The essay provides clear, specific examples and thoroughly answers all questions. It is highly thoughtful, focused, and relevant, offering compelling and detailed insights into the applicant’s character, strengths, motivation, and goals. The specifics are well-explained and vividly demonstrate the applicant’s attributes.
- 4 Points - Strong: The essay is thoughtful and relevant, including specific details that effectively showcase the applicant’s character, strengths, motivation, and goals. It is well-organized and provides a good understanding of the applicant’s attributes.
- 3 Points - Acceptable: The essay is moderately thoughtful and relevant, with broad details relating to the applicant’s character, strengths, motivation, and goals. While it provides a basic understanding, the level of detail and insight is more general.
- 2 Points - Needs Improvement: The essay shows some thought and relevance but lacks depth. Details are limited and only vaguely relate to the applicant’s character, strengths, motivation, and goals. Specificity is minimal, and the essay could benefit from more clarity and focus. Lacks specific details.
- 1 Point - Unacceptable: The essay is poorly planned, unfocused, or irrelevant. It lacks sufficient detail and fails to adequately address the applicant’s character, strengths, motivation, and goals. There is a significant lack of specific information.
- 0 Points - No Answer Provided: No essay or response was provided.
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.
Use these online resources to find more scholarship opportunities.
The Oregon Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC) awards $10 million in scholarships to Oregon students each year. Apply Nov. 1 through March 1 for scholarships that begin the following school year.
The Ford Family Foundation offers scholarships to help students from many backgrounds succeed in college and beyond. Recipients receive a variable, need-based award of up to 90% of unmet financial need. Apply Nov. 1 through March 1 for scholarships that begin the following school year.
MHCC Student Success Programs help low-income, first-generation, or underserved students enroll in and finish college. Student success specialists provide one-on-one support to help students get through college, connect with resources, and find financial assistance.
DREAMer’s Roadmap is a free national mobile app that helps undocumented students find scholarships to go to college.
Eastern Oregon University (EOU) offers funding to students planning to transfer to EOU through the renewable Transfer and Returning Student Success Award (up to $2,500 a year). Members of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society can also apply for the new PTK Mountaineer Award ($1,000).
The Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) partners with OSAC and other colleges to award many of its scholarships. When you apply for MHCC Foundation scholarships and OSAC, you also apply for OCF scholarships.
The Hood River County Education Foundation awards scholarships to students who have graduated from Hood River Valley High School and are currently enrolled in a two-year or four-year college.
Sallie Mae Scholarship Search is the free way to access more than 6 million college scholarships worth up to $30 billion. Sign up for free and get matched with scholarships based on your skills, activities, and interests.
Fastweb is an online scholarship matching and search resource. Create a free account to receive a list of scholarships you may qualify for.
Take the next step with Mt. Hood Community College
Don't miss out on your scholarship!
Apply for Scholarships