SANTA BARBARA — The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara has awarded more than $6 million in college scholarships to nearly 1,800 students in Santa Barbara County for the 2020-21 academic year.
Of the $6,000,694 awarded, $2.9 million will help support 1,000 students in North County, while $3.1 million has been distributed to 797 South County students. Scholarship awards for undergraduate students average $2,734.
Overall, for both graduate and undergraduate students, awards average $3,357.
Scholarships can be used for college, graduate and vocational studies, including law school and medical school, said Tim Dougherty, director of marketing and communications for the foundation.
“This news could not come at a better time. In spite of everything our community has endured in recent months, we are helping almost 1,800 students get a college education. This organization’s status as Santa Barbara County’s leading provider of college scholarships and financial aid advising services is undiminished,” Scholarship Foundation President and CEO Barbara Robertson said in a news release.
While foundation Board Chair Christie Glanville acknowledged the numbers were encouraging, more needs to be done. A total of 1,021 applicants were turned away this year due to a funding shortfall.
“We look forward to working with our many generous donors and other community partners to reduce this number in the coming year,” she said.
Since it was founded in 1962, the foundation has awarded nearly $130 million to more than 53,000 students. For more information, visit sbscholarship.org.
