Rotary Club of Silver City

Service Above Self

Scholarship Guide

Instructions for Applying for the Rotary College Scholarship

Rotary’s annual student scholarship awards are available to graduating high school seniors who are planning to attend a college or university in an academic or vocational program or who plan to attend a vocational or trade school. The $1,500 scholarships for the first year of post-secondary study can be used to defray not only the cost of tuition and fees but also the cost of on-campus room and board or to pay for textbooks or other materials or tools needed for the programs the students will be attending.

Applications will be evaluated on the basis of

  1. Academic performance in high school (a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 is required)
  2. financial need,
  3. evidence of a commitment to the field of study the student is planning to take
  4. evidence of leadership and or community service in the spirit of Rotary’s motto of Service Above Self
  5. letters from the student’s guidance counselor and the community, and
  6. a student essay. (There is also a separate essay section in the application in which you should address any special issues relating to financial need.)

You should be aware that any scholarship you receive may affect the size of the financial aid package you can receive from the school you will be attending. Click here to learn more.

If you are awarded a scholarship, it will normally be paid in two equal installments, which will be paid to your student account at the school you decide to attend. The first installment will be paid upon receipt of proof of enrollment. The second half will be paid upon receipt of evidence of satisfactory completion of the first semester of study and enrollment in the second semester.

To apply for the scholarship:

  1. Complete the application form online by clicking here. (Important note: If you have difficulty with the online application process, send a note to info@silvercityrotary.org and we will send you a version of the application in PDF format, which you should be able to complete on your computer and submit to us.)
  2. You will be asked to give your name and email address. Once you submit that information you will be redirected to the actual application form (where you will have to enter your name and email address once more). Important: You will also receive an email notice that will give you information on how to get back to the application if you interrupt the process of completing it. You will not be able to get back to the application by signing in again using the same email address, so the link to the application is extremely important. It is the only way to get back to the application you’ve started.
  3. In the application form, you will have to give your name and email address again for confirmation purposes. Then complete the next page in its entirety before going on. After completing a page, be sure to click the Save & Next button at the bottom of the page before exiting the application.
  4. If you wish to get a printed copy of the form in order to prepare your answers offline before entering them online, you can do so once you have completed the page that contains your name, address, telephone number, etc. You can then use the “Save & Next” button on each page to go all the way to the Submit page. Use the Print button on that page to print the entire application.
  5. Once the application is complete, you can submit it online by clicking the Submit button at the end of the form. Alternatively, you can print the form by clicking the Print button at the end of the form and submit it by regular mail to
    Scholarship Committee
    Rotary Club of Silver City
    P.O. Box 867
    Silver City, NM 88062

    In this case, the form should have your handwritten signature.

  6. Print the application by clicking on the Print button at the end of the form and show a copy to your school guidance counselor.
  7. Ask the guidance counselor to send a supporting letter attesting to the accuracy of the information in your application. Please ask the guidance counselor to scan their signed letter and email it to supportdocs@silvercityrotary.org. If that is not possible it should be sent by regular mail to the address given above.
  8. Send a scanned copy of the first page of your Student Aid Report (SAR) or a copy of the email notification you received showing your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) to the same email address as shown in (7) above.
  9. Send a certified copy of your most recent high school transcript to the same email address. This can be included with your application if you decide to send the application in hard copy form.
  10. Ask no more than two other teachers or people familiar with your extracurricular activities to send supporting letters. Wherever possible, such letters should be scanned and emailed to the email address given in (7) above. If that is not possible, they should be sent by regular mail to the address given in (5) above.
  11. If you have any problems with or questions about the application process or about how to complete the application form, call Vladimir Gnilozubov at (575) 517-9017.

Application Deadline:

The application and all supporting documents must be received by February 29, 2024.