College Planning

Details about College

e Board Opportunity Scholarships
Now more than ever, students and families are concerned about how to pay for college. The College Board Opportunity Scholarships program has evolved to address these concerns and support students as they navigate the college planning and financial aid process—no matter their circumstances.
All students are eligible to participate in this college planning program, beginning in December of their junior year. This is a unique scholarship program. It doesn’t require an essay or an application, and there isn’t a minimum GPA or SAT score requirement. Instead, it rewards all students’ efforts on their way to college. The more effort that students put in and steps they complete, the more chances they have to earn a scholarship.
The College Board Opportunity Scholarships lay out six simple steps that all students can take to get to college. For each step in the program that a student completes, they’ll earn a chance at a $500 scholarship. When a student completes all six, they’ll earn a chance at $40,000 for their college education. At least half of all the scholarships—more than $2 million each year—are awarded to students whose families earn less than $60,000 per year. When a student completes a step, they earn one entry to the scholarship drawing. Students who qualify as lower income earn two entries to the scholarship drawing, thus doubling their chances at being awarded the scholarship.
The six steps in this scholarship program:
• Help students plan by making, refining, and applying to a list of colleges,
• Help them prepare by getting ready for the SAT, and
• Help them pay for college by incentivizing FAFSA completion and connecting students to additional scholarship and financial aid opportunities.

To learn more, visit cb.org/opportunity