Scholarship Information and Additional Resources

College of the Redwoods Scholarships

CR scholarships are made available by charitable contributions to College of the Redwoods, e.g., individuals, foundations, corporations, and organizations.   The identification, selection, and awarding of CR scholarships varies according to the specific terms of each scholarship.  In general, they are administered by the Scholarship Office. You must be currently enrolled at College of the Redwoods during the semester you apply for CR scholarships.  

• For Fall, this is usually within the first month of classes, August - October.
• For Spring, this is usually the first month of classes, January-February.

View CR Scholarship Listings

Non-College of the Redwoods scholarships (external scholarships)

External scholarships are awarded by organizations, corporations, and foundations outside of College of the Redwoods which establish their own guidelines and procedures for applications, selections, and awards. Students are encouraged to independently research availability and to contact the sponsors directly, but may make an appointment in the scholarship office if they feel extra assistance is needed (707) 476-4191 or scholarships@redwoods.edu.

View more information on External Scholarships

Scholarship Essay Answers - Tips (Evaluation Rubric)

Tips to Crafting Brilliant Answers to Scholarship Questions

• Read Through Everything First: Begin by reading through the entire application and questions. First, it gets you thinking about your answers. Second, it keeps you from repeating yourself.

• Create an Outline: No matter how short the essay, creating an outline is always helpful to make sure you answer the questions correctly. If the essay prompt has multiple questions, answer all of them. On a scratch piece of paper jot down the simple answers, organize your thoughts into an order that makes sense, and then elaborate into an essay format.    

• Be Concise: Concise writing is most often the best writing. Make a strong, solid point and move on. Be powerful with your words and choose them wisely. Keep it short and sweet. See how I just explained the same thing, but four different ways? Choose the best way to say what you need to say and ditch the rest. Warning! This is not permission to turn in a single sentence essay. We want several well written, thoughtful sentences to completely answer each question.    

• Be Honest:  Let us in! We want to hear about your childhood, the day to day, and your brightly shining future. Not everyone has a spectacular education history and we understand it can take time to get in the groove of school. Tell us about it. What is your situation? Why are your grades poor? Or if you do have excellent grades share with us your motivation behind working as hard as you do.    

• Remain Professional: We encourage you to be creative and unique to help you stand out above the crowd, but please remember to keep it formal. Donors, professors, and college administrators read your essays, so treat them as if they are a final paper in your English class. If you don’t take the questions seriously, we won’t take you seriously. “Man, I could really use some cash,” isn’t going to work, Bro.    

• Edit! Then edit again: And then, when you think you are done, edit AGAIN! This may sound silly, but if thoroughly editing your answers stands between you and $500 or even $2000, DO IT! The last thing you want is to be marked down for the misspelling of a word. Read your essay out loud and take it slow. Reading each word aloud will allow you to catch what your eyes may have missed.    

• Ask for Help: Gaining a fresh perspective on your work is always a good idea, but taking criticism can be difficult. Really try to listen to what the other person has to say, but always go with your gut. These are essays about you, after all, but even the best writer can make a grammar error here and their. See what I did they’re? And THERE!