Paying for Four-Year College

Scholarships for four-year colleges are obtained in a variety of ways. Most scholarships are awarded by a college when a student completes the proper financial aid forms. There are still scholarship opportunities for students who are not eligible for the FAFSA. While some funding is available to students based on financial need, applying for scholarships and grants is a multi-step process. Finding scholarships involves doing research, achieving high grades, and being involved with your community. We have compiled these resources for you to begin your exploration.

Students can sign up to receive weekly Scholarship Newsletters, which provides a list of external scholarships compiled by Advising & LifeMap staff. When signing up, please use your Bunker Hill Community College email address.

Scholarships are usually offered by a college, community organizations, or the government.

Four-year colleges will either request that you complete the CSS Profile or apply in a separate application. The information can be found on their website. Please see CSS Profile below.

Community organizations are a great place to look as well. In addition to online search engines, consider checking the following sources: your high school, local businesses, cultural organizations, religious organizations, your school athletic teams, organization affiliations (such as banks), and be sure to ask your employer! See Search Engines below.

Students who are eligible for FAFSA related funding, can also use loans and grants to pay for college. Visit Types of Financial Aid: Loans, Grants, and Work-Study Programs .

To earn scholarships from four-year colleges, our first recommendation is to join Alpha Kappa Mu, the BHCC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society.  Membership qualifies students for transfer scholarships at colleges and universities throughout the country. See this list of participating colleges that offer scholarships to AKM members.

Through the Commonwealth Commitment, you could lower the cost of your bachelor's degree by as much as 49% by starting your studies at BHCC. It's the smart way to earn your degree!

Students entering into Commonwealth Commitment commit to enrolling full-time each Fall and Spring, graduate from BHCC within 2.5 years, and maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA throughout the program. Visit the Commonwealth Commitment website to learn more about the eligibility requirements.

Transfer Services is committed to supporting students who are undocumented or DACA recipients to achieve their transfer potential! We hope these resources will assist you as you pursue your goals.

Visit our Transfer for DACA and Undocumented Students page

Many four-year colleges offer significant financial aid to transfer students. When students apply to a four-year college, they are generally considered for scholarships upon acceptance. Schools usually require the CSS Profile if they accept it, FAFSA, and/or a a separate application. Use this list to see opportunities available to transfer students at colleges in Massachusetts.

School
Boston College Woods College of Advancing Studies - Osher Scholarship Program for Returning Adult Students
Ana Maria College - Heart Advantage Scholarship
Assumption College - Transfer Student Academic Scholarships
Babson College - George I. Alden Scholarship
Bentley University Academic & Transfer Scholarships
Boston University - BU Community Service Award for Transfer Students
Boston University - Bunker Hill Community College Scholarship
Boston University Metropolitan - Multiple scholarships for community college graduates
Cambridge College Scholarship Application
Clark University - Transfer Scholarships
Curry College Merit Scholarship for Transfer Students
Eastern Nazarene Transfer Scholarships & Grants
Emerson College Next Step Emerson Scholarship
MCPHS University - Boston Merit-Based Scholarships
Mount Holyoke College Frances Perkins Program (post-traditional students)
Northeastern University College of Professional Studies - Community College Scholarship
Salem State Grants and Scholarships
Simmons College - Boston Community College Scholarship
Simmons College - Dorothea Lynde Dix Scholars Program & Simmons University Community College Excellence Scholarship (SUCCESS)
Smith College - Ada Comstock Scholars Program
Suffolk University - Massachusetts Community College Transfer Guarantee
UMASS Amherst Financial Aid Office Scholarships Search Board
UMASS Boston - Scholarships for Transfers
UMASS Dartmouth - Scholarships
UMASS Lowell - Incoming Transfer Scholarships
Wellesley College - Davis Degree Program
Wentworth Institute of Technology - Merit Scholarships
Western New England University - Transfer Scholarships

It is important for students to conduct their own scholarship research as there are thousands of scholarships offered by independent providers. To get started, see the following search engines and organizations to begin your research.

Search Engines
JLV College Counseling
FastWeb
Affordable Colleges
Scholarships.com
college.ai
Big Future

 

Organizations
Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship
New England Transfer Association
Achieving the Dream

Here you can find organizations that provide scholarships to international students for their continuing education and transferring to four-year colleges and universities.

Search Engines Description
College Board (collegeboard.org) Free online financial aid source for scholarships, grants, and loans for all college-bound students, including permanent residents and international students wishing to study in the United States.
FastWeb (fastweb.com) Free online scholarship search service.
International Education Financial Aid (iefa.org) Free online scholarship search service designed for international students.
International Scholarships (internationalscholarships.com) Free online scholarship database for international students wishing to study worldwide.
Mobility International USA (miusa.org) Free online scholarship resources for non–U.S. citizens with disabilities.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (unesco.org/new/en/fellowships/programmes/how-to-apply/) Free online searchable database for scholarships for international students.

 

CSS Profile

We also encourage you to create a CSS Profile if you plan to apply to four-year private institutions. For more information, see a step-by-step presentation of completing the Profile. Many colleges use the CSS Profile to determine how much non-Federal financial aid a student will be awarded. The Profile is used by over 200 colleges in the United States, including 30 in Massachusetts. This service is available to students who are in-state, out-of-state, international, undocumented or have DACA status.

For assistance in completing the CSS Profile, schedule an appointment with MassEdco.

Contact

Charlestown Campus, Room N210
transferservices@bhcc.edu