For high school graduation year 2024.
To apply for an Onward We Learn scholarship you are required to fill out a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The FAFSA is available online at FAFSA.ed.gov. You should file your FAFSA on or after Oct. 1 when the FAFSA Form becomes available.
If you are not eligible to fill out the FAFSA, please contact Susan Mansolillo at 401-519-0206 or scholarship@onwardwelearn.org to make alternative arrangements.
To be eligible for an Onward We Learn scholarship, you must earn admission to an accredited college, university or community college. You are eligible for a donated scholarship for up to six years after high school graduation or receipt of GED credential. You must request your first scholarship award before you turn 22 years old.
Onward We Learn provides two types of scholarships: “cash” and “donated.”
Cash scholarships for Onward We Learn participants can be used at any accredited college, university or community college anywhere in the United States. The amount of a cash scholarship is equivalent to the minimum Pell Grant award (in 2021, this amount is $650) and is awarded only once to defray costs for students in their first year of college.
Donated scholarships for Onward We Learn participants are available at many Rhode Island schools and certain out-of-state schools. The following schools in our Scholarship Collaborative offer donated scholarships to our students:
- Brown University (Providence, R.I.), brown.edu
- Bryant University (Smithfield, R.I.), www.bryant.edu
- Community College of Rhode Island (Providence, RI) www.ccri.edu
- Johnson & Wales University (Providence, RI), www.jwu.edu
- New England Institute of Technology (East Greenwich, R.I.), www.neit.edu
- Providence College, (Providence, R.I.), www.providence.edu
- Rhode Island College, (Providence, R.I.), www.ric.edu
- Rhode Island School of Design (Providence, R.I.), www.risd.edu
- Roger Williams University (Bristol, R.I.), www.rwu.edu
- Salve Regina University (Newport, R.I.), www.salve.edu
- University of Rhode Island (Kingston, R.I.), www.uri.edu
- Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology (Boston, Mass.), www.bfit.edu
- Boston University (Boston, Mass.), www.bu.edu
- Dean College (Franklin, Mass.), www.dean.edu
- Emerson College (Boston, Mass.), www.emerson.edu
- Grinnell College (Grinnell, Iowa), www.grinnell.edu
- Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, Mass.), www.mtholyoke.edu
- Northeastern University (Boston, Mass.), www.northeastern.edu
- Syracuse University (Syracuse, N.Y.), www.syr.edu
- Wheaton College (Norton, Mass.), www.wheatoncollege.edu
The policies and practices of scholarship disbursement are left to the discretion of the college you attend. In most cases, the amount of a donated scholarship will exceed a cash scholarship from Onward We Learn. However, we cannot determine how these colleges and universities set their practices for donating Onward We Learn scholarships. The money for these scholarships comes from the institution’s funds, and they have the right to set their own policies.
To receive a donated scholarship, you must gain admission to one of our Collaborative Schools. The scholarship amount will vary depending upon the school you go to and the school’s policies.
Donated scholarships are renewable. To maintain your scholarship you are expected to meet the minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress determined by your school (typically 2.0 GPA), and renew your FAFSA annually if applicable.
The donated scholarship is a multi-semester award. The number of semesters you are eligible for depends on the type of institution you attend:
Four-year school: Eight semesters or twelve tri-semesters
Two-year school: Four semesters
No, the school you are attending will include your donated scholarship in your financial aid package to reduce your out-of-pocket costs.
Yes, Onward We Learn students attending CCRI can transfer to a four-year school that offers donated scholarships.
No. You will receive either a donated scholarship from a school that offers scholarships to Onward We Learn participants or a one-time cash scholarship that can be used at any school.
The amount of an Onward We Learn scholarship will vary depending upon the school you go to and the school’s policies. For students who graduate high school in 2024, the scholarship is based on your participation hours. These are the different levels of participation-based scholarships:
- Gold Scholarship – 350 or more hours of participation. Up to $4,500 per year for a four-year college or up to $2,585 per year for a two-year college.
- Silver Scholarship – 250-349 hours of participation. Up to $3,000 per year for a four-year college or up to $1,725 per year for a two-year college.
- Bronze Scholarship – 150-249 hours of participation. Up to $1,500 per year for a four-year college or up to $860 per year for a two-year college.
- Pewter Scholarship – less than 150 hours of participation. A one-time $750 nonportable (must attend a partner school listed above) scholarship.
If you attend school less than full time, your scholarship will be prorated based on credit hours.
If you have any additional questions, please contact Susan Mansolillo at 401-519-0206 or scholarship@onwardwelearn.org.
Note: This document simplifies Onward We Learn’s Scholarship policies for informational purposes and does not constitute a legal agreement. Revised August 2024.
Onward We Learn policy prohibits discrimination based upon race, sex, age, gender identity or expression, national origin, religion, color, sexual orientation, veteran status or handicap/disability status.