San Diego Foundation Community Scholarship Program

In 2020, just over 1,000 students received $3.3 million in scholarships from funds that support the San Diego Foundation Community Scholarship Program.*

There are more than a dozen separate awards administered by The San Diego Foundation that are not included in their Common Scholarship Application. Please click on the link above to learn about these scholarships and their individual deadlines.

Scholarships are available for: Graduating high school seniors, undergraduates, graduate, medical and professional school students and adult re-entry students who are attending community colleges, four-year universities, career/technical schools, teaching credential programs and graduate, medical or professional schools in the United States. For more information, please visit the links above as well as the San Diego Foundation website.

*The San Diego Foundation's 2021-2022 Common Scholarship Application opened on December 2nd, 2020, and closed on Monday, February 1, 2021. This application will re-open for 2022 awards in December 2021.

Delta Kappa Gamma Scholarships for Teacher Candidates

The Beta Delta Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma is offering a $1500 scholarship for future teachers.

Please click here for the application. The deadline to apply is April 8, 2021.

CalRTA Future Teachers Scholarship

The CalRTA Scholarship Foundation Inc. is awarding scholarships to students who are enrolled/plan to enroll in a teacher credentialing program within the CSU or UC System for the upcoming year and who plan to teach in public schools, grades K-12. Scholarships of $2000 will be awarded. 

Please click here for the application. The deadline to apply is March 8, 2021.

Wilson C. Riles Education Scholarship

The Wilson C. Riles Education Scholarship program was established in 2003 to recognize Superintendent Riles’ deep commitment to education through support of students enrolled in California State University teacher credential programs, with preference given to first generation college students. The scholarships rotate alphabetically among all campuses with teacher credentialing programs, and this year San Diego State University is on the list!

Three (3) $2,000 scholarships will be awarded for the 2021-2022 academic year. Applicants must be currently enrolled in the teacher credential program, be enrolled in a minimum of 6.0 units, and have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Each eligible campus may select one recipient based on the recommendation of teaching credential program faculty. Once a decision has been reached, my office will send a letter of notification to the CSU Foundation, along with the documents described below.

Completed applications submitted by the campus Financial Aid Office to the CSU Foundation must include the following:

• Scholarship Applicant Information form
• A brief Academic Profile or Unofficial Transcript of the student recipient
• A brief Personal Statement describing the students’ background, personal achievements, challenges they have encountered, educational pursuits and aspirations for the future
• A Thank You Letter-Prior to fund distribution, selected recipients are required to send a thank you letter addressed to Mr. Philip G. Riles (son of Superintendent Riles)
• A completed Application Checklist

­The deadline for applications to be received at the Chancellor’s Office is May 31, 2021, so interested students will need to submit all their application materials to the OFAS Scholarships Team ([email protected]) no later than Friday, May 21, 2021. 

Please click here for the application.

Joan S. Bissell Mathematics and Science Memorial Scholarship

The Joan S. Bissell Mathematics and Science Memorial Scholarship was established in memory of Dr. Joan S. Bissell, former director in the California State University’s Department of Educator Preparation and Public School Programs, for her leadership and dedication in ensuring a diverse and high-quality educator workforce. The funds support scholarships for mathematics or science teacher education candidates who commit to work in high needs schools.

The scholarship recognizes candidates who demonstrate a financial need and have attributes of merit, including excellent academic performance, significant personal achievements and community service after verification of full-time enrollment status at a CSU campus.

Fifty (50) $5,000 scholarships will be awarded for the 2021-2022 academic year. The number of applications are available per the percent of MSTI program campus targets. Applicants must be currently enrolled in an approved CSU residency program during the academic year 2021-2022 (fall and/or spring terms), demonstrate financial need, as determined by the campus financial aid office, be in good academic standing, demonstrate a belief in the ability of all children to succeed and in the centrality of a teacher’s role in this success, agree to at least two years of teaching in a high-need school after finishing the program, and complete an application, which includes the following:

• Scholarship Applicant Information form (with signed commitment)
• A brief Academic Profile or Unofficial Transcript of the student recipient
• A brief Personal Statement (explaining the need for the scholarship and motivation for wanting to teach, and in particular in a high-need school – two-page maximum)
•  A letter of endorsement indicating why the applicant is deserving of the scholarship

The deadline for applications to be received at the Chancellor’s Office is May 31, 2021, so interested students will need to submit all their application materials to the OFAS Scholarships Team ([email protected]) no later than Friday, May 21, 2021.

Please click here for the application.