BPA Baccalaureate Scholarship Award Program
Eligibility
In order to qualify for a scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria below. Applications from ineligible applicants will not be reviewed.
- Must be a student in the San Mateo Union High School District, Junipero Serra High School (San Mateo), Crystal Spring Upland School, or The Nueva School
- A graduating senior
- 2.5 grade point average
- Must plan to enroll full-time in an accredited, two-year community college or four-year college/university in the US
The application process is
closed for this year
Application Materials
In preparation to submit your application, please be advised that applicants will be asked to submit the following along with their application:
- Essay of a minimum of 750 words and no more than 1,000
- Two letters of recommendation
- List of extracurricular activities
- High school transcript (unofficial copy is acceptable)
- Intended college or university
- Senior portrait or similar photo
The application process
is closed for this year
Selection Criteria
Judges score applications on six criteria:
- Academic achievement
- Leadership
- Community Service/Service to others
- Extracurricular involvement
- Essay
- Recommendation Letters
The application process
is closed for this year
All eligible applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed and scored by multiple judges. Scholarships will be awarded based on merit.
Academic achievement
This score is based on applicants’ high school GPA, noting the number of honors/AP/IB courses taken or vast improvement over time.
Leadership
This score is based on the applicant exhibiting qualities and attributes such as being hardworking, goal-oriented, serving others, good decision-maker skills, encouraging, responsible, and a good communicator.
Community Service/Service to others
This score is based on applicants’ efforts to give back to an organization, church, or make a difference in the lives of others.
Extracurricular involvement
This is broadly defined. For example, someone working 20 hours per week might score highly in this section. High scores might also be awarded to someone who founded or served as president of a club at their school, or who cares for their younger siblings every day after school while their parent works.
Essay
High points will be awarded to applicants who fully answer the question in a creative and authentic way. Make sure to be clear, specific, and show your personality.
Recommendation Letters
This score is based on the quality of the applicants’ recommendation, which should speak to the previous criteria and provide examples, where possible.
If you prefer to email or mail in your application,
please download the forms below
Baccalaureate Scholarship Application
All students must complete this form in order to participate in the Baccalaureate Scholarship Program.
Scholarship Recommendation Letter
This form must be completed with the Baccalaureate Scholarship Application.
