Spring 2026 Donor Scholarship Information

Application & Eligibility Information

SCHOLARSHIP AWARD AMOUNTS
The scholarship award amount depends upon the quantity and quality of applications submitted.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

• B.A. students must take at least 6 units per semester.
• M.A. students must take at least 3 units per semester.
• Students must have completed TWO full consecutive semesters.
• All applicants must submit their unofficial PO transcripts as a PDF.
• All applicants must complete the online application with a 400-500 word essay answering the prompt posted on the application site.
• Must be enrolled in the semester in which the scholarship will be awarded to receive the scholarship.
• Current and active students enrolled in programs on-ground, online, or attending off-site cohorts and instructional sites are eligible to apply.
• Pacific Oaks employees who are receiving the Tuition Waiver benefit are not eligible.
• Previous Donor Scholarship recipients may re-apply more than once to the Donor Scholarship. 

AUTOMATIC DISQUALIFICATIONS

• Essays the do not meet the stipulated 400-500 word requrement
  
• Scholarship applications received after the deadline.
• Applications that do not include PO unofficial transcripts.
• Students on academic probation or with academic warnings.
• If you withdraw from Pacific Oaks College, you will be withdrawn from donor scholarship consideration.
• Students who had their previous donor scholarship transferred to a different semester are not eligible to apply for that same semester.
• Students who have completed their undergraduate degrees are considered new students when they enroll in a masters' level program at PO and should apply for Institutional Scholarships. For questions about Institutional Scholarships, please contact the Admissions Office at [email protected].

SCHOLARSHIP GRADING AND ASSESSMENTS

The Donor Scholarship Committee consists of faculty and staff across Pacific Oaks: Financial Aid, Student Services, Finance, Advancement, Pacific Oaks donors, and alumni. 

• Scholarship award decisions are based on essay quality first, and then GPA.
• The application evaluation will determine whether the student will receive a Donor Scholarship award and the specific award amount.
• Please note that a high GPA does not guarantee a high overall application evaluation.
• Each essay is assessed by two different graders whose scores are then combined with the applicant's GPA to provide an overall application grade.
• Essays are evaluated blindly without student names or degrees so the committee can focus solely on the content of the essay.
• The following page includes the grading rubric that scorers use to assess applications.

​We strongly suggest you use this rubric as a guide when writing your essay.

GRADING RUBRIC

ADD​ITIONAL INFORMATION
The scholarship review process can take 6-7 weeks. All applicants will be notified by email of the Donor Scholarship Committee's decision. Awards will be distributed before the beginning of the new semester. With the exception of Education students and Online students whose payments will be split over Session I and/or Session Il of the awarding semester, all students will be paid in one disbursement.

Please note, Donor Scholarship awards will be applied to tuition first.

If you have been awarded a Donor Scholarship and have questions regarding when your scholarship award will post to your account, please contact:
Student Accounts - 800-645-8603 (Select "Option 2" for Student Finance, then "Option 2" for Student Accounts

ACCEPTING YOUR DONOR SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
All Donor Scholarship award recipients will be asked to send a formal thank you message to the donor/foundation by the deadline indicated on the award letter. The thank you letter must be at least two to three paragraphs long.

​Below is a guide of information to include in your thank you letter:

• Address thank you letter to the funder listed on your award letter
• Tell the donor(s) a little bit about yourself, including:
• Your family background, experiences and life situations that led you to pursue a degree at Pacific Oaks.
•  You should also include some information about your current situation, such as:
• What you are studying at Pacific Oaks College.
• Where you are currently working or projects you volunteer in off-campus.
  
• Describe how the scholarship support will help you meet, or exceed, your educational goals
• Finally, you may want to talk about your future plans, like:
• What you hope to accomplish while still a PO student.
  
• ​What your plans are after graduation.
• ​ The formal thank you message must be sent through the link provided on the award e-mail​

QUESTIONS?
Contact Office of Advancement | 626-529-8091 | [email protected]​​