How to apply for the Isabella Curtis Scholarship
- Apply to FSW - Visit apply.FSW.edu and complete the admissions application as a degree seeking student- Students must be admitted to FSW and receive their student ID number before completing the FSW Online Scholarship Application.
- Submit your FAFSA - visit https://studentaid.gov to submit your FAFSA with FSW listed as a school selection, our federal school code is 001477
- Complete the FSW Scholarship Application at https://fsw.awardspring.com/. To be considered for the Isabella Curtis Scholarship, you must select Labelle High School on the “High School Attended” question on the application. Eligibility will be verified upon submission.
Isabella Curtis Scholarship Requirements
- Student must have graduated from LaBelle High School with a High School Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 or above (Certificate of Completion will not make a student eligible for Curtis Scholarship funding)
- Student must take advantage of the Curtis Scholarship during the academic year (fall, spring or summer semester) immediately following their high school graduation
- Student must reside in Hendry or Glades County and have attended LaBelle High School for at least two years
- Student must be admitted to Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) as a degree seeking student.
- Student must successfully complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each academic year while attending FSW. If selected for verification, please submit your verification documentation to the Financial Aid Office at your earliest convenience. (Verification is the process used to confirm that the data reported on your FAFSA is accurate.) Students with outstanding verification documents will not be awarded.
- Student must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours each fall/spring/summer semester. Student may be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours if completing their fifth and final semester. Student is eligible to receive the Curtis Scholarship for up to 5 consecutive semesters, (fall/spring) or (fall/spring/summer) provided student maintains a 67% completion rate and minimum overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 or above. Student may take classes at any FSW location, including FSW online. Semesters taken as a Dual Enrollment student do not count against the total 5 consecutive semesters of support.
Award Information
The Isabella Curtis Memorial Scholarship will cover full tuition, fees and one set of text books per semester. The number of scholarships awarded each year will be limited to the funds available in the Isabella Curtis Scholarship Endowment. In the event, funds available are not sufficient to award scholarships to all eligible applicants, funds will be allocated as follows:
- Currently enrolled Isabella Curtis Scholarship recipients will be funded first.
- Qualifying first year applicants.
What do I need to do next?
- Set up your student Portal - visit www.fsw.edu and click the “portal” button at the top right side of the page. The next screen will ask for your user name and password, under the login button is a “New User” link, click on this and set up your portal for the first time.
Check your financial aid status - log into your student portal at a minimum of once a week. Additional information may be needed from you to process your financial aid awards, this is how our office will communicate with you. It is important that you familiarize yourself with and monitor both your BUC’s email and the financial aid section of your portal. To access the financial aid section of your portal follow the steps below.
- Click the tab that says “Financial Aid & Student Services”
- Click the “My Financial Aid Online” button
- Select the appropriate aid year and click “Submit”
- The next screen will be customized to your individual aid package. Please ensure you click all links available to make sure no additional worksheets or requirements have been posted.
Appeal Process
Exemptions may be made to scholarship criterion if the student is unable to fulfill the requirements due to an extenuating circumstances. Determination of exemption to scholarship criterion will be made on a case by case basis. A formal request for exemption should be made, by email, to financialaid@fsw.edu and include a letter stating the reason for the extenuating circumstance. All requests for exemption must be substantiated with supporting documentation related to the extenuating circumstance.
The Isabella Curtis scholarship was established through the generosity of Mr. Kenneth Curtis who was sincerely interested in providing students with the financial means to further their education.