Candidates must:

• Are full-time students admitted to El Centro College or Richland College
• Provide proof of a current student, refugee, or political or religious asylum visa.
• Enroll in at least twelve (12) credit hours at El Centro or Richland
• Demonstrate financial need.
• Show academic seriousness and excellence with strong grades (minimum 3.0 or B average) and through written recommendations.
• Exhibit promise and vision for making a difference.
   

Candidates must submit to the DCCCD Foundation or the nominating college sponsor the following:

• Completed DCCCD Foundation Scholarship Application form.
• Verification of current and appropriate visa.
• At least one letter of recommendation from a sponsoring college employee (a professor, an administrator, or an employee in a supervisory or overseeing role).
• Typed essay of several pages telling about their circumstances, their plans and hopes, and a bit about the conditions under which they left their native countries to study in America. (See essay guidelines.)
• Optionally, any other credible recommendations and/or other materials clearly supporting the candidate. Such optional support might come from clergy, previous professors at other institutions, or community leaders.
   

(Step 1) Candidates seek a college sponsor and then apply through the El Centro Financial Aid office or or Richland Financial or through the DCCCD Foundation, or they may be nominated by an El Centro or Richland College sponsor (a professor, an administrator, or a staff member who can speak credibly and knowledgeably for the candidate). A Selection Committee is named by the scholarship provider.

(Step 2) All application and nominating materials are given to the chair of the El Centro or Richland College Selection Committee.

(Step 3) The Selection Committee considers the materials. Before the recipient is chosen, brief informal interviews may be required by the Committee. (Step 4) A recipient is chosen and named by semester's end.
 

Scholarships for fall semesters will be announced by May 1 of the previous spring semester; application materials and essays are due to the Selection Committee by April 1.

Scholarships for spring semesters will be announced by December 1 of the previous fall semester, and application materials and essays are due by November 1.