There are two overarching categories of La Sierra scholarships: committee scholarships and department scholarships.

Committee scholarships are university-wide and awarded by the Endowed Scholarship Committee.

Department scholarships are awarded by each academic department. Each department has their own process for selecting students to receive departmental scholarships, but all committee scholarships are processed through the university-wide online application (read below for more details).

You may find a full list of the La Sierra scholarships and descriptions at https://lasierra.edu/advancement/scholarships/current-endowed-scholarships/.

To apply for a general scholarship (one not dependent on major or department) through the online scholarship application, you must meet the following criteria:

• Current La Sierra University student who has completed at least one quarter of full-time enrollment at La Sierra
• Either a domestic student in an undergraduate program or an international student in an undergraduate or graduate program
• Admitted to a regular, full-priced program (discounted programs, including discounted cohorts are not eligible to apply)
• Enrolled to attend the complete, upcoming academic year: Fall, Winter, and Spring

The Scholarship Committee assesses all eligible applications for our general (not major-specific) scholarships based on a combination of financial need (as determined by FAFSA or SAI - Student Aid Index), merit, and all stipulations outlined by the scholarship founders.

If you are not eligible according to the criteria above, please check with your academic department to see if you qualify for one of the departmental scholarships.

Late-January until March 7nd for scholarships that will be applied to your tuition the following academic year.

FAFSA or SAI (Student Aid Index) applications are due on April 7 and are required to remain eligible.

Apply once annually through the online application, and the scholarship committee will decide which scholarships are the best fit for all nominees. Keep an eye out for additional scholarships offered by your academic department.

At this time most of the graduate student scholarships are specified by their donors to be awarded to international graduate students or to domestic graduate students in a handful of specific degrees. If you are a current international graduate student at La Sierra, apply online (see instructions below). If you are a current domestic graduate student, check with your department during Winter quarter to ask if you qualify for one of these departmental scholarships.

Apply on the La Sierra University website at: https://lasierra.edu/endowed-scholarships.

All communications regarding scholarships will go through your lasierra.edu email address. Be sure to check this email account frequently to be sure not to miss any information, especially about requirements and deadlines. If you do not hear from the scholarship committee by the first week of May, email the committee at endowedscholarship@lasierra.edu.

All scholarships are conditionally nominated. Student Financial Services will only apply your scholarship if you meet the following criteria:

1. Write a meaningful thank-you card to the donors for each scholarship you are being offered, and
2. Attend the scholarship ceremony (the date of which will be included in the scholarship application).

All faculty will be notified to excuse scholarship nominees from classes that take place during that time frame. If you fail to accomplish these two requirements and do not inform the scholarship committee of a valid excuse prior to the scholarship ceremony, your nomination will not be confirmed and the scholarship will be forfeited.

Additionally, awardees must maintain full-time enrollment status at La Sierra University for each quarter that the scholarship will be issued (one third in Fall, one third in Winter, and one third in Spring of the following academic year). Scholarships will be prorated for less than full-time enrollment and not awarded for less than part-time enrollment. 

You will find out the dollar amount of your scholarships at the ceremony when you receive your scholarship certificate(s). Scholarships are typically between $500 and $5000 per student.

Amounts displayed on award certificates are dependent on full-time enrollment status for all three quarters of the following academic year, as well as dependent on the awardee's financial need. If the scholarship amount exceeds the student's financial need, the scholarship amount will be reduced. Institutional aid may never exceed direct costs, and refund checks are generally not issued if financial aid offered exceeds financial need.

Awarded scholarships will be divided equally over Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters of the following academic year and are not applicable to Summer sessions. Exceptions are sometimes granted (but not guaranteed) to seniors who are returning to La Sierra but graduating in less than a full academic year. Such students may make an appeal for an alternate dispersal through their financial aid counselor.

During scholarship season (January-May each year) send an email to the scholarship committee at endowedscholarship@lasierra.edu and a committee member will respond. At any other time of year, talk to Student Financial Services to see if you qualify for other kinds of financial aid.