Scholarship Information

The universal application is a single form that matches your answers to the scholarship(s) for which you qualify. The universal application opens each year on December 1st and closes on February 1st; late applications are not accepted, no exceptions.

The universal scholarship application and assigned follow-up questions are due, each year, on February 1st at 11:59 PM. Failure to complete assigned follow-up questions in the application portal results in an incomplete application. To keep the scholarship process fair, no exceptions can be made for any late applications.

After submitting your application, you will be directed to your dashboard where you will find the scholarship(s) that you qualify for. Some of these scholarships may have assigned follow-up questions or requests that MUST be filled out to be considered for the scholarship. You may fill out everything in that moment, or you can log back in to complete your application. The deadline for submissions and all questions is 11:59 pm EST February 1st; no exceptions. 

As a user of the universal application portal, you may occasionally receive emails related to your request. Emails received from the system will come from the following email address: administrator@grantinterface.com.

If you are expecting emails and are not receiving them, it is likely that your email provider’s spam filter has caught the correspondence. Check your spam folder and add @grantinterface.com to your address book or contacts. This will ensure that you continue receiving email communication regarding your application. 

Please click here to see a video for a step-by-step guide of how to access your dashboard. 

No. Be sure to check your dashboard for any scholarship–specific follow-up questions that must be completed. After completing any additional questions or requests, be sure to submit your application for review. If you do not submit your application after completing scholarship-specific questions by February 1st at 11:59pm EST, your application will not be considered; no exceptions.

Each scholarship has unique eligibility requirements. Based on your universal application responses and the scholarship criteria, your application did not match with any of the scholarship opportunities. 

If you believe you met all the criteria for a specific scholarship, but did not get matched with that opportunity, you may request a review of your application by emailing scholarships@bccf.org or calling 610.685.2223. Requests for review must take place before the February 1^st deadline. After review, possible next steps will be discussed.

Applications cannot be submitted after 11:59 pm EST on February 1st. In order to maintain a fair process, we cannot make exceptions. 

Most Universal Application scholarship decisions are announced no later than April. Email notifications will be sent to all students regarding final decisions. Please check your junk/spam folder for this email. Please note that only one email notification will be sent to your email regardless of the number of scholarships you were granted; only one scholarship acceptance form will need to be completed, regardless of the number of scholarships you were granted. Check your dashboard to view all scholarships you were granted. 

1. Log into your dashboard and complete your scholarship acceptance form no later than June 15th; failure to complete your scholarship acceptance form by the deadline forfeits your scholarship(s); no exceptions. Only one scholarship form is required of each recipient, regardless of the number of scholarships granted to them. To view the full list of scholarships you have been granted, login to your dashboard. 
2. Be sure to RSVP to the scholarship luncheon. The scholarship luncheon will be held on May 20, 2026. The deadline to RSVP to the scholarship luncheon is May 4th. Email your scholarship luncheon questions to mollyr@bccf.org or call 610.685.2223.
3. Write a thank you note to the generous donor who made your scholarship possible! Thank you notes can be mailed to:Berks County Community Foundation
   237 Court Street
   Reading, PA 19601We will then forward the mail to the appropriate donors.
4. Visit the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency website to see if you are eligible for their scholarship match program called Partnerships for Access to Higher Education (PATH). Read the eligibility requirements below before submitting; more details, along with the form to submit, can be found on your scholarship acceptance form on your application portal. 
   For your scholarship from Berks County Community Foundation to be considered for a PHEAA PATH grant, you must:
   – Have received a scholarship from Berks County Community Foundation, which is a participating PATH Partner, for the academic year.
   – Demonstrate financial need for a PATH grant: Financial need = cost of attendance – Student Aid Index (SAI) – all other grants and scholarships.
   – Be enrolled as an undergraduate, at least half-time in a PA State Grant–approved postsecondary institution in Pennsylvania and maintain satisfactory academic progress (as defined by the PA State Grant Program).

Please email scholarships@bccf.org with your updates.

Scholarship payments will be issued in three batches on June 15th, July 1st, and July 15th. Recipients of multi‑year awards must submit all required follow‑up documentation by June 15th to confirm continued eligibility; if these materials are not received by the deadline, all remaining payments will be cancelled by June 30th. Payments will also be cancelled if the Scholarship Acceptance Form is not submitted on time or if eligibility requirements cannot be verified. In addition, payments may be cancelled when a student’s status changes—such as no longer attending school—and the student cannot be reached to reissue funds. Cancellations related to status changes will be processed as such situations are identified.

Payments are sent directly to the college/university listed on the student’s acceptance form. (Delays in sending out payments typically occur when we do not have completed scholarship acceptance forms from students.) It usually takes several weeks for schools to receive and process payments. Please contact your school directly to confirm receipt of your scholarship payment.

The Educational Improvement Tax Credit/Berks County Scholarship Tax Credit Fund and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Fund of Berks County Community Foundation share an application on our portal.

Before applying for these scholarship opportunities, please read the information below:

1. Application deadline is May 15th-31st.
2. The foundation limits applications based on household income.
3. The number of scholarships awarded is based on number of corporate donations the foundation receives to fund the program.
4. Most years, fewer than 15 families receive scholarships.
5. Students are technically eligible to receive a scholarship IF their household’s annual income is no greater than $116,055, plus $20,428 for each dependent member of the household; HOWEVER, the household income for families receiving our scholarships is typically under $30,000.

To learn more about the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC) visit the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development’s website. 

Please send questions to scholarships@bccf.org.