The Scholarship Foundation has awarded college scholarships totaling more than $7.1 million to 1,784 Santa Barbara County students for the 2024-25 academic year. High school seniors were notified of their awards on April 26; all other recipients were notified on May 15.

Of the $7,123,615 awarded this year, $3,279,721 will help support students in North County communities, and $3,804,179 will help support students in South County communities. Scholarships can be used for college, graduate, and vocational studies, including law school and medical school.

“The botched rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has made for a very challenging awards cycle,” said Foundation President and CEO Melinda Cabrera. “The FAFSA is a critical component of the Scholarship Foundation application process. This organization never wavered in its commitment to notify students and families of this year’s scholarship awards by May 15, however. The Scholarship Foundation has long prided itself on prioritizing the needs of our community, and we remain immensely proud of our efforts to help Santa Barbara County students access postsecondary education.”