Atkinson Scholarship
Frequently Asked questions

The Atkinson Scholarship application deadline for high school seniors graduating in 2026 was Feb 1, 2026.

The Atkinson Scholarship application deadline for high school seniors graduating in 2027 will be Feb 1, 2027. The application will be available in October 2026.

OCT 1 - Application is available

FEB 1 - Applications are due

EARLY MAR - First-cut decisions are announced. Semi-finalists are invited for interview

LATE MARCH - In-person interviews are held at the Grange Hall, usually between 3:00 and 6:00 pm

EARLY APRIL - Finalists are notified

MAY 8 - Award Breakfast

Recipients are selected based on three criteria:

Academics: We assign an academic score based on high school GPA.

Merit: Reviewers assign a merit score based on extracurricular activities, work experience, essays, and letters of recommendation.

Financial Need: To come up with a financial need score, we use the FAFSA Student Aid Index in combination with Adjusted Gross Income, Primary Home Equity, and Number of Children in College.

All three scores are combined for an overall score per student. Applicants are then ranked based on their overall score. Those with the highest overall scores are invited to the office for short interviews.

After the interviews, 15 students are selected.

There’s no single “ideal.” The Atkinson Scholarship is truly a “combination” award which is why you’ll see an eclectic group of students among our recipients: Students who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, students with tremendous financial need and students with high GPAs with lesser need are all excellent candidates.

We also look for that ubiquitous quality that we call “promise.” Some of our most satisfying awards have gone to students who might have started high school slowly but orchestrated a turnaround, particularly in academics or leadership. We’re talking about young people, after all. Many don’t come into their own until their late teens (or later).

What all Atkinson Scholars have in common is a clear focus on education and a desire to contribute to the world in a positive way.

While students generally need to score high in all three categories to be invited for an interview, high scores in two categories can sometimes earn an applicant an interview spot.

Each year at the Foundation, we pause and revisit the question: Are we selecting an appropriate mix of recipients who represent the values of the Foundation and the community we live in?

Yes, Foundation staff are the only ones who see detailed financial information. Materials are later deleted from the online portal.

No. Both offer wonderful scholarship opportunities for local high school seniors but are completely separate, with different application guidelines, processes and time frames.