TAMPA, Fla. — An estimated $100 million in scholarship money goes unused every single year according to the National Scholarship Providers Association, which is why the Hillsborough Education Foundation (HEF) is streamlining the process for its scholarships, encouraging Hillsborough County high school seniors to apply.

What You Need To Know

  • Hillsborough County high school seniors can apply for over 200 scholarships with one application

  • The Hillsborough Education Foundation estimates $600,000 is available this year

  • The scholarships can be used at traditional colleges and universities, as well as trade schools

  • Some scholarships have no GPA requirement, or volunteer hour requirement

There are scholarships for traditional colleges and universities, as well as trade schools.

“We have scholarships for all sorts of different walks of life. Just because you don’t have a really high GPA doesn’t mean you’re not eligible for a scholarship," said Anna Corman, Interim Chief Executive Officer at HEF. "We have scholarships that have no GPA requirements, no volunteer hour requirements, we have scholarships if you want to pursue becoming a hairstylist, or if you’re interested in becoming an electrician. So there are lots of options for every student."

HEF is offering around 200 scholarships to local high school seniors, totaling $600,000. Katie Huynh received $12,000 in scholarships from HEF when she graduated from high school in 2022 and she says it’s made a big impact on her college career.

She’s majoring in Biomedical Sciences at the University of South Florida, and says she still remembers being a senior at Alonso High School, trying to figure out her next steps, and USF was the perfect fit.

“It was close to home, so I was saving a lot of money, but I really like the campus. It’s very diverse here, that’s a big thing,” she said.

Money is a big factor for many students, and Huynh says as a senior, she knew she would need some extra help.

“I didn’t really know where to start," she said. "So I went to Google, searched senior scholarships that were available, and one of the first ones that popped up was the Hillsborough Education Foundation.”

HEF offers high school seniors hundreds of dollars in scholarships every year. It’s one online application for nearly 200 different scholarships.

“It paid for a big portion of my funds, which was great and it also allowed me to focus more on my studies without having to worry about getting a part-time job in order to cover those costs,” Huynh said.

Now, she can focus on becoming a pediatric dentist, thanks to the scholarship, and she encourages other students to apply too.

“A lot of students are very hesitant about applying because they think they don’t really have a chance but since there are so many scholarships out there, if you just apply, there’s a very good chance you’re capable of being picked for one of those,” she said.

The application window closes Jan. 31.