Using Our Scholarship Portal

10 tips for using our scholarship portal

1. Click here to enter the portal. When you create your account, use a private email address that you will still be able to access after June. Do not use your school email account if you are graduating this spring. Keep track of your password. Your account will be locked after multiple failed attempts. Click here to access instructions and video tutorials for using the portal.
2. Watch for an email confirming your account and access to an application. Check your spam folder if you don’t promptly see an email in your inbox.
   
3. When you're ready, sign in and click "Apply" to start your application. You can save and return to it over time. Make sure you've reviewed the Materials You'll Need to Apply.
4. Answer questions carefully and thoroughly. Some questions only display based on your answer to a previous question. Pay attention to character limits. Required questions are marked with an asterisk. If you do not answer a required question, you will see an error message at the bottom of the screen when you try to submit your application.
5. When uploading files, you will receive an error if your file is not an acceptable file type or exceeds size limits. We only accept Word and PDF files for most upload questions.
6. You may choose to request letters of recommendation through the portal. Ask your references if they are willing to write a letter of recommendation for you BEFORE entering their emails so they know to expect it. After you send the email, your reference will receive both your message and a message from the portal with the link they must use to submit the letter of recommendation. It is your responsibility to provide the email addresses early enough for this email to be sent to your references in time for them to submit the letters no later than one week after the application deadline. You may want to check-in with your references to ask if they received the email. It's possible it was blocked by their spam filter or you may have typed their address incorrectly. Contact scholarships@hamptonroadscf.org if your references report that they did not receive an email from the portal.
7. Submit your completed application by 11:59 p.m. on the deadline day*. To do that, click the "Submit Application" button. If you receive error messages, go back and answer the required questions you skipped or replace any incompatible files you uploaded.
   
8. Once you successfully submit your application, it will be submitted automatically for all scholarships that match your qualifications. You will see a confirmation page indicating the scholarships to which your application has been matched. If you made a mistake on your application and need to correct it after submitting, contact scholarships@hamptonroadscf.org to request that your application be returned to draft form so you can edit it.
   
   
   
9. Some scholarships require you to answer additional questions or to write a special essay to be considered. This includes the scholarships for Chinese, Greek, and Jewish students, the Lewis Family Norfolk 17 Scholarship, as well as the AAA Tidewater Scholarship. The confirmation page will list the scholarships for which you may meet the criteria but require you to answer supplemental questions to apply. You will need to click “Continue” to be taken to the page where you can answer the additional questions.
   
10. We will send you an email in mid to late April to tell you the results of your scholarship application. Applicants for scholarships with a May 1 deadline will receive decision notices in May.

Note: Application deadlines vary so be sure to check for your particular scholarship. Generally, the application deadline for all scholarships is March 1 at 11:59 p.m. The deadline for theological scholarships is April 1 and the deadline for the Palmer Farley Memorial Scholarship and Willcox Savage Scholarship is May 1.