Paying for College & Career Training

With an emphasis on scholarships and programs open to local/Indiana residents only, BCHS has compiled this list of college and trade school scholarship and training opportunities.

College Financial Aid Application: FAFSA

FAFSA application is required for all Indiana families and necessary to receive Indiana and Federal Student Aid.

  1. Scholarships
    • Merit Scholarships: Based on academic or other achievement. Usually if you apply by November 1, you qualify for merit scholarships. Your school’s websites will tell you this!
    • University Specific Scholarships: These are additional scholarships offered to incoming first year students that you usually have to apply for. Check the “first-year scholarship” page for each of your colleges to see if there are additional scholarships you need to complete an application for. Many of these have Fall deadlines.
    • Need-Based Scholarships: The FAFSA will open sometime between Oct. 1- Dec. 1 for you to complete with your parent(s)/guardian.
    • Outside Scholarships: offered by outside organizations, use online search engines to find these. (See links below)
    • When you receive a financial aid package from a college, make sure you know if the scholarships are renewable each year
  2. Student Employment in College
    • Federal Work Study (you might qualify for this through the FAFSA. This is not a grant/scholarship, it is a job)
    • Companies emphasize the important of internships when looking at hiring recent college graduates
  3. Grants – FREE money that doesn’t have to be paid back
    • Federal Grants
      • Pell Grant (max. $7,395 / yr.)1
      • Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) ($100 to $4,000)1
      • TEACH Grant (max. $3,772 / yr.)1
    • State Grants
      • 21st Century Scholars
      • Frank O’Bannon Grant
      • Workforce Ready Grant
    • Everything you need to know about college grants, from Investedindiana.org
  4. Loans
    • Federal Direct Loans (Rate: 6.53% plus 1.057% fee)1
      • Automatically qualify for this when you file the FAFSA
      • There are annual limits for this loan
      • They can be both subsidized and unsubsidized **
        **Subsidized loan: interest does not add onto loan while they are in school. Unsubsidized: interest is added onto loan while they are in school
    • Federal Direct PLUS Loan (Rate 9.08% plus 4.228% fee)1
      • Parent’s loan for the student
      • Eligibility impacted by adverse credit
    • Private Loans (Rate & Fees: Varies)
      • Student and Cosigner’s loan
      • Eligibility based on credit score and income

1 As of October 2024

  1. Visit our Roadmap page: Look at the Senior year on the roadmap page for a large list of resources.
  2. BCHS recommends:
  3. Contact Ms. Saurine. She is there to help you find a path to your dreams!
  4. Use the following excellent Indiana resources:
  5. Look in these places
    • Individual colleges have their own scholarships and scholarship process, so be sure to check the first-year scholarship page for your schools!
    • Consult FREE National Search Sites
    • Local/Community Foundations
    • Businesses & Employers
    • Church and Civic Engagements
The Brooke Nichole Lahr Scholarship for International Missions Work is an Advisor Fund through the Indianapolis Archdiocese. The purpose of the scholarship is to assist young adults to finance their first mission trip outside of the United States. The fund has been financed by friends and family of Brooke Nichole Lahr who was a parishioner of St. Gabriel Church. In an effort to continue the work that she had started, family and friends created an Advisory Fund through the Indianapolis Archdiocese designed to provide modest funds for those young adults looking to participate in their first international mission trip. From 2014-2023, sixty-six young adults received scholarships and travelled to their first international mission trip.

Online applications are due Jan. 20, 2025.

  • The application has 3 parts: 1) Applicant Information, 2) Mission focus and Applicant’s objectives, and 3) Financial need.
  • The scholarships are not intended to fund the entire cost of the trip and will vary in amounts based on need.
  • Applicants must be between the ages of 15-24 and be planning to go on their first mission trip.
Open Application

For more information, please contact Kimberly Pohovey in the Office of Stewardship and Development at the Archdiocese of Indianapolis at kpohovey@archindy.org or 317-236-1568.

For nearly four decades, INvestEd has been providing students and their parents with solutions to help put higher education within reach. They believe that strong choices before college are the best way to limit excessive student loan debt after college.
Go to Investedindiana.org
Fastweb is a free scholarship search platform that connects students to college scholarships and trade school scholarships, and financial aid news and resources for all stages of your college/career journey.

Go to FastWeb.com

Earn micro-scholarships as early as 9th grade! Discover your path to the best college for you! Whether you are a high school student looking to attend a 4-year college or a community college student, looking to transfer to a 4-year, RaiseMe can help you discover colleges, and earn micro-scholarships from colleges you follow in the software, if you decide to attend them.

Go To Raise.me

Marian University is announcing the first Educators for Tomorrow Scholarship, a 50% tuition discount, made available to new students for the four-year, education programs at Marian’s Indianapolis and Plymouth campuses starting for fall 2024 entry term.

Upon admission to the University and meeting the criteria listed below, this award is an automatic 50%
discount off tuition and will apply each year until graduation. Eligibility criteria includes the following:
• First-time, full-time student applying to the four-year, undergraduate program at Marian’s
Indianapolis or Plymouth location
• Admitted by January 1, 2024 for the fall 2024 entry term.
• Maintains a 3.5 GPA or above at time of admission to the University
• Declares education as a major at time of admission and maintains education throughout their
time at Marian

Bold.org is the largest independent scholarship provider in the US with millions of active students. Some examples are included in the link below, such as Cosmetology, Robotics, Cypersecurity and more. View the list below or search on their website Bold.org.

Lilly Scholarships at Ivy Tech Community College will cover all tuition and assessed fees at Ivy Tech, including textbook fees, consumable fees, and certification exam fees for students pursuing a course of study there that leads to certificates or degrees in the following programs of study:
Biotechnology, including Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing; Smart Manufacturing & Digital Integration;
Industrial Technology, including Industrial Mechanical, Industrial Electrical, Process Operations, and Welding; Medical Laboratory Technology.

Recipients also receive experiential learning opportunities, including summer programs and/or work study.

Recipients must indicate they intend to work in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry after receiving their certificate or degree and that they will consider Lilly as a future employer after graduation.

At least 60% of the scholarships are intended to be given to students who live in Marion County, Indiana, Hendricks County, Indiana, or Boone County, Indiana.

Priority will be given to students who (1) have overcome obstacles such as socioeconomic or educational disadvantage or (2) are first generation in their family to attend college.

Details and Application
Serving Marion and Hamilton County, this foundation manages scholarships for colleges, trade and other school types.
Go to www.cicf.org
he Next Level Jobs Workforce Ready Grant provides free job training for Hoosiers in high-demand sectors from Ivy Tech Community College or Vincennes University. Sectors include: Advanced Manufacturing, Building & Construction, Health & Life Science, IT & Business Services and Transportation & Logistics.

The Indiana General Assembly created Next Level Jobs for working-age Hoosiers in 2017, and expanded the program in 2018 to include all high school graduates. This is a great opportunity for all students, especially those who may not qualify for other forms of financial aid.

Next Level Jobs provides free job training for Hoosiers who:

    1. Are an Indiana resident AND a U.S. citizen (or eligible non-citizen)
    2. Have a high school diploma (or equivalent) but less than a college degree
    3. Enroll in a qualifying certificate program in a high-demand job sector

Available Job Training
Workforce Ready Grants
nextleveljobs.org

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education offers several opportunities for grants, scholarships and work-study programs.

State Financial Aid – By Program


Money for these scholarships is awarded to ICN member schools, and applications are then processed through those schools. Contact the Nursing Department at your school of interest for application details.
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Each year La Plaza awards up to six, $2,000 four-year college scholarships to deserving Latino students from across Indiana. Students are selected based on their academic record, community involvement, and financial need.
Read More
The National Guard Tuition Supplement Grant provides 100% tuition and regularly assessed fees at an Indiana institution for eligible members of the Indiana Air and Army National Guard. Receipients must be high school grads and members of the Indiana National Guard in active drilling status.
Read More
The Tuition and Fee Exemption for Children and Spouses of Public Safety Officers provides up to 100% of tuition and regularly assessed fees for up to 124 semester credit-hours at Indiana public colleges and universities at the undergraduate resident tuition rate.

Read more


Other Resources

A list of websites for scholarship searches, links to apprenticeship opportunities and many other information links can be found on the BCHS College & Career Roadmap. Look in the Senior Year area on the page.
Go to Career & College Roadmap