Dream Big Scholarship

• 2.75 or higher cumulative high school GPA
• 2024 Graduate of Columbus City Schools
• Federal Pell Grant Eligible
• Enrolling in college full-time immediately following high school graduation

• No. You must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 to be eligible.

• Yes. As long as you graduate from a CCS high school you are eligible for the Dream Big Scholarship.

• No. This scholarship is only open to current high school seniors.

• Students must submit their first application for the Dream Big Scholarship during senior year of high school. Applications will be submitted through the Student Portal, which you can access by clicking the APPLY button at the top of this page.

• A student’s application will be considered complete when it contains:
  • A completed application
  • 2024-2025 FAFSA Student Aid Report (SAR)
  • Unofficial high school transcript
• Please be sure that your first and last name are on every document you submit.
• NOTE: Applications that are incomplete on the deadline will be denied.

• All applications and supporting documents will be submitted online, through the I Know I Can Student Portal.

• The FAFSA Submission Summary is an electronic document that lists your answers to the questions on your FAFSA as well as basic information about your eligibility for federal student aid.
• You can access your FAFSA Submission Summary here after your FAFSA has been processed (approximately 4 business days after you complete and submit the FAFSA online).
• The FAFSA Submission Summary is typically 7-8 pages and can be downloaded as a PDF.
• NOTE: Be sure to complete your FAFSA at least one week prior to the Dream Big Scholarship application deadline.

• Yes. CCS seniors applying to both the Founders’ Scholarship and Dream Big Scholarship should submit completed, on-time applications for both the Founders’ Scholarship and Dream Big Scholarship. Students can only receive one, so if you are selected for the Founders’ Scholarship, you will not receive the Dream Big Scholarship.

• If you are eligible for both, you will only receive the Founders’ Scholarship. We encourage eligible students to apply for both when submitting a Founders’ Scholarship application so you will not miss the deadline to apply for the Dream Big Scholarship in the event that you are not selected for the Founders’ Scholarship.

• Once you have been made eligible for the Dream Big Scholarship and received an eligible email, you should read the attached letter carefully and be sure to submit the following items:
  • Financial aid award letter from your college
  • Your fall class schedule for the upcoming year
  • Your college student ID#
  • Your current e-mail address
• NOTE: You must submit these final documents in order to receive the Dream Big Scholarship funds. I Know I Can will not be able to send the scholarship to your college without these documents.

• A financial aid award letter shows the grants, scholarships, and loans that your college has awarded you. You may have received a paper copy or it may have been sent electronically, either by e-mail or on your college’s student access website.
• If you have trouble finding it, please contact the financial aid office at your college.
• NOTE: The financial aid award letter is different from the FAFSA Submission Summary.

• The Dream Big Scholarship is worth up to $3,500.

• The Dream Big Scholarship is sent in two payments. You will receive up to $1,750 in the fall semester and up to $1,750 in the spring semester, provided you are enrolled full-time.

• You will see a credit on your account when the Dream Big Scholarship has been received and processed by your college. Depending on how your college processes payments, it may not be specifically listed as Dream Big Scholarship.

• Your college may not list the Dream Big Scholarship on the financial aid award letter unless you have informed your college that you are receiving an outside grant. You can provide a copy of your Dream Big Scholarship approval letter to your college if necessary.
• You will still be able to receive the Dream Big Scholarship even if it is not listed on your financial aid award letter.

• Students must submit a new application for the Dream Big Scholarship each year via the I Know I Can Student Portal.
• Students may renew the scholarship for up to four years at a four-year institution, two years at a two-year institution, or until receipt of first bachelor’s degree, whichever comes first.

• You must remain enrolled full-time to receive the Dream Big Scholarship. If you are not enrolled full-time, then your college will return the Dream Big Scholarship funds to IKIC.

• The Dream Big Scholarship can be used at any accredited university, college, technical school, or post-secondary program in the United States.

• The Dream Big Scholarship can be transferred to your new college, provided it is an accredited institution in the U.S. You must notify IKIC as soon as you decide to transfer and submit a financial aid award letter from your new college.

Students who do not meet established I Know I Can funding criteria have the opportunity to appeal on the basis of relevant, significant, and documentable extenuating circumstances for which they could not plan, influence, or prevent. The appeal committee will review your completed appeal and notify you of the results via email.  Please note the IKIC Appeal committee will NOT make appeal decisions before August 1st.  Incomplete appeal applications will not be considered.

Follow this link to apply for an appeal: IKIC Funding Appeal Form (jotform.com)