Scholarship Office

The Moorpark College Foundation scholarships are made possible by the generosity of Moorpark College faculty and staff, private citizens, and community donors. Scholarships recognize students for academic achievement, financial need, field of study, community service, campus activities, and outside interests.  

Moorpark College students can apply for scholarships through the Moorpark College Foundation Spring 2025 Application. We offer over 100 different scholarships, which you can explore online via our Scholarship Manager website.  

To apply, students complete a single application. An algorithm then matches applicants with scholarships they are eligible for. 

After the application deadline, scholarship review committees evaluate the matched candidates based on each scholarship's criteria and select awardees. 

Selected students will be notified via email about their scholarship award. To maintain eligibility, awardees must continue meeting the scholarship requirements. The funds will be applied to the Fall 2025 semester. Continuing students must be enrolled for the upcoming academic year, while transferring students must be admitted to their new university and have a University ID number from their transfer institution

• Application Opens: December 1, 2024, at 12:00 AM 
• Application Closes: January 31, 2025, at 11:59 PM 
• Review Period: February 2025 
• Award Notifications: March–April 2025 (via email) 
• Scholarship Award Ceremony: Late April 2025 (Scholarship awardees and donors are invited to attend) 
• Fund Availability: Scholarship funds will be accessible after the Spring 2025 semester, to support enrollment for the Fall 2025 semester 

To ensure your application receives full consideration be sure to do the following: 

• Answer every question on the application questionnaire. If possible, do not leave blank answers.  
• Get your current unofficial transcript.  
  • Log in to your MyVCCCD portal. 
  • Navigate to "Student Records" in the menu and select "Unofficial Academic Transcript." 
  • Your unofficial transcript will open in a new webpage. 
  • On the webpage, click the printer icon on the right-hand side, as if you were going to print it. 
  • Instead of printing, select "Save as PDF" and download the file. 
  • Upload the downloaded PDF of your unofficial transcript to your scholarship application. 
  • Remember: Your transcript should include finalized grades for Fall 2024. 
• Get contact information from your recommender(s) 
  • Your recommender can be a faculty member, counselor, administrator, employee, or co-worker. It's a good idea to ask them ahead of time. 
  • Obtain your recommender’s email address.  
  • After you submit your application, your recommender(s) will receive an email with a link to submit their recommendation for you. They can either complete a short form or upload a letter of recommendation. 
  • Deadline: Your recommender(s) must submit their recommendation no later than Wednesday, February 5th, 2025
• Prepare your essays 
  • It’s recommended to write your essays first in a separate document, then copy and paste the text into the application fields. 
  • Remember: You can save your application progress and return to it later, so take your time completing the essays. 

Draft your essays in a separate document 

• It’s recommended to write your essays first in a separate document, then copy and paste the text into the application fields. 
• Remember: You can save your application progress and return to it later, so take your time completing the essays. 

Need help? 

• If you’d like assistance with your essays, contact the Moorpark College Writing Center to schedule an appointment with a writing coach. 

Mandatory General Essays 

There are five mandatory general essays, each with a maximum of 300 words. All applicants must complete these short essays in order to submit their application.

The prompts are: 

1. Educational Goals: Explain the relationship between your academic pursuits and career ambitions. What have you already accomplished, and what do you envision for your future? 
2. Campus Activities: Describe your involvement in campus life and its impact on your overall experience. What has it meant to you? 
3. Community Service: Describe your experience with community service. How has this involvement shaped your personal or professional aspirations? 
4. Financial Need: Tell us about a financial challenge you've faced during your education and how it has influenced your approach to your studies. 
5. Scholarship Impact: How would receiving this scholarship affect your educational journey? Please share your thoughts. 

Optional/Special Essays 

There are also optional special essays on the application to be considered for specific awards. Most of these scholarships have a 350-word minimum and a 600-word maximum. 

For a full list of eligibility requirements, please visit the list of scholarships offered on Scholarship Manager

• Brian Wolverton Anthropology Scholarship: State how you intend to use your knowledge of anthropology and/or archaeology to improve the lives of other people.  This essay should contain information about how you first became interested in anthropology.   Also, tell us how prior anthropology classes at Moorpark College have affected your thinking and how you intend to continue your studies.  Give examples of where you have used your anthropological knowledge to understand some aspect of your life and/or to improve the lives of others. This essay has a 600 word minimum and 1,200 word maximum

• Clean Power Alliance Voyager Scholarship: How are you active in environmental sustainability? 

• Psychology Department Scholarship: Describe how your experience with campus activities or community service relates to the field of Psychology. Psychology majors only. 

• ASMC Earn & Learn Scholarship
  • ASMC Scholarships are awarded as part of the organization's mission to support and empower fellow students. To ensure fairness and impartiality in the review process, all applications are evaluated anonymously. Do not include your name or any identifying information in the essays or resumes.
  • Provide an original response to each of the following prompts:
    • What motivated you to pursue work alongside your studies, and how has it influenced your academic or career goals?
    • Describe a typical day balancing work and school. What strategies do you use to manage your time?
    • How would receiving the Earn & Learn Scholarship contribute to your success?
• ASMC Global Opportunities Scholarship:
  • ASMC Scholarships are awarded as part of the organization's mission to support and empower fellow students. To ensure fairness and impartiality in the review process, all applications are evaluated anonymously. Do not include your name or any identifying information in the essay.
  • To be considered, applicants must provide an original response to 2 out of 3 of the following prompts: 
    • Describe a challenge you've faced as an undocumented, refugee, or international student. How has it impacted your educational journey?
    • How did your experiences (indirect or direct) growing up influence the student you are today?
    • Describe a person, class, or program at Moorpark College that has had a significant impact on you.
• Bruce Garber Legacy Scholarship: Describe how you uphold the values championed by Bruce Garber—intellectualism, human rights, social justice, civility, environmentalism, and respect for all life—in your educational journey. How do you plan to continue embodying these values in your personal and academic pursuits?
• George Floyd Memorial Scholarship: In what significant ways have you contributed to the uplift of the Black community or worked to improve race relations between Black and other ethnic groups?
• John and Daniel Sherwood Memorial Scholarship: Write a creative response describing a real or fictional travel story
• LGBTQIA+ Scholarship: Tell us about your relationship to the LGBTQIA+ community. Describe activities and/or education (formal or informal) that demonstrates your advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community.
• Multicultural Day Scholarship: In what ways have you promoted understanding among racial and ethnic groups?

Other Writing Prompts:

• Norman F. Garrow Jr. Creative Writing Scholarship: Submit an original work of creative writing. The writing can be fiction, poetry, or prose.
• Producer’s Choice Award: Submit an original 10-15 page script. FTMA majors only. 

• I cannot access the link or do not know where to apply
  • Apply online via the Scholarship Manager portal 
• Who can apply for Moorpark College Foundation Scholarships?  
  • Moorpark College students whose primary campus is Moorpark College. 
  • You MUST have a student ID number (900#) as an admitted student. 
• If my primary campus is Oxnard College or Ventura College, can I still apply?  
  • The Moorpark College Foundation prioritizes students whose primary campus is Moorpark College. 
  • OC and VC students are encouraged to apply for scholarships at the Oxnard College Foundation and Ventura College Foundation.
• Are there opportunities for International students?
  • Yes! Some of our scholarships are exclusively for International Students.
• Can I return to my scholarship application after I have started it?  
  • Yes, you can save your application progress and return to it. You must complete and submit your application before the deadline.
  • It is highly recommended to do your essays in a separate document and copy/paste it into the essay fields on the application rather than writing inside the application itself.
• Will there be an extension on the due date?  
  • No, there will not be an additional extension on the due date. Applications are due January 31, 2025.
  • Recommenders must get their recommendation in by February 5, 2025
• How do my references/recommenders submit a recommendation?
  • Applicants must provide the name and email address of at least one reference to complete the application. You may have up to three references.
  • Each reference will receive an automated email from our system containing a link and a PIN to submit their recommendation.
  • When a recommender clicks the link, they will enter the PIN and complete a short survey about your qualifications.
  • Recommenders may also choose to upload a letter of recommendation, though this is optional.
  • Once a recommendation is submitted, it will be automatically attached to your application.
  • Recommendations are due no later than February 5, 2025
• I am not sure how to answer one of the prompts or have questions about the application. Who do I talk to?  
  • Cristy Rodriguez Rivas, Scholarship Technician. You can reach Cristy at mcscholar@vcccd.edu  

There are so many scholarship opportunities out there!

In addition to our internal scholarship program, you can explore our Other Scholarship Opportunities page for scholarships that are not funded by the Moorpark College Foundation and scholarship search databases. 

Important Note for Art Majors and Photography Students:

Art majors are encouraged to submit the Moorpark College Foundation Spring 2025 Application to be considered for all scholarships across various departments. However, Art and Photography department scholarships require a separate application, which will be available later in the Spring 2025 semester. Submitting only the Spring 2025 Application will not make you eligible for these specific scholarships.

The following Art Department scholarships require the Moorpark College Foundation Art Scholarship Application and are not considered through the Spring 2025 Application:

• Art Osher Scholarship
• Ceramics Scholarship
• Frank Sardisco Memorial Art Scholarship
• Joann and Stan Benson Scholarship
• Phyllis Arnold Memorial Scholarship
• John Gray Photography Scholarship
• Jim Sebek Memorial Photography Scholarship

To be fully considered for these scholarships, complete the Moorpark College Foundation Art Scholarship Application (available later in the Spring 2025 semester)