To be eligible for scholarships, students should typically be enrolled full-time (12 units in the current semester) and have a 3.0 GPA, though some applications have lower GPA requirements. Some scholarship award opportunities seek strong academics, leadership qualities, good character, or those with financial barriers. Students who face financial barriers must usually qualify for financial aid, promise grants, or the Board of Governors Fee Waiver. If students are selected for an award, they may be required to submit a thank-you letter to the scholarship donor.
FC offers specialized scholarships for departments such as Athletics, Fine Arts, Natural Sciences and Career Technical Fields. Students should contact the departments to register their eligibility and to find out whether any specific application is required. Generally, STEM scholarships require a nomination from staff or faculty who can nominate their students. Students can also let their staff and faculty know that they are interested in a nomination and provide an Academic Resume.
Academic Resumes must consist of the student’s name and contact information, academic goals, GPA, leadership positions, community service, and obstacles the student has faced.
FC offers incoming high school students freshman scholarships. All new student scholarships are due March 31st, 2026. The High School Honor Scholarship is for first-time FC students, planning to enroll full-time. Students must also have strong academics, leadership, and character, with some community involvement.
The Kiwanis Club of Fullerton Award is for students who are residents of Fullerton or the surrounding areas. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and have strong community service hours. The deadline for this scholarship is April 30, 2026.
The Waltmar Scholarship is a private charitable foundation based in Irvine, California, founded in 1965 by Walter and Marge Schmid. Giving opportunities to students who continue their education after high school.
Student of Distinction scholarships are due March 11th at 5:00 pm, including the following: Dr. Janet and Henry Emoto, and Schlinger students of Distinction. Students of Distinction is an honors program for current students who demonstrate achievement in one of four categories: academics, competition, personal development, and/or service. Eligibility varies slightly by category; all students who apply, regardless of category, must be enrolled in credit classes for Spring 2026 and submit letters of recommendation.
Students who apply for the academic achievement category must have a GPA of 3.75 or higher. Other categories must have a GPA of 2.75 or higher. Students who apply to any category must have completed at least 27 credits at the time of nomination and should be graduating or transferring by the end of Summer 2026. Applicants must not have been a student of distinction in previous years.
Outside scholarships like the Thurmond and Joan & Burnie Cohen scholarship require students to be 18 years old, majoring in STEM, and to be an English as a second language, or be 24 years or older, returning to college after being away from the academic world for more than 2 years or longer. Both scholarships offer up to $1,000 to $2,000.
STEM Scholarships
The Dr. Samuel Cortez STEM Award is one of the 5 scholarships available to STEM students. Students majoring in the following: Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, and Chemistry, with the requirement of 12 units completed by the time of selection. It was founded by Samuel Cortez, who was a physics professor and academic leader at Fullerton College. Much like the Stack/Reynolds Scholarship, it focuses on STEM-pursuing students.
The Alexander Anderson Memorial Scholarship is awarded to FC students majoring in engineering who are graduating or transferring to a four-year university.
The Sempre Energy OSHER and Southern California Edison OSHER scholarships open on March 26th, 2026, and close on March 30th, 2026. In May 2008, the Osher Foundation made a pledge to California Community Colleges by investing in education and creating a permanent scholarship fund.
Natural Sciences Scholarships
Albert M. Williams Chemistry Scholarships: for this scholarship, students must be majoring in chemistry and planning to transfer to a 4-year university to continue chem studies.
Claire McCarthy HealthCare OSHER is for students majoring in Medical Science and who are also transferring to a 4-year college. Students must know that the Board of Governors Fee Waiver is required.
The Monira Qutubuddin Award is awarded to students who demonstrate academic success in the medical field. Priority is to be given to students of Bangladeshi Origin.
Some new scholarships FC is offering include the Dan Woods Biotech Scholarship for students who excel in biotechnology, and the Jo Wu Scholarship for students who excel in biology.
Any students majoring in Biology or Environmental Science can apply for the following scholarships and awards: Maria Kit Wah Young and the Schlinger Environmental Science Award.
