Scholarship Frequently Asked Questions

Your application must be submitted between September 15 and December 15.

Scholarships are available to individuals who:

• Have obtained a high school diploma or GED as a resident of one of the qualifying Middle Tennessee counties
• Intend to enroll full-time as a college freshman, sophomore, junior or 4th year senior for the upcoming academic year
• Demonstrate financial need, as determined by a 1040 tax return and the cost of tuition at the college or university you plan to attend
• Plan to pursue a Business or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) degree at a 4-year, not-for-profit college or university

For applicants who are seniors in high school, a minimum ACT score of 21 and a GPA of 2.5 or higher are preferred

• Bedford
• Cannon
• Cheatham
• Clay
• Coffee
• Cumberland
• Davidson
• Dekalb
• Dickson
• Fentress
• Franklin
• Giles
• Hickman
• Houston
• Humphreys
• Jackson
• Lawrence
• Lewis
• Lincoln
• Macon
• Marshall
• Maury
• Montgomery
• Moore
• Overton
• Perry
• Pickett
• Putnam
• Robertson
• Rutherford
• Smith
• Stewart
• Sumner
• Trousdale
• Van Buren
• Warren
• Wayne
• White
• Williamson
• Wilson

Students pursuing a business and STEM major are eligible to apply.

View a list of approved Business and STEM majors here. We recognize this list is not fully exhaustive of all Business and STEM offerings, as universities frequently add new majors that may qualify. If you have a question regarding qualifying majors, please contact us.

• Scholarships must be used at an accredited, 4-year, non-profit college or university in the United States.
• Because the Scarlett Family Foundation is a private foundation and as stated in our IRS approved charter, we are required to operate exclusively for charitable and educational purposes (according to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986). Therefore, academic scholarships can only be awarded to educational organizations to which contributions are deductible as described in Code Section 170(c)(1) or (2).

• The Foundation’s selection committee will evaluate the applications and select the winners. The committee will consider each applicant’s financial need, academic achievements, community service, extracurricular activities, and essay content.
• Applicants not selected may re-apply beginning September 15 of the following year, even if you are already enrolled in college.

The Foundation will award scholarships in varying amounts based on financial need and merit. In addition to academic and personal achievement, the committee considers the AGI (adjusted gross income), EFC (estimated family contribution), and the cost of tuition, books, and fees.

Students must review and accept the Communication Policy at the time of application. By doing so, you agree to take ownership and be proactive in communicating changes in your phone number, email address, changes in enrollment status, and any other items that may affect your award directly to ISTS and the Foundation. Failure to adhere to the communication policy may result in loss of your award.

Typically, awards are announced by mid-April. Be sure to check your “spam” and “junk” folders for a notification from ISTS. Add ScarlettScholars@applyISTS.com and ContactUs@applyists.com to your address book to ensure you receive all email communication.

The minimum scholarship awarded is $2,500 per academic year; the maximum award is $30,000 per academic year.

The scholarship can be applied to tuition, fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for course load. Please note that award checks will only be made payable to your college or university. Under no circumstances will the Foundation issue a check directly to a student.

Checks will be mailed directly to the scholar and made payable to the institution. It is the recipient’s responsibility to notify ISTS of any address changes. Checks will be split into two — one check mailed in July for the fall term, and one check mailed in December for spring term.

Scholarship recipients may receive their award for up to 4 years, or until the recipient completes an undergraduate degree, whichever comes first. You do not need to reapply every year. However, current recipients are responsible for completing a renewal form that will be emailed to them March 1, by ISTS.

The renewal of the scholarship will depend on the committee’s annual review of the following:

• Positive academic performance as evidenced by student’s transcript
• Recipient’s full-time status
• Continued enrollment in a STEM or Business major

The Foundation will consider granting an additional semester on a case-by-case basis in extreme circumstances. Please email Katie Hazelwood with your request, an explanation of your circumstances, and a copy of your most recent transcript at least 90 days prior to the start of the semester.

A student may transfer from one institution to another and retain the award; however, the amount awarded is subject to change based on tuition cost of the new university.

The scholarship committee may review exceptions on a case-by-case basis. In general, a scholar could forfeit their awarded scholarship if the student:

• Changes to a non-business or non-STEM approved major
• Transfers to a 2-year or a for-profit institution
• Is no longer enrolled as a full-time student
• Is placed on academic or behavioral probation by the university which leads to losing your scholarship for one year, then it will be reviewed by the committee for re-instatement
• Fails to complete the renewal process by the deadline

Scholarships are normally not taxable. Consult IRS publication 970 for further information.

The Scarlett Family Foundation partners with International Scholarship Tuition Services, Inc. (ISTS), which specializes in managing sponsored scholarship programs. ISTS will host your scholarship information and application.  All communication will be sent by ISTS to the email provided on your application. Be on the lookout for important email reminders and deadlines!

ISTS will send emails and reminders of upcoming deadlines on a regular basis. From time to time, their emails may be blocked in your spam or junk filter. Please add ScarlettScholars@applyISTS.com, donotreply@applyISTS.com and ContactUs@applyISTS.com to your email address book so these important emails are delivered.  

Visit the ISTS portal. If you have not previously created an account, be sure to register. Or, enter your username and password to view your profile and the application.

Log in to your ISTS account with your username and password. Visit the ‘My Profile’ page to update your address. Be sure to save your changes.

Log in to your ISTS account with your username and password.  Visit the ‘My Profile’ page to update your contact information. Be sure to save your changes.

Log in to your ISTS account with your username and password. You can then update your final school choice on the ‘My Profile’ page. If you have not decided which school to attend, list your first choice on the application. If you are chosen to receive the award, it is your responsibility to update your final school choice at least 30 days prior to the check issue date.

• Log in to your ISTS account to view the status of your application.
• See helpful status terms:
  • Started: the form has not been submitted
  • Submitted: the form has been submitted
  • Not Received: one or more of your attachments have not been received
  • Processing: the attachment has been received and is being processed and verified
  • Accepted: the attachment has been verified and accepted by ISTS
  • Requested: the form request has been created, but the form has not been started
  • Complete: all required forms and attachments (if applicable) have been received and your application will be considered for the scholarship
• Allow 3 days after uploading documents for your application status to update. You may monitor the status of each required step on the ISTS Home page.
• It is the student’s responsibility to monitor the progress of all application requirements. Be sure each the status of each form is ‘Complete’ by the award deadline, December 15.

We ask students to provide:

• High school or college transcript
• ACT score documentation
• Federal Form 1040 (top two pages only)

All documents must be submitted online as part of the application process. We do not accept documents via any other method.

Due to the high volume of applications received, we do not read or accept recommendations of any kind.

Yes! If your uploaded document is no longer displayed, the document has been rejected.

• The most common reasons for a rejected document are:
  • The document uploaded is not an accepted file type. Accepted file types include .pdf, .tif, .png, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .bmp, and .xps.
  • The document uploaded was not the requested document.
  • We cannot open the file. The file may be corrupted or password protected.
  • If you are unable to upload, contact ISTS immediately at  ContactUs@applyists.com 
  • In the case of a transcript, your full name and the name of your high school or university must be visible.

All applications must be ‘Complete’ in ISTS by December 15 at 11:59pm.

• Please email the ISTS Program Support team at ScarlettScholars@appyists.com (subject: SFFS). ISTS office hours are Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Central and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 pm Central. Agents are available via live chat and email during these hours.