The College Board, an organization that administers the Scholastic Aptitude Test and Advanced Placement tests, has announced their Opportunity Scholarship program. The $25 million campaign is focused on encouraging high school students to take part in the college application process. 

This scholarship is extremely important right now, as economist Nathan Grave explained in his book, Demographics and the Demand for Higher Education, that the amount college-age students is likely to decrease nearly 15 percent over the next five years.

The scholarship program revolves around providing a possible incentive to completing many of the requirements for attending college. College counselor Mr. Terry Knaus explained the significance of the new program.

“It’s a scholarship, an opportunity for students to help motivate them to complete their college search process. Whether that is taking the SAT, applying for the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) program, it’s a motivator to help them get all of that done,” Knaus said.

However, completing these college requirements does not ensure that a student will receive a scholarship from the Opportunity Scholarship fund. Knaus explained how the recipients are decided.

Knaus said, “It’s not an automatic scholarship. As students progress and do these things, the more that they do, there is an opportunity for a monthly drawing to see who earns this scholarship money. So by doing these things, students have a chance to get money rather than being guaranteed the scholarship.”

The College Board is trying to push students to their fullest potential by essentially giving an incentive for just applying for college. There is no minimum GPA requirement for the scholarship program, and the program is not based off of SAT scores, either. 

Regarding the goal of the program, College Board posted on it’s website, “It isn’t just for academic superstars or talented athletes. You don’t have to write an essay or fill out an application and there’s no GPA or SAT score requirement. Instead, the College Board Opportunity Scholarships reward you for doing what you already need to do when you’re applying to college.”

Knaus also commented on how the scholarship affects a wide range of high schoolers. “I think this scholarship affects all students. So it can be students who are very strong academically and other students who are not,” he said. 

Students are eligible for these scholarships as well. And with the school counseling center’s effective college preparation program, the Opportunity Scholarships provide an opportunity for students to alleviate those future student loans many college graduates are forced to deal with.