September 2018

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sep. 25. 2018—Santa Clara University announced that students attending any Cristo Rey Network school across the country are invited to apply for five Cristo Rey annual scholarships beginning with the 2019 freshman class. The scholarship will cover tuition, room and board, and course-related expenses such as books, supplies, and equipment.

“Given the growth of the Cristo Rey Network, the stellar quality of their students, and alignment with Santa Clara’s Jesuit, Catholic mission, we believe that this is a win-win situation,” said Mike Sexton, vice president for enrollment management.

Santa Clara University is part of a national network of Cristo Rey partners committed to recruiting, supporting, and graduating economically disadvantaged students, many of whom are first-generation college students and/or students of color. The Cristo Rey high schools provide a corporate work-study program with real world experience in addition to rigorous academic and spiritual preparation.

“The Cristo Rey Annual Scholarships are comprehensive in nature—tuition and fees; room and board; as well as books and other customary expenses. This scholarship is coordinated with federal, state, local, and other SCU institutional aid and will provide up to $276,000 per student over their four years. We look to grow the program with each incoming class starting in Fall 2019,” Sexton said. “The university has committed an estimated $1.4 million for the first five students and is committed to offering the same number of scholarships for the next 4 years.”

To be considered for this need-based scholarship, applicants must apply for admission by Jan 7, 2019, which is Santa Clara University’s regular decision deadline. Qualified applicants will begin attending SCU as first year, undergraduate students in Fall 2019.  

“Santa Clara offers great support for students who are the first in their family to pursue a college degree,” said Eva Blanco Masias, dean of admissions at Santa Clara and president of the National Catholic College Admission Association. “We believe that these scholarships will increase access to Santa Clara for talented students across the country. Students will graduate debt free, allowing them to fully participate in all curricular and co-curricular opportunities of a highly ranked institution without any financial burden to their families."

Areli Hernandez, a senior at Santa Clara University, has some words of wisdom for first-generation students contemplating Santa Clara as their first choice. “I grew up in Napa Valley and was the first in my family to attend college. I missed my family but it has been so worth it,” Hernandez said. “I had access to so many resources—from study abroad, to small class sizes, and professors who were vested in my success.”. Her advice to high school seniors on the cusp of submitting their college applications: Look for opportunities that challenge you and a place that nurtures and pushes you into doing more than you ever thought possible.”   

-----------------------------------------

Additional info

Interested students are required to file the CSS Profile and the Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) by Feb 1, 2019. If the student is a resident of California, he or she is required to submit their Cal Grant GPA Verification Form to the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) by March 2, 2019.

Eligible students must demonstrate leadership, integrity, and/or perseverance as well as involvement in co-curricular and community service activities.

The student should have a cumulative, unweighted high school grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or higher.

The scholarship automatically renews for the following year if the scholarship recipient meets the university’s satisfactory academic progress standards.  

Media Contact: Deepa Arora, SCU Media Communications, (408) 554-5125

About Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, offers its more than 9,000 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering; master’s degrees in business, education, counseling psychology, pastoral ministry, and theology; and law degrees and engineering doctoral degrees. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.