Best Buy Children’s Foundation is providing over $2.7 million to be given as scholarships to recognize and reward students who have made extraordinary volunteer contributions to their communities.
Best Buy is dedicated to encouraging, expanding and rewarding community volunteer service while also applauding and supporting academic excellence.
Best Buy Scholarships are administered by Scholarship America, a national nonprofit educational support and student aid service organization that seeks to involve and assist the private sector in expanding educational opportunities and encouraging educational achievement.
Guidelines and Application
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Demonstrate commitment to and involvement in volunteer community service.
- Be a graduating high school senior.
- Plan to enroll in a full-time* undergraduate course of study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school in the United States no later than fall 2007.
*Full-time study is defined as full-time enrollment for the entire 2007-2008 academic year.
Award Criteria
Selection of recipients will be based on solid academic performance and exemplary community service. Consideration may also be given to participation and leadership in school activities and work experience. Financial need is not considered.
Awards are for undergraduate study only and are awarded without regard to race, color, creed, religion, gender, disability or national origin.
Application Procedure
Registration is a two step process.
- Students must supply a valid email address and create a password. Correspondence throughout the electronic application process will be by email. Students failing to use a valid email address that will accept bulk email and students who do not regularly check email will not receive consideration. Be sure to add bestbuy@scholarshipamerica.org to your Contacts, Address Book, or ‘safe senders’ list.
- Students must identify the two Best Buy stores nearest to their home address and indicate if the stores are within or outside of a 50-mile radius. When in the application process, students may leave the site prior to submission by clicking on the Save button located at the bottom of each page. In order to return, students must enter their username and password as provided when first starting the application process.
Applicants may wish to gather the following information that is necessary for the application process:
- List of student’s volunteer community service, work experience and participation in school activities
- Student’s high school transcript of grades
- High school address and phone number
Begin the electronic application process by clicking on the Register as an Applicant link in the Scholarship Links menu in the left margin. To register, you must supply a valid email address and create a password.
After registering, you can leave and re-enter the application site prior to submitting the application. To leave the site, click on the Logout link, which you’ll find located at the top of the left margin of your application. To return, you must enter your email and password as provided when you registered.
Carefully review your application before submission. All pages must be completed and entered in the format described in order to submit the application. Standard capitalization must be used when entering data. Once the application is submitted, no further additions or changes may be made. The application must be submitted electronically by February 15, 2007.
Applicants are solely responsible for submitting all information necessary to the application process. Scholarship America will email acknowledgment of receipt of all submitted applications and reserves the right not to process applications found to be incomplete as of the application deadline. All information submitted is considered confidential and is reviewed only by Scholarship America.
Award Amounts
Scholarships will be awarded as follows:
- Over 1,600 scholarships of $1,500 each will be awarded – two to each Best Buy store. These awards will be given to students living within 50 miles of the respective Best Buy store.
- 100 at-large scholarships of $1,500 will be awarded to students who may be online shoppers or living outside of a 50-mile radius to a Best Buy store.
- 16 scholarships of $10,000 will be awarded to exceptional students from the diverse population of Best Buy communities.
Awards are one-time only and are not renewable.
Only scholarship finalists will be notified by email in mid March. Finalists will be required to supply additional information about their volunteer community service, a high school transcript of grades, and a publicity release form. Students failing to mail the required documents to Scholarship America and students whose application information is not substantiated will receive no further consideration. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as finalists. ONLY FINALISTS WILL BE NOTIFIED. Not all finalists will be selected as recipients.
Payment of Scholarships
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of Best Buy Children’s Foundation. Payments are made in one installment on August 15. The check will be mailed to each recipient’s home address and is made payable to the school for the student.
Finalist/Recipient Obligations
Finalists are required to mail a high school transcript of grades, validation of information about their volunteer community service and a publicity release form to Scholarship America. Signing the application and release form constitutes permission to use the student’s name for purposes of advertising, public relations, or other publicity Scholarship America and/or Best Buy may participate in. No other obligations are imposed upon scholarship recipients.
Additional Information
Click on the Frequently Asked Questions link in the left margin for additional information. Best Buy store personnel cannot answer questions about this scholarship program. Questions should be addressed to:
Best Buy Scholarships
Scholarship Management Services, Scholarship America
Email: bestbuy@scholarshipamerica.org
To submit a question or report a problem, please use the Help link in the left margin of this page.
To the Applicant
By completing the information required in this application, you will demonstrate your eligibility to receive funds contributed by Best Buy to provide students with financial support for post-secondary education. Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. Best Buy participates in recipient selection for national awards only.
Applicants are responsible for gathering and submitting all necessary information. Applications are evaluated on the information supplied; therefore, answer all questions as completely as possible. All information received is considered confidential and is reviewed only by Scholarship America.
About the Best Buy Children’s Foundation
We’re helping students succeed! The Best Buy Children’s Foundation grants scholarships to students who have good grades and outstanding community service. The program will provide more than 1,700 scholarships to graduating high school seniors who will be entering an accredited U.S. university, college, or vocational-technical school in the fall. The application period will run from January 1, 2007, to February 15, 2007.
Best Buy Children’s Foundation also supports programs that making learning fun by integrating innovative, interactive technology into the curriculum. We know the importance of technology in the lives of students, and by supporting programs that bring innovative, interactive technology to the curriculum, we believe more students will become engaged participants in their education. The Foundation supports programs that meet – and frequently exceed – national standards that integrate and leverage today’s technology. All Foundation sponsored programs are available free to students and educators around the country.
To find out more about the Best Buy Children’s Foundation, visit www.bestbuy.com and click on “Community Relations.”
Register and apply now!
To apply to the Best Buy Scholarship program, you must first Register as an Applicant. You will then be asked to complete an application by providing information about yourself, your academic achievements, and your community service. Remember to add bestbuy@scholarshipamerica.org to your email Contacts or Address Book – activating your account will require your response to an email confirmation message.
