Scholarships
In 2025, Hamilton Southeastern Education Foundation was proud to present scholarship awards totaling over $110,000 to seniors of HSE High School and Fishers High School.
Every year, HSEF administers scholarships ranging from $200 – $20,000. These scholarships are made possible by ordinary individuals, families, and businesses exhibiting extraordinary generosity. In a climate of soaring higher education costs, every scholarship dollar counts for local families and serves as a message that the Fishers community stands behind our students!
Application
Hamilton Southeastern Education Foundation, along with both local high schools, are proud to offer an online Uniform Application for Community Scholarships (UACS). This means a single application will allow students to apply to any or all of the HSEF administered scholarships and most community based scholarships for which they qualify. Only students should set up an account and apply for scholarships.
Process
Seniors in the Hamilton Southeastern Schools district may apply to dozens of local scholarships. Scholarships available to current graduating seniors can be found on our scholarship listings page. Scholarship applications typically open in early November and have a deadline of mid-March. Recipients are awarded their scholarship at senior awards nights at their respective high school. For those who want to download the list it can be found in our scholarship packet.
Although this “smart” platform will remember contact information and details related to employment, extra-curricular activity, and volunteerism, students must remember to submit all required documents for each scholarship. For eligibility details associated with all scholarships, please visit your guidance office for hard copy descriptions of the Uniform Application for Community Scholarships. If you do not have internet access, please contact your high school’s guidance office.
Parents may utilize the preview button within SmarterSelect in order to support their student, but should not register an account. Doing so creates duplicated entries in the system that could result in errors in evaluating your student’s application. Students are encouraged to apply for all scholarships HSEF administers in which they are eligible. Additionally, students are encouraged to apply early.
To protect the integrity of the process, deadlines will not be extended due to uploading, website, or other issues. If you have questions, please direct them to Hamilton Southeastern Education Foundation, Kristen Wolf (HSEF Director of Programs), or to your high school guidance office.
Scholarship awards are issued to the educational institution and mailed directly to students. Students are responsible for meeting all requirements and deadlines. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the scholarship. Scholarships may fluctuate including, but not limited to, award amounts. HSEF and our donor partners may choose not to award a scholarship in any year. Additionally, scholarship offers may be rescinded if student eligibility changes or can not be confirmed.
Tips
Here are the top ten tips regarding our scholarships:
1. Never miss a deadline
No exceptions. Don’t call or write if you do. Scholarship applications are typically open for months. If your computer crashes in the 3 minutes before the deadline, the selection committee likely will not have any empathy. To protect the integrity of their process for all students they rarely, if ever, make exceptions. If you do miss it, chalk it up to a lesson learned and move on.
2. Research what is available
Download the scholarship packet on this page to view all scholarships involved with the Uniform Application for Community Scholarships. Visit your guidance office for more details. Make sure applicants and families follow HSE Foundation on Facebook and X for ongoing or last-minute scholarship opportunities!
3. Apply for several scholarships...
…but don’t just chase dollars. If you don’t fit the eligibility requirement, completing the application is not a good use of your time.
4. Stand out!
Spend time with your application. In many cases selection committees are reading hundreds of applications. What makes you different from the others? And sell yourself! If you have a resume, make sure all extra curriculars, work history, volunteer experience, awards listed are also included in your application. Don’t have a formal employment history, but have been babysitting since you were 12? Add it to the application.
5. Focus on the essay
The essay normally is the section that wins the award. This is your chance to show both your personality and your communication skills. If appropriate, show how you align with the group or scholarship goals. Look into the awarding organization to learn about their values. Essays need to be short and concise while still covering the prompt. Recycling past essays is okay and can be a time saver, but for best results try to customize each response.
6. Optional may mean extra credit
Many scholarships have a scoring matrix or rubric. While not answering an optional question won’t “hurt” your application, you may be able to pick up a couple “bonus” points by going the extra mile.
7. Choose references wisely
A lukewarm reference letter will do you more harm than good. Select someone that knows you well and can give specific examples of why you are the perfect fit for the scholarship. Make sure to notify the reference and follow up regarding the deadline. It is your responsibility to follow up on the status of your reference letters. Additionally, reference letters will likely not be ready if you make the request to your reference too close to the application deadline.
8. Competition pools are typically less...
…for scholarships under $2,000 and any that require an essay.
9. Check your spelling and grammar
First impressions count, and simple spelling or grammar errors on applications could be costly when being evaluated. Make sure to proofread!
