Valdosta State University is waiving their application fee from January 30, through February 6 for all freshman applicants

The National College Fair will be coming to Atlanta on Sunday, March 13 from 12:30-4:00.  It will be held at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park. The event is free to students and parents. You may visithttp://bit.ly/NCFExhibitorSearch for a list of schools attending the fair. To register, visit www.nacacnet.org/ncfstudent 

The Furman Scholars Program seeks to recognize outstanding junior students who have a genuine interest in an education in the liberal arts and sciences. A student must have a weighted GPA of 3.5 or higher, at least a 1250 on the PSAT or SAT (CR and Math only), or a 28 on the ACT. Students must have significant involvement in  extracurricular activities and community service as well.  Students selected as Furman Scholars are eligible for at least $7,500 per year upon acceptance to Furman University. Please see Mr. Guthas in the Counseling Office if you meet the criteria and are interested in being nominated. Students must be nominated by April 1, 2016.

The Peach State Legacy Scholarship is to honor the legacy of past and present board members and employees who have served Peach State Credit Union for 20 years or more. It is awarded to a graduating senior who plans on pursuing a degree in Education. Applications can be picked up in the Counseling Office and must be returned to Peach State Credit Union by March 18, 2016

Outstanding students who are interested in attending the Savannah College of Art and Design may be eligible for the SCAD Distinguished Scholars Award. This award is $20,000 per year.
A nominated student must have the following:
- Minimum 1350 SAT combined Math and CR score or ACT composite score of 30
-GPA of 3.75
-Outstanding visual arts, performing arts, writing or riding capabilities
-Honors and awards from competitions
-Leadership demonstrated through co-curricular or extracurricular involvement
To be considered, a senior must complete all SCAD admission requirements prior to March 1. The student must be nominated by a teacher or school counselor. Please see Mr. Guthas in the Counseling Office for a nomination form if you meet the criteria.

Varsity Tutors runs a monthly $1,000 scholarship contest where students must write an essay in response to a monthly prompt. Visitors to the Varsity Tutors scholarship webpage are able to vote via social media for submitted entries. The top five entries with the most votes are reviewed by Varsity Tutors at the end of the month and one winner is subsequently chosen to receive the $1,000 college scholarship. Interested students can enter the contest here: http://www.varsitytutors.com/college-scholarship  Students must be 16 years of age.

The Oconee County Little League will recognize and award outstanding seniors who have the love of the game of baseball/softball. There will be five scholarships in the county awarded to seniors. The top award will be worth $1,000 and the other four worth $500 and will be paid to the college or university.  All high school seniors that have played baseball/softball at least two years of their high school career and reside in Oconee County will be eligible to submit an application. The only exception is any student having received a full four year scholarship is not eligible.  Applications can be picked up in the Counseling Office and must returned to the Little League by February 29th by 7:00 PM

The Hill Chapel Baptist Church is seeking 2016 graduating seniors for scholarships. They will be offering five, $500 scholarships to qualified seniors based on their academic achievement, civic and religious involvement. Applications may be picked up in the Counseling Office and are due to the church office by February 12, 2016. 

College Goal Sunday

The Office of Student Financial Aid at The University of Georgia will host a College Goal Georgia event on Sunday, February 28, 2016 from 12:00 - 2:00 PM. The goal of this event is to assist high school seniors in filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You must bring your Social Security Number, Driver's License Number, 2015 Federal tax information (including W-2 forms) and all bank account information with you. The event will take place at the Miller Learning Center at 48 Baxter Street in Athens, GA. The room # for the event is 171.

Financial Aid Night - 1/21/16

This is a reminder about Financial Aid Night at 6:00 at the North Oconee High School Auditorium this evening (1/21) .  Junior and Senior parents especially may be interested in attending this. A presenter will discuss applying for the HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships. Also, the topics of grants and student loans will be discussed as well.

UGA to host ‘Colleges in Your Backyard’ on Jan. 17

Athens, Ga. – High school representatives, students and their parents can learn about the college admissions process and how to apply for scholarships and financial aid at the sixth annual “Colleges in Your Backyard” event hosted by the University of Georgia Office of Undergraduate Admissions Jan. 17from 12 – 2 pm on the fifth floor Grand Hall of the Tate Student Center at UGA.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature a panel discussion with representatives from the UGA Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Office of Student Financial Aid as well as representatives from Athens Technical College, Piedmont College and the University of North Georgia.

A mini college fair will immediately follow the panel discussion and will include an opportunity for students and parents to receive additional information on each of the represented colleges and ask questions.

Free parking will be available in the Tate Student Center Parking Deck, located at 705 South Lumpkin St.

http://www.uga.edu/a-z/location/tate-center-parking-deck/

For more information about the program, contact Rosa Arroyo Driggers at rarroyo@uga.edu

The Community Bankers Association of Georgia (CBA) is sponsoring at least four (4) one thousand dollar scholarships ($1,000) to deserving high school seniors seeking to enter a Georgia university, college or technical institute (if program is two or more years) in the fall quarter of 2016.  The scholarship is a commemorative to Mr. Julian Hester and Ms. Jan Hester.  In addition, Oconee State Bank will award a separate $500.00 (an increase from years past) scholarship to the individual applicant selected to represent Oconee State Bank in the state CBA competition.  Applications can be picked up in the Counseling Office. In order to be a part of the selection process, applications must be returned by Friday, April 8 to Kristi Greer at Oconee State Bank. 

The primary purpose of the Oconee Lions Club Youth Citizenship Award is to recognize the achievements of two OCHS seniors who provide evidence of the following criteria:

1. Good citizenship

2. An active interest in the civil, cultural, social and moral welfare of the community

3. A record of service to the community without personal financial reward.

The amount of the award is $1,000.  Applications can be picked up in the Counseling Office and must be turned in by 3:00 PM on April 22.

The Hill Chapel Baptist Church is seeking 2016 graduating seniors for scholarships. They will be offering five, $500 scholarships to qualified seniors based on their academic achievement, civic and religious involvement. Applications may be picked up in the Counseling Office and are due to the church office by February 12, 2016. 

The Buick Achievers Scholarship Program recognizes and supports the journey of extraordinary people. The company wants to help those who put forth the effort in the classroom, yet are unable to attend college without financial assistance. 

Senior applicants who have an interest in the automobile industry are encouraged to apply. Please visitwww.buickachievers.com . The application deadline is February 29 at 5:00 PM. Students must plan on enrolling full time at a four year college or university in 2016. 

The Clemson University Summer Scholars Program offers exciting experiences for academically talented high school students. Scholars will join other academically minded learners for an intense, week long program in which they will do the following:

- Participate in challenging academic courses on a specific topic or area of interest

- Learn alongside University faculty and professional experts in laboratories 

- Receive a realistic preview of college life

-Attend special workshops on topics such as the college admission process, career guidance and financial assistance.

Please visit www.clemson.edu/summer/summer-science/ for complete details. Students who sign up before April 1 will receive a $100 discount. 

CollegeWeekLive’s annual Paying for College Virtual Fair is this Thursday, January 14^th, 2016 from 2:00 to 10:00 PM EST! at www.collegeweeklive.com

Help your students eliminate stress from worrying about how they will pay for their college education and invite them to attend this special online event! During the Paying for College Virtual College Fair, they can:

• Chat live with admissions counselors from 100+ colleges and universities
• Learn from financial aid experts on how your students can fund their education including a presentation by the US Department of Education
• Be entered to win a $5,000 scholarship, just for researching colleges during the event

OCHS and NOHS are co-hosting an Financial Aid night on Thursday, 1/21/at 6:00pm North Oconee Auditorium.  Come learn about the significant changes to FAFSAs (Federal Financial Aid form) as well as HOPE/ZELL

If you're a high school sophomore or junior living or attending school in Walton EMC's service area, you could be one of four students who win an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., as a participant in the Washington Youth Tour.  This leadership development opportunity provides a peek at how our state and national governments work and what it takes to be a better leader. The trip includes one-on-one meetings with congressional delegates, visits to the White House and national monuments.  Entry forms can be picked up in the Counseling Office and must be submitted to Walton EMC by February 12 at 5:00 PM. Applicants will take a written test and then the top scorers will be selected for an interview.

Each year, Andrew College awards two, full academic scholarships (tuition, room and board) to incoming freshmen. The student must have a 3.0 GPA and a minimum SAT section scores of 460 CR and 460 Math. The student may also have a minimum 19 Composite ACT. A record of leadership and/or service to school/community is required as well.  The competition will be held on the Andrew College campus on March 14-15 in Cuthbert, GA. Interested students may complete the application for admission and the Pitts Academic Scholarship Registration Form found atwww.andrewcollege.edu. Students invited to compete will be notified in mid February.