So, you’re trying to figure out how to pay for this next exciting part of your life, or maybe you’ve applied for college (awesome, congrats) and maybe you’ve already received some of those acceptance letters you’ve been waiting for (also awesome, more congrats).
If you live in California, we have good news for you—the California Scholarship Federation. This non-profit organization awards scholarships to eligible California high school students to help cover some of the costs of tuition. And who doesn’t want help paying for college?
What is the California Scholarship Federation?
The California Scholarship Federation (CSF) is an honor society that recognizes the academic achievement and dedication to service of California high school juniors and seniors. There are around 1500 chapters in California middle and high schools, and students who meet the eligibility requirements can apply to become members of their school’s chapter.
History and mission of the CSF
The idea for the California Scholarship Federation dates all the way back to 1916. Charles F. Seymour was the vice-principal of National City High School in San Diego, and after organizing a scholarship program at his school, he wanted to take it statewide.
It took five years for his efforts to take hold, and in 1921, principals at every high school in California were invited to participate. Thirty four schools submitted proposals, and the California Scholarship Federation was born!
CSF’s mission is to honor the hard work of high-achieving high school students and to encourage and recognize their dedication to community service.
In addition to financial scholarships (we’ll get into the details of those shortly), students can participate in an annual Student Leadership Conference and serve on the Student Advisory Council with CSF Board Members and other students from CSF chapters across the state.
California Scholarship Federation scholarships
The California Scholarship Federation offers eligible students several financial awards, which means you have some choice about which one to apply for!
The Michelson Memorial Award is an essay contest open to all high school juniors and seniors who are current members of good standing in a CSF chapter. The award was established in honor of Glenn Michelson, who was a longtime CSF advisor and who was passionate about community service.
Students write an 800–1000 word essay describing their volunteerism, its impact on their community, and its impact on themselves. So, this is your chance to pat yourself on the back for all the hours you’ve dedicated in service to others! Need some tips for writing scholarship essays? We got you covered—check out this guide to scholarship essays!
The Seymour Memorial Awards honor Charles Seymour (the same Charles Seymour who had the idea for the California Scholarship Federation in the first place) and his wife, Marian Seymour, both dedicated CSF leaders. This prestigious academic award requires the nomination of a student’s CSF advisor, a student’s personal statement, an activities list, a letter of recommendation from a community member, and your high school transcripts.
For students who achieve Lifetime CSF status (also called “Sealbearer Status”), there are fifty $2,000 scholarships available and an extra $3,000 for five of those fifty students.
How do you become a Lifetime CFS member? You must be a CSF member for four semesters, from the second semester of sophomore year through second semester of senior year.
Eligibility requirements for the California Scholarship Federation
So now that you know what you can apply for IF you’re a member of the California Scholarship Federation, you’re probably wondering HOW to become a CSF member. We got you!
First, you have to make sure your school has a CSF chapter. You can just check with your counselor or principal to double-check this.
Once you’ve confirmed your school’s participation in CSF, you apply to CSF based on your grades. Students can earn CSF membership by earning 10 CSF points:
A’s = 3 CSF points
B’s = 1 CSF points
C’s = 0 CSF points
D’s or F’s in any course make a student ineligible for CSF for that semester.
Students also get an extra CSF point for A’s and B’s in AP, IB, or Honors classes.
As you can see, you’ll have to earn A’s and B’s to be eligible for membership, which is why it’s considered such an honor!
There are some additional details about which courses qualify you for CSF membership, and this is where things get a little more complicated.
CSF designates courses as List I, List II, and List III classes. Here’s how they define the courses on each list, straight from their website:
List I—the core college-prep curriculum classes as defined in the state frameworks for graduation (Math, English, History, Science, Language)
List II—courses that are not core college-prep graduation requirements, but must integrate the following:
intellectually and academically challenging material
substantial amounts of reading and writing
critical thinking and problem-solving skills
include individual assessment
List III—courses awarded credit which are not on the above specified Lists I and II. The following courses may not be used for CSF eligibility:
P.E., courses taken in lieu of P.E.
Lab/Teacher Assistant
Library/Office Aide
Study Hall/Academic Lab
Courses taken on a pass/fail basis
CSF then breaks things down even further:
Four of your ten CSF points must come from List I courses
Seven of your ten CSF points must come from List I and II courses (but all seven points can come from List I)
The last three points can come from any list
You can only use five courses to earn the full ten CSF points
How is CSF membership viewed by colleges?
In two words, very favorably! Being a member of the California Scholarship Federation demonstrates to colleges you’ve committed to working hard in school and to serving your community. CSF membership is considered one of the highest academic honors for California students since the eligibility requirements are so rigorous. And if you can reach Lifetime Membership? Even better!
Membership in the California Scholarship Federation is an honor on its own, AND it can help you stand out when applying to college. Not everyone gets to be in CSF, so if you do earn membership, know that colleges and universities understand the work it took for you to get there.
Jessica has a Ph.D in English from the University of Southern California and teaches English at a Los Angeles-area independent school, where she has also been English department chair and a class dean. Sandra Cisneros is her hero, and she loves books, her awesomely-sarcastic family, the beach, cozy sweaters, and more books. Oh, and her sweet pitbull/lab mix named Ruby.
Top values: Curiosity, equity, wonder
