The Foundation requires that an applicant be a permanent resident of the northernmost 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle and be a citizen of the United States of America. A permanent resident of the Texas Panhandle is defined as an individual who has resided in or been gainfully employed in the northernmost 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle for the 12 months preceding the date of application or who graduated from a high school in the Panhandle and has been continuously enrolled in a postsecondary education program since leaving the Panhandle. Exceptions to residency criteria will be considered on an individual basis for applicants who have served in the military or Peace Corps for the 12-month period immediately preceding the date of application; however, they must have been a resident of the Texas Panhandle immediately preceding service. The counties of the Texas Panhandle are: Armstrong, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress, Collingsworth, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Donley, Gray, Hall, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Roberts, Sherman, Swisher, and Wheeler.
The Foundation accepts and reviews scholarship applications once a year. The application will open in early January and is typically due the last Friday in February. This will allow students approximately six weeks to complete the application and submit all necessary materials.
No. All applications must be submitted online. You can access the application on our website starting in early January.
An example application is available here so that you can start preparing and planning for the online application.
A downloadable copy of scholarship purpose and criteria is available on the website here.
The system will acknowledge the application submission. You can check the application portal to ensure the status of the application is “Submitted.”
Scholarship awards may only be used for tuition, fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for college/university attendance. (The scholarship cannot cover non-required items.)
Scholarship applicants are generally notified around the middle of May as to the outcome of their application. Applicants receive communication regarding the disposition of their application by email, following a decision of the Board of Directors.
Yes. Students who have been denied in the past may reapply for funding for a future academic year.
While the Foundation does not provide assistance in the actual crafting of content, we encourage applicants to follow our guidelines in preparing their materials and to call if they have questions.
We recommend that you contact the Foundation staff to determine if a submission at the current time is appropriate.
All new applicants are required to interview with the Foundation’s Scholarship Advisory Committee. Applicants are generally contacted during the month of March to schedule the interview. Interviews are usually held in early April and recommendations from the Committee will then by provided to the Foundation’s Grants and Scholarship Committee. The Grants and Scholarship Committee will formulate a recommendation to the Board of Directors.
The Grants and Scholarship Program Officer: Tracy Selle | tracy@bivinsfoundation.org | 806.379.9400