College Aid

Through generous grants and no-interest loans, JCRS College Aid helps financially challenged students get one step closer to a cap and gown – and therefore one step closer to financial stability and self-sufficiency.

The Program

JCRS provides scholarships for college or vocational training in the form of grants and/or no-interest loans based on financial need. Many of the college students who receive aid from JCRS are from very low income families. On average, each academic year the program funds approximately 140 students with an average award of about $2,000. Typically, freshman and sophomores are eligible for grants for the academic year. Juniors and seniors generally are eligible for a combination of grants and no-interest loans. Unless other arrangements are made, repayments of these no-interest loans are expected to begin within three months after completion of undergraduate education or after discontinuing schooling. JCRS does not fund students studying abroad; this includes Israel, even for college credit.

Selection

Student applicants are selected by a Committee of the JCRS and decisions are based on financial need. The Committee will review each applicant’s career plan, financial resources, and anticipated expenses in reaching its decisions. Students who work and have income which can be applied toward their college expenses are viewed more favorably than those who are not involved in helping to meet their expenses.

The committee expects or views more favorably those students who make cost effective decisions and have a sustainable financial plan when choosing schools for their career path.

The JCRS College Aid Program is directed primarily to undergraduate college students who are under the age of 25 when they begin the term for which assistance is being sought. Because of limited funds, graduate students can be considered for assistance only after all undergraduate applications have been reviewed.

Program Requirements

In order to be considered, each applicant must meet and agree with the following criteria:

  • Be a Jewish student residing in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee or Texas
  • Be a permanent resident of the United States
  • Be a United States citizen – refugees, who are not naturalized citizens may be considered on a case by case basis
  • The completed application must be received no later than May 31 for the upcoming school year

 

How to complete the application:

  1. Applications should be submitted electronically.
  1. Download the application below and save it to your computer.  Save it as “First Name, Last Name, College Aid Application”.  Make sure to save it each time you work on it.  Print the completed College Aid Application for your records.  Note: Applications are saved in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.  You must use only Acrobat Reader.  If you need to download the latest version, click here. 
  1. You will also need to upload the following documents:
  • 2012 Federal Tax Return for Parents, complete with all forms and schedules
  • 2012 Federal Tax Return for Applicant, if applicable
  • All W2 and/or 1099 forms for both parents and applicant
  • 2013-14 Financial Aid Letter from college

 

    • If these documents are not already computer files, you must scan them.  Make sure to review the scanning instructions for your particular scanner.  All pages of your tax return must be a single PDF document.  Both sides of your W2(s) must be a single PDF document.

 

Download College Aid Application Here

Please be patient.  It might take a few minutes to download.

Once you have completed and saved the application and scanned all of your documents, return to this page. Then follow the prompts below.

Submit your application and documents here

 You will be directed to our secure site.

Once you have successfully uploaded the application and documents, you will receive a confirmation email from an  Education Coordinator within two weeks.  If you do not receive an email, please contact Lisa Tabb at (504) 828-6334.

 

 

Should you require any additional information, you can reach us by e-mail at CollegeAid@jcrs.org

or by phone using the following numbers:

US/Canada: 1-800-SAY-JCRS – Toll-free

(504) 828-6334 ext. 204 – New Orleans, LA

(832) 767-9097 – Houston, TX