How To Apply

Applicants must:

• • Be graduating in 2026 from a public or public charter high school located in Washington D.C.
  • Be a D.C. resident 
  • Plan to attend an accredited four-year college in the United States
  • Demonstrate commitment to their community
  • Demonstrate economic need for financial assistance (Most successful applicants have a family income that qualifies them for the Pell Grant, though the application provides space to outline extenuating circumstances.)
  • Have a strong academic record demonstrated by a minimum GPA of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale (Applicants whose GPAs fall below 3.25 can share extenuating circumstances that impacted their academic performance.)

In order to maintain eligibility, a Scholar must provide proof of continued enrollment and active participation in ASF programming and mentorship.

$14,000 total over four years of college

• Freshman year: $2,000
• Sophomore year: $3,000
• Junior year: $4,000
• Senior year: $5,000

Scholarship renewal depends on maintaining good standing with ASF.

• Application opens February 24, 2026.
• Application is due by April 1, 2026.
• ASF reviews applications and invites finalists to interview in May. Finalists will also be asked to provide updated information about college plans.
• Scholars will be notified by June 1, 2026.

The online application form does not autosave your responses. So, we recommend that you draft your responses and gather all materials before you begin.

• To complete the online application, you will need to know:
  • Basic demographic information about yourself and your family
  • Information about your parent/guardian's employment, including their annual income and the number of household members supported by their income
  • Your college counselor's name and email address
  • Your weighted and unweighted GPA and the courses you have taken in high school
  • Descriptions of community and leadership activities in which you have participated, including the number of community service hours earned
  • Colleges to which you have applied and been accepted
  • Your academic interest(s) and possible career choice(s)
• You will be asked to complete four short response questions and one essay question. The prompts are available here. We strongly encourage you to draft your responses in a Google or Word document and copy them into the application form when you are ready to submit.
• You will need two letters of recommendation
  • You can either enter your recommenders' email addresses for us to send them a request or upload the letters directly.
• You will need to upload the following documents in PDF form:
  • Proof of income - the first page of your parent(s) or guardian(s) most recent federal tax return or other income documentation (please note, you do not need to disclose any information about your family tax filing status if you choose to submit an alternative)
  • FAFSA submission summary (if you have completed the FAFSA; this is not required if you are unable to complete the FAFSA)
  • Official high school transcript including first semester senior year grades
  • If available, a letter of acceptance from the college of your choice.

NOTE: Contact ASF Program Associate Daniela Reyes with any questions at programs@abramsonfoundation.org.