What is the relationship between the College Prep Scholarship for High School Juniors and the QuestBridge College Match?

The College Prep Scholarship for High School Juniors (CPS) and the College Match (CM) are both programs offered by QuestBridge. The CPS is open to high school juniors and grants awards designed to prepare students for the college admissions process. The CM is open to high school seniors and serves as a joint application for admission and full four-year scholarships to QuestBridge partner colleges. The information that applicants submit for the CPS application as juniors is automatically transferred into the CM application if a student chooses to apply to the College Match program once they become a senior. Applicants will still be able to edit their information before they submit their application for the CM.

Is the College Prep Scholarship application required in order to apply for the College Match?

No. Students may apply to either or both.

Will winning a College Prep Scholarship award make me more likely to win a College Match award?

No. Each College Match application will be evaluated separately and without regard to whether the applicant received a College Prep Scholarship award.

What qualifies a student as “low-income”?

QuestBridge has no absolute limits on household income. In addition to household finances, we take many other factors into consideration, including the size of a family, parents' level of education, and any extenuating circumstances or hardships that affect a family's financial situation. In past years, the majority of successful applicants have come from homes with an annual income of less than $60,000. Some applicants have had incomes as high as $85,000. Applicants must be prepared to verify their income status with appropriate tax forms (such as their parents’/guardians’ W-2’s and 1040/1040EZ).

What qualifies a student as "high-achieving" or academically "outstanding"?

Competitive applicants will typically have taken and excelled in their high school's most challenging courses. We consider a range of factors when assessing a student's academic strength, including grades, high school courses taken, class rank, and standardized test scores. There are no minimum cutoffs for GPA or standardized test scores. However, most award winners have earned unweighted grade point averages of 3.5 or above. Applicants should expect to submit official transcripts to confirm their academic record if they are selected to receive an award.

How are QuestBridge College Prep Scholarship winners selected?

Students are evaluated based on every section of the application. No single factor is decisive. Grades, socioeconomic factors, standardized test scores, and essay responses are the most heavily weighted factors. Each application is read at least twice. Due to the volume of applications that we receive, QuestBridge cannot comment on individual application decisions.

Is the College Prep Scholarship only for minorities?

No. QuestBridge programs are open to students of every race, ethnicity, and cultural background.

Does QuestBridge accept paper applications?

No. College Prep Scholarship applications must be completed and submitted online. Teacher recommendations may be submitted by fax, but must be sent using the appropriate cover sheet provided in the student’s application.

Do I need to have taken the PSAT, SAT, SAT Subject Tests, ACT or PLAN to apply?

QuestBridge recommends, but does not require, that students take at least one standardized test before applying for the College Prep Scholarship.

How do I calculate my unweighted Grade Point Average (GPA)?

If your school does not calculate GPA for you, you will need to do it using the following table:

1. Find the GPA value of your final grade in a class (for example, a B+ is a 3.3)
2. Multiply it by the total number of units the class is worth (for a five unit class, multiply 5 x 3.3 = 16.5 grade points).
3. Repeat this process for each of your courses in grades 9-11, adding the grade point and class unit totals as you go.
4. Divide your total number of grade points by the total number of units you have taken. The resulting figure is your GPA.

How does weighted GPA differ from unweighted GPA?

Some secondary schools choose to grade students on a 5.0 scale rather than the typical 4.0 scale. A student typically receives 5.0 grade points for a class if he or she earns an “A” grade in an Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) class, while each subsequent grade is worth an additional point over its worth in a non-weighted system. An “A” grade in a non-AP/IB class still earns 4.0 grade points. While the system described above is the most common weighting system for GPA, there is no single standard for weighting secondary school grades. Different schools have different weighting practices, while others refuse to weight grades at all. We ask that you use the system above if your school does not weight grades for you or provide any instructions on how to calculate a weighted GPA.

Who should I contact regarding technical difficulties?

You should send a message to techsupport@questbridge.org that describes the nature of your problem in detail. Please do not send multiple messages regarding the same issue, since this only increases the amount of time it will take for QuestBridge to respond to help inquiries.

Will the QuestBridge College Prep Scholarship pay for any of the costs associated with attending college?

No. The College Prep Scholarship is designed to provide high school juniors with resources and information that will prepare them for the college application process. When students who are currently juniors become seniors, they will then be eligible for the College Match Program, which does provide full four-year scholarships to QuestBridge partner colleges.

How will I be notified about decisions regarding my application ?

Applicants will be notified via e-mail. Since e-mail will be the primary method of communication between QuestBridge and scholarship applicants, you should ensure that you have consistent access to a reliable e-mail account. In addition, you should regularly check any spam or bulk e-mail folders for your e-mail account in case QuestBridge correspondence has been inadvertently routed there.

Will my essays be transferred from the College Prep Scholarship application to the College Match application automatically?

No. Since the essay component of the College Match application will be different and much more extensive than the College Prep Scholarship application, you will need to write several new essays for the College Match.

Who should I ask to write my recommendation letter?

You should request a recommendation from a teacher who knows you well and taught you in a core academic class (math, English, science, history/social science, foreign language).

Can I submit more than one recommendation?

Yes, but we suggest that you submit no more than two letters of recommendation.

Can I apply only for one or two specific awards?

You can apply for as many of the College Prep Scholarship awards as you would like. The application includes a section that allows you to select which awards you are interested in receiving. In some cases, students may be given the option of receiving awards that they did not originally select, but only after they have been considered for the awards that they originally selected.

Will transportation costs for attending the QuestBridge College Preparatory Conferences be covered?

Unfortunately, QuestBridge does not have the resources to sponsor travel for students who receive invitations to the QuestBridge College Preparatory Conferences.

Will the College Prep Scholarship pay for me to attend any other summer programs?

No. The College Prep Scholarship is limited to specific summer programs at Harvard, Stanford, the University of Notre Dame, and Yale.

What are the details for the application process to the college summer programs?

The application criteria and instructions are different for each summer program covered under the College Prep Scholarship. Relevant details are available on the College Prep Scholarship Summer Program page (http://www.questbridge.org/cps/summer_school.html).