Frequently Asked Questions

No. As of September 2019, our application is solely available through our online application. If you absolutely cannot submit an online application, please reach out to info@rscholars.org ask about other options.

Please see The Renaissance Scholars Program page for application components.

In SmarterSelect, under the recommendation section, it lists the name of a chosen recommender. Below their name, it will say “Request sent: MM/DD/YY.” Below the date sent, it says “Request received: ___.” If the recommender has not submitted yet, it will say “pending.” If it has been received, it will list the date and time received. Students will also receive an email alert when the recommenders have submitted their letters. You should confirm that you have entered your recommenders’ email addresses correctly into the system, or they will not receive the email request to submit your letter. We recommend sending your requests as soon as possible. It is polite to give recommenders at least two weeks before the deadline. It is your responsibility to ensure your recommenders submit by the February 1st/May 1st deadline, or your application will be considered incomplete.

There are two letters of recommendation required for our application. We recommend sending your requests as soon as possible. It is polite to give recommenders at least two weeks. You can (and should!) request recommendations before you submit your application. The first letter should come from an educational source. This is someone who can speak to your academic abilities and readiness for college coursework. You can ask a teacher, professor, counselor, principal. The second letter can be from any source that is not a family member or friend. You want to ask someone who can write positive sentiments and can speak to your character and abilities to succeed. This letter can be from another teacher, counselor, coach, work supervisor, or mentor. If you are having trouble thinking of someone to ask, reach out to your guidance counselor and they can help you brainstorm potential recommenders.

Transcripts do not need to be official and should be free to acquire. You can request an electronic (PDF) copy if your school provides this option. Most colleges and high schools also allow you to access transcripts online and download PDFs from your student portal. If your school doesn’t provide an electronic copy, paper transcripts should be scanned and saved onto your computer, then uploaded to your online application. If you do not have access to a printer, you can take a clear photo of your transcript and upload that. If you have questions please reach out to info@rscholars.org.

Yes. We request all applicants submit their high school transcript, as it helps us to see a larger picture of your academic history. This is especially helpful for newer college students, who might only have one term of grades on their college transcript. We understand that many excellent college students may have had some academic challenges during high school. While it is nice to see a strong high school transcript, we are most interested in seeing that you have improved and challenged yourself in college. If you are unable to obtain your high school transcript, please contact info@rscholars.org for more information.

Students can find a copy of their FAFSA Submission Summary (previously called Student Aid Report or SAR) by logging in to FAFSA.gov.

After submitting the FAFSA, students should be able to access a confirmation email or submission summary screen. Students may not be able to view the submission screen until all contributors (usually the student's parents) have completed their portion of the FAFSA. For the purposes of our application, students should submit a screenshot of a confirmation screen or email which includes their name, submission date, Pell eligibility, and SAI number.

See an example of what we accept here. See FAFSA.gov for the most up-to-date information.

If you are not filing a FAFSA (or other financial aid application) this year due to concern about revealing personal citizenship information for yourself or a parent, please reach out to RSP at info@rscholars.org to learn about how to fill out the application correctly.

If you are not eligible to file the FAFSA (due to citizenship status or another reason), we will use the federal reduced price lunch criteria (185% the federal poverty guideline) to determine your financial need eligibility. You can view those numbers by family size here.

• If you filed an ORSAA or Alternative Application, upload a copy which lists your SAI. See an example here.

• If you are not eligible to file an ORSAA or Alternative Application, upload a copy of your family’s most recent tax paperwork (tax form 1040 or similar).

• If you are not eligible to file an ORSAA or Alternative Application and your family did not file taxes, please upload a Word document estimating your household income and explaining your financial circumstances.

• International students: Please submit your I-20 form or other financial documentation that was submitted to your U.S. college.

All writing submitted in this application must be your own work. Contributions from any outside sources are considered plagiarism unless properly cited. This includes AI sources (such as ChatGPT) or using content that was written by someone else. Any applicant who is found to be using AI or other outside sources will be disqualified and unable to reapply.

On the application, look below the “select” button. Look for text that says, “Uploaded file: name_of_your_file.pdf (1 MB)” If you see this, then the document is attached. If you do not see your document name, it did not upload. The file might be too large or an invalid file type.

After you have input all required information and uploaded all the required documents, you will submit your application. However, your application is not considered complete until both of your recommenders have submitted their letters. When one of your recommenders has submitted their letter, you will receive an email. When both recommenders have submitted, you will receive a confirmation email, letting you know that your application is officially complete and being considered for review. Our scholarship selection committee members read and score the applications to determine which students will become finalists. Depending on total application scores, some finalists will be interviewed by the committee, while some may be selected as Renaissance Scholars without an interview. All applicants are informed of the final decision via email.