American Savings Foundation offers a number of Frequently Asked Questions to aid you in your research regarding available college scholarships for Connecticut students. Please review this information before contacting the Foundation.
Most years, the foundation expects to award over 100 new scholarships to first-time applicants. Nearly 300 scholars will receive a renewal of their awards.
Most scholarship awards range from $1,000 - $4,000 for the academic year. New awards are typically $1,000 - $1,500 and has the potential to increase as student's progress through their program.
Applications are reviewed by a volunteer scholarship selection committee, using a “blind review” process. This means the committee will not see the names of applicants. Scholarships are awarded primarily based on financial need, with consideration given to academic performance, community involvement, and other indications of a strong desire to achieve goals through education.
This award is a grant, not a loan. Recipients do not need to repay grant awards.
Yes. Our goal is to help American Savings Foundation Scholars earn their degrees. Current scholars may reapply each year while they are in college, and most of our scholars receive support for all four years.
You can apply to the American Savings Foundation Scholarship Program at the American Savings Foundation if:
We only accept applications from students residing in our service area and cannot make exceptions. Our 64 Connecticut town service area represents the towns served by the original American Savings Bank.
The Foundation will use your home address as it appears on your FAFSA in determining eligibility to apply.
Several factors are considered, including the Student Aid Index (SAI) from FAFSA, the income and assets of the applicant and their parent(s) or legal guardian(s), and any changes that have occurred since the tax year used to complete the FAFSA. Students do not need to be PELL eligible to have financial need, but they must demonstrate the need for financial assistance.
In 2023, 94% of our recipients had an EFC under $10,000. The average EFC was $2,583. Note: The EFC is comparable to the SAI on the 2024-2025 FAFSA.
All students are welcome to apply. Within the application there is a section to explain any unusual family or financial situation such as significant changes since you completed your 2022 taxes, or information that is not reflected on the FAFSA.
All first-time applicants should use the New Scholarship Application. Only students who have previously received a scholarship from the American Savings Foundation are eligible to use the Renewal Application.
Yes, as long as you continue to meet our eligibility requirements, you are welcome to apply again during our next new application period.
The deadline for New Applications has been extended to April 10 because of the difficulties students have faced completing the FAFSA.
You should attach the documents in your online application.
Required Attachments for a New Application:
Your Student Aid Index (SAI) will be calculated after filing your FAFSA. Upon completing your FAFSA, you will receive an email once your FAFSA has been processed detailing your Student Aid Index (SAI). It will include information about if you are Pell Grant eligible.
We will require a copy of your FAFSA Confirmation confirming your application has been processed and which shows your Student Aid Index (SAI) with your application.
Students who applied for a new sholarship application will be notified at the end of May if they have been selected as a finalist. All students who submit a completed application will be notified within our Scholarship Portal where you applied.
Students who are selected as finalists for this scholarship will be required to provide a copy of their FAFSA Submission Summary and their Financial Aid Award letter from their college / program of choice. Your FAFSA Submission Summary will be available once your FAFSA has been processed and forwarded to your schools.
Students who are selected as finalists will be required to provide a copy of your FAFSA Submission Summary and your Financial Aid Award letter from the college / program you plan to attend. Your FAFSA Submission Summary will be available once your FAFSA has been processed and forwarded to your schools.
Finalists will be announced at the end of May through our Scholarship Portal. If you are selected as a finalist, you will receive detailed instructions on how to access and submit the required information.
This section is only for students who have received a previous ASF Scholarship. If you previously applied, but were denied, you must reapply through the new application.
Application Opens: April 1
The Priority Processing deadline is June 30 to receive notification by July 15. If you miss the priority processing deadline you can still submit a renewal application, however you may not receive notification until after your fee bill is due.
Applications submitted by July 31 will receive notification by August 15. Late renewal applications will be accepted through September.
Only students who have previously received an ASF Scholarship are allowed to use the Undergraduate Renewal Application.
Students will receive an email once their decision letter is available in the scholarship portal. Scholars can then log into the scholarship portal and see their decision letter on their main applicant dashboard. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis by order in which they are received.
You must attach the documents in your online application. Visit our Current Scholars webpage to find out what are the required attachments for your renewal application.
We have put together step by step instructions on how to download this information. Click here to access the instructions - it will open as a PDF in a seperate window shade.
To receive the fall semester award, you must completed your online award agreement in the scholarship portal. For the spring semester, we need a copy of your fall grades and spring schedule which will be submitted within the online portal.
Scholarships are paid in two equal installments for the fall and spring semesters. All checks are sent directly to the college or university you are attending after you complete the required forms in the Scholarship Portal. We cannot send any checks directly to the student.
Once we receive and process your documents, you will receive an email confirmation that the payment is being sent to your college or university.
Bring a copy of your award letter to the school and ask them to credit a pending scholarship payment on your account. If your school needs further documentation, contact Heather Hokunson. You must give Heather your financial aid contact’s name and email address so she can follow up.
Notify Heather Hokunson as soon as possible. When you complete your Spring Payment Submission through the Scholarship Portal, you will be prompted to notify us of any change.
Updated information including your financial aid award from the new school will be required, along with your fall grades and spring schedule.
By providing a cell phone number we are able to text you updates about your scholarship. It also allows you to text in questions about your award. If you did not provide a cell phone number on your application or award agreement, you can email Heather Hokunson at hhokunson@asfdn.org to get started.
We care about your mental health and overall well-being. In order to assist our ASF Scholars, we’ve partnered with BetterHelp to extend an additional layer of care and provide you with easy and confidential access to professional therapy online.
BetterHelp is the world’s largest online therapy platform. BetterHelp has over 20,000 therapists across the United States, offers services in 50+ languages and supports over 200 countries. They really are the leader in making online therapy affordable, accessible and convenient.
The partnership we have arranged will give our ASF Scholars up to 8 sessions of free therapy with a therapist that is specifically assigned to your individual preferences. You can communicate with your therapist via text, talk, phone and video whenever you feel it's needed.
Therapists on BetterHelp are licensed, trained, experienced, and accredited psychologists (PhD / PsyD), marriage and family therapists (LMFT), clinical social workers (LCSW / LMSW), or licensed professional counselors (LPC). All of them have a Masters Degree or a Doctorate Degree in their field. They have been qualified and certified by their state's professional board after successfully completing the necessary education, exams, training and practice. While their experience, expertise and background vary, they all possess at least 3 years and 2,000 hours of hands-on experience.
No. American Savings Foundation will not know who is receiving therapy and will not have any access to your therapy or other personal data. You can also select an anonymous username and use your personal email when you sign up.
The first page of the ONLINE APPLICATION is the Login Page. The first time you visit, you must Create a New Account. This will allow you to create a username and password. Once you have registered as a user and started an application, you will be able to save your work and return to the Scholarship Portal at later time. Please remember to save your user ID and password to use later.
Once you have logged in using your ID and password, you will reach the Applicant Dashboard. On the top menu bar you will see an Apply button. Click here to view the available scholarship applications.
To begin an application, click the blue Apply button next to the scholarship application you wish to apply for.
You can save your work by hitting the save icon at the bottom of the application page and come back to complete the application later. When you come back, you will find your saved application listed on your Applicant Dashboard. Select your application and hit the blue “Edit” button on the right hand side.
Your application has not been submitted until you hit the blue SUBMIT APPLICATION button and you receive an email confirmation from Heather Hokunson. Your application is not complete until we have received the online application and all required attachments.
Yes, the recommender or guidance office are able to submit the requested information through the Scholarship Portal even after an application has been submitted. It is still your responsibilty to make sure they submit the information by the deadline.
If you are having an issue with the online application or have forgotten your password please contact:
Heather Hokunson
Senior Program Officer - Scholarships
hhokunson@asfdn.org
You can also reset your password on the login page by clicking the Forgot your Password? link on the bottom of the page.
American Savings Foundation strives to be accessible to anyone seeking information about college scholarships for Connecticut students. If you did not find the answers you were looking for in our FAQs, please get in touch today.