To be eligible for this scholarship, applicants must be enrolled in six credits or more OR enrolled in a degree or certificate program. A college credit is a unit that measures learning at accredited colleges and universities in the United States. Degree and certificate programs have a minimum number of credits that must be acquired to be eligible for graduation. Because ESL and ABE classes are not a part of a degree program and college credits are not received by taking these classes, a student only taking ESL or ABE classes is not eligible for this scholarship. However, if you are a student taking ESL and/or ABE classes as well as at least six course credits to a degree or certificate program, you are eligible to apply for this scholarship.

All scholarship recipients will receive $5,000 for one academic year.

Each academic year, 20 students will receive the Blake Nordstrom Scholarship.

The purpose of this scholarship is to help students meet basic needs outside of school-related expenses. The funds from this scholarship can be used, but are not limited to, any of the following:

• Housing-related expenses (rent payment, mortgage payment, utility payment, etc.)
• Grocery shopping
• Transportation-related expenses (gas, bus passes, car maintenance, etc.)
• Childcare expenses
• Mental health support

Funds from this scholarship cannot be used for tuition.

The scholarship will be divided depending on how many quarters you have left in your academic program, up to four quarters. Funds will be dispersed by the second week of each quarter you are enrolled. 

This depends on how many quarters you have left in your academic program at the time of the application. Additionally, you will only receive this scholarship during the duration of the 2022–2023 academic year (from fall 2022 through summer 2023). If you have one quarter remaining in your academic program, you will receive a one-time payment of $5,000. If you have two quarters remaining in your academic program, you will receive $2,500 one quarter and $2,500 the next quarter. If you have three quarters remaining in your academic program, you will receive $2,000 the first quarter, $1,500 the next quarter, and $1,500 the final quarter. If you are enrolled for four quarters, you will receive $1,250 each quarter.

This scholarship will be subject to federal income tax, meaning that this is taxable income that you must report on your tax filing. Breaking up this scholarship across quarters has the benefit of reducing the tax burden between tax reporting periods of 2022 and 2023. For this reason, this scholarship will be divided among all remaining quarters of enrollment, up to four quarters.

Yes! If you were awarded the Blake Nordstrom Scholarship, you can apply for the scholarship again the next academic year. For example, if you are awarded the Blake Nordstrom Scholarship for the 2022–2023 academic year, you can apply for this scholarship again for the 2023–2024 academic year. However, individuals cannot receive this award more than two times. If you are awarded the Blake Nordstrom Scholarship two times, you are not eligible to apply again.