The Delaware Higher Education Office (DHEO) administers 8 state-sponsored scholarships. Each scholarship’s eligibility requirements, deadline dates, and application requirements are outlined in the table below. Carefully review each scholarship as not all scholarships have the same requirements.

To apply for and track your scholarship application and award, visit our online portal, the Delaware Higher Education Financial Aid Portal.

In the table below, click on the name of the scholarship to see eligibility, award, and application information.  Visit our additional resources section to find definitions, important documents, and FAQs.

Scholarship Name Applicants Award Application Start Date Application End Date
B. Bradford Barnes Memorial Scholarship High School Seniors Direct Education Expenses 12/1/2024 2/28/2025

Merit scholarship for high school seniors attending the University of Delaware.

Eligibility: 

  • High school seniors with an unweighted cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and a combined score of 1290 on the SAT or an equivalent score on the ACT
  • Enroll full-time at the University of Delaware
  • File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid ( FAFSA ) prior to the application deadline

Award:

  • Full tuition, required fees, room, board, and books at the University of Delaware
  • Renewable for up to three additional years with a cumulative GPA of 3.0
  • One award/year

To Apply:

Please Note –  All application materials must be submitted by 4:30pm on February 28, 2025.
Herman M. Holloway Sr. Memorial Scholarship High School Seniors Direct Education Expenses 12/1/2024 2/28/2025

Merit scholarship for high school seniors who plan to attend the Delaware State University

Eligibility: 

  • High school seniors with an unweighted cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and a combined score of at least 1000 on the SAT or the equivalent score on the ACT
  • Enroll full-time at Delaware State University
  • Must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid ( FAFSA ) prior to the application deadline

Award:

  • Full tuition, required fees, room, board, and books at the Delaware State University
  • Renewable for up to three additional years with a cumulative GPA of 3.0
  • One award/year

To Apply:

Please Note –  All application materials must be submitted by 4:30pm on February 28, 2025.
Charles L. Hebner Memorial Scholarships- (Formerly the Diamond State Scholarship) High School Seniors $1,250 12/1/2024 2/28/2025

Merit scholarship for high school seniors attending an accredited institution full time in an undergraduate program.

Eligibility: 

  • High school seniors with an unweighted cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and a combined score of at least 1290 on the SAT or the equivalent score on the ACT
  • Enrolled as a full-time student in an undergraduate degree program

Award:

  • $1,250/year
  • Renewable for up to three additional years with a cumulative GPA of 3.0
  • Approximately 30 awards/year

To Apply:

Please Note –  All application materials must be submitted by 4:30pm on February 28, 2025.
Career-Based Scholarship High School Seniors Undergraduates $5,000 12/1/2024 5/15/2025

Scholarship for full-time undergraduate students enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program in a Delaware public or private college in a major leading to a career in a high-need field in Delaware.

Eligibility:

  • Resident of Delaware
  • Full time enrollment
  • Must meet your institution’s Satisfactory Academic Policy

Must be studying within a Delaware High Needs Career Field. Eligible majors:

  • Accounting
  • Business
  • Computer Engineering
  • Computer Science
  • Finance
  • Human Resources
  • Information Technology
  • Management
  • Nursing
  • Operations Management

Award:

Award amount is $5,000 per year. The award is not renewable but recipients can re-apply each year. Contingent upon funding from the General Assembly and based on the size of the applicant pool, at least one student in each high-need career field will be awarded a career-based scholarship annually.

To Apply:

Please Note –  All application materials must be submitted by 4:30pm on May 15, 2025.
Educational Benefits for Children of Deceased Veterans and Others High School Seniors Undergraduates Tuition & Fees 12/1/2024 5/15/2025

Individuals between the ages of 16-24 whose parent is a member of the armed forces and was a resident of Delaware at the time of death or declaration of missing in action or prisoner of war status.

Eligibility:

  • Applicant must have been a resident of the state of Delaware for three or more consecutive years prior to the date of application.
  • If the applicant’s parent is a member of the armed forces, the parent must have been a resident of Delaware at the time of death or declaration of missing in action or prisoner of war status.
  • Applicant must be between the ages of 16 and 24.
  • Applicant must be the child of one of the following:
    • member of the armed forces whose cause of death was service-related;
    • member of the armed forces who is being held or was held as a prisoner of war;
    • member of the armed forces who is officially declared missing in action;
    • state police officer whose cause of death was service-related; or
    • state employee of the Department of Transportation routinely employed in job-related activities upon the state highway system whose cause of death was job-related.

Award: Priority sequence for awards is:

  1. tuition and required fees at a public college in Delaware;
  2. tuition and required fees at a private college in Delaware, if the program of study is not offered at a Delaware public college; or
  3. tuition and required fees at an out-of-state public or private college, if there is no institution in Delaware offering the program of study.

Award will be prorated for eligible students who choose to attend an institution that is out of this sequence. Award is limited to four years.

To Apply:

Please Note –  All application materials must be submitted by 4:30pm on May 15, 2025.
Scholarship Incentive Programs (ScIP) High School Seniors Undergraduates Graduates $1,000 12/1/2024 5/15/2025

Needs based scholarship for students attending a Delaware institution full-time or enrolled full-time at an out of state accredited institution in an undergraduate program not offered in the State of Delaware.

Eligibility:

  • File the 2024-2025 FAFSA by June 15, 2024 and demonstrate financial need
  • Enroll full-time in an undergraduate degree program at an accredited institution in Delaware
  • Or enroll fulltime in an out of state, accredited institution in an undergraduate or graduate degree program that is not offered at the University of Delaware, Delaware State University, or Delaware Technical Community College

Restrictions:

  • Minors, non-degree, diploma, certificate, or continuing education programs are not eligible .
  • Independent study, individualized majors and other arranged or negotiated programs of study are not eligible.
  • A student cannot receive the Scholarship Incentive Program for more than 5 years for either undergraduate or graduate study
  • Must be a Delaware resident

Award:

  • Graduate awards: $1,000/year
  • Undergraduate awards: $1,000/year

To Apply:

Please Note – All application materials must be submitted by 4:30pm on May 15, 2025.
Educator Support Scholarship – Undergraduate Programs High School Seniors Undergraduates $5,000 12/1/2024 5/15/2025

Scholarship for full-time undergraduate students attending a Delaware public or private college who intend to pursue a career in education (in a classroom or as a specialist) in specific certifications, listed below, identified as areas of need in Delaware schools.

Teacher Shortage Areas in 2023-2024:

  • Bilingual
  • English Language Learner
  • World Languages
  • Math
  • Science
  • Special Education (All Areas)
  • Business Education
  • Agriscience Education
  • Family Consumer Science
  • School Nurse
  • Library Media Specialist
  • English
  • Immersion (Elementary/World language)
  • Technology Education

Specialist areas:

  • Speech Language Pathologists
  • School Psychologists
  • School Social Workers
  • School Counselors

Eligibility:

  • Resident of Delaware
  • Full-time enrollment in an undergraduate degree program
  • Must meet your institution’s Satisfactory Academic Policy

Award:

Award amount is $5,000 per year. The award is not renewable but recipients can re-apply each year. Contingent upon funding from the General Assembly and based on the size of the applicant pool, at least one student in each high-need educator and specialist fields will be awarded a scholarship.

To Apply:

Please Note –  All application materials must be submitted by 4:30pm on May 15, 2025.
Educator Support Scholarship – Graduate Programs Graduates $5,000 12/1/2024 5/15/2025

Scholarship for full-time graduate students attending a Delaware public or private college who intend to pursue a career in education (in a classroom or as a specialist) in specific certifications, listed below, identified as areas of need in Delaware schools.

Teacher Shortage Areas in 2023-2024:

  • Bilingual
  • English Language Learner
  • World Languages
  • Math
  • Science
  • Special Education (All Areas)
  • Business Education
  • Agriscience Education
  • Family Consumer Science
  • School Nurse
  • Library Media Specialist
  • English
  • Immersion (Elementary/World language)
  • Technology Education

Specialist areas:

  • Speech Language Pathologists
  • School Psychologists
  • School Social Workers
  • School Counselors

Eligibility:

  • Resident of Delaware
  • Full-time enrollment in a graduate degree program.  *Part-time enrollment in a graduate degree program will be eligible for a partial award.
  • Must meet your institution’s Satisfactory Academic Policy

Award:

Award amount is $5,000 per year. The award is not renewable but recipients can re-apply each year. Contingent upon funding from the General Assembly and based on the size of the applicant pool, at least one student in each high-need educator and specialist fields will be awarded a scholarship.

To Apply:

Please Note –  All application materials must be submitted by 4:30pm on May 15, 2025.

Awarding and Appeals Process

Application Process

  1. Submit a complete application via the Delaware Higher Education Financial Aid Portal by 4:30pm on the posted program(s) deadline.
  2. *If required, submit academic record by 4:30pm on the posted program(s) deadline.
  3. *If required, submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), by the posted deadline.

Communications

All communications to students will be sent to the email listed in the student’s profile in the Delaware Higher Education Financial Aid Portal. It is the student’s responsibility to keep this information up to date.

Completed applications will be reviewed by the Delaware Higher Education Office (DHEO) and awarded no later than August each year. Students will be notified by email if they are awarded any scholarship in addition to their student profile being updated to reflect their award status for each application.

To Be Considered for an Award:

Completed applications must include (by the required deadline(s)):

  1. An online application in the Delaware Higher Education Financial Aid Portal which will include the student’s college enrollment information for the upcoming academic year.
  2. *If required, submitted FAFSA application by program deadline(s). A student’s FAFSA application will automatically link to the student’s profile once completed. It is the student’s responsibility to verify via the online portal that a FAFSA record is received prior to the deadline(s).
  3. *If required, a submitted academic record for the current academic year by the program deadline(s). Students who attend a Delaware public school will have their academic record automatically link to the student profile. For students who did not attend a DE public school, they must submit a copy to the DHEO by email. It is the student’s responsibility to verify via the online portal that an accurate academic record is received prior to the deadline(s).

To Be Considered for a Renewal Award:

If the scholarship is considered a renewable award, a student must complete the following steps in order to qualify for renewal.

  1. Ensure the student’s email address in their student account is accurate and active. All renewal communications and deadlines will be sent by email each year between May and July.
  2. Add college enrollment information for the upcoming academic year in the Delaware Higher Education Financial Aid Portal system by the required deadline.
  3. Email a copy of their unofficial transcript to DHEO verifying end-of-year cumulative GPA to by the required deadline.

Ineligible Applications/Award Denials:

Applications may be considered ineligible or denied based on the following criteria:

  • Application incomplete as of posted scholarship deadline
  • GPA falls below the required minimum.
  • Total SAT score falls below the required minimum.
  • Student’s financial need falls below the minimum demonstrated financial need (this may adjust annually based on available funding). Demonstrated financial need is calculated by using the college cost, minus the EFC reported in the FAFSA, minus any Pell Grant (if eligible)

All appeals will be reviewed by the Delaware Higher Education Office (DHEO). Appeal determinations will be provided in written format no later than September 30, each year.

Appeal Criteria:

  • If a student provides proof of a verified updated Expected Family Contribution (EFC), DHEO will review new EFC to determine if student meets the financial need threshold
  • If a student provides proof of a change in major of study, DHEO will review and determine if the new major is an eligible one.
  • If a student provides proof of a college enrollment change, DHEO will review and determine if the new college changes the student’s eligibility for a scholarship.
  • If a student provides proof that their major at an out of state college is not offered at University of Delaware or Delaware State University, (Core courses must be at least 50% different than any similar major offered at University of Delaware or Delaware State University) the Appeals Committee will review and determine if the major is eligible for a scholarship.

Appeal Process

Students not awarded a scholarship because of any of the criteria reason listed above may appeal the decision(s) in writing within two weeks of receiving the awarding decision by following these steps:

  • Email the DHEO using the phrase “APPEAL” in the subject line.
  • Attach a completed appeal form.
  • Attach all supporting documentation in the request for appeal, including course comparison information – if relevant.

Appeal Review and Decision Timeline:

  • Appeals must be submitted within two weeks of receiving the awarding decision, appeals will not be accepted after that timeframe
  • Decisions will be provided via email no later than September 30, each year
  • All appeal decisions are final

Delaware Higher Education Office Contact Information:

Delaware Department of Education
Higher Education Office
The Townsend Building
401 Federal Street, Suite 2
Dover, DE 19901Email DHEO Telephone Number: (302) 735-4120
Fax Number: (302) 739-5894

Disclosures

The Department of Education Higher Education Office reserves the right to use and share a Scholar’s details, for purposes necessary for the administration of the Scholarship. By applying for and accepting a Scholarship you give consent for such sharing and publication of your details in the event of your application being successful. All data sharing will be conducted in compliance with all applicable state and federal regulations.

The Department of Education Higher Education Office reserves the right to publish the names and basic details of candidates selected for awards on the DOE website or on other websites or in other publications. To opt out of having your information published you must notify the Department of Education in writing via email, or via mail at:

Delaware Department of Education
Higher Education Office
401 Federal Street
Dover, DE 19901-3639

Additional Information

Delaware Residency

No student shall be eligible for student assistance programs authorized by the Delaware Higher Education Office who was not a resident of the State for at least 12 consecutive months immediately prior to the program application deadline. The place of residence of a student who is dependent on parental financial support shall be deemed to be the legal residence of the student’s parent or guardian. The place of residence of an independent student shall be deemed to be the legal residence of the student. Whether a student is considered to be independent shall be determined on the basis of the federal government’s financial aid independent student definition. No student shall be deemed to satisfy for the first time the residence requirement of these programs while the student’s principal occupation is that of student in a postsecondary program. Evidence of legal residence in Delaware that is deemed satisfactory to the Office must be provided.  Such evidence may include: prior year Delaware income tax return, a valid Delaware driver’s license, a valid Delaware vehicle registration card or other evidence of bona fide residence in Delaware. Delaware residence shall be considered terminated 12 months after a move from the State.

Direct Education Expenses

Direct educational expenses include:

  • Tuition
  • Mandatory fees
  • Room and Board
  • Books

Transportation costs and other miscellaneous expenses are not included.

Scholarship payments are sent by the Delaware Higher Education Office directly to the institution. Students wishing to use DHEO scholarships for books need to make arrangements with their financial aid office.

Unweighted GPA

The GPA used for high school seniors applying for state-sponsored aid is the student’s cumulative, unweighted GPA as calculated by the Delaware Higher Education Office (DHEO). Classes considered for the GPA calculation must fall within the core curriculum:

  • English Language Arts
  • Foreign Languages
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Social Studies

The GPA that appears on your high school transcript may be higher or lower than the unweighted GPA calculated by the DHEO. Unweighting the GPA ensures that all applicants receive comparable consideration for their academic work.

How do I apply for a scholarship?

In order to apply for scholarships from the Delaware Higher Education Office (DHEO) you first need to create a Student Account at the Delaware Higher Education Financial Aid Portal.  Once you create your Student Account you will be able to apply for available scholarships online and track applications, awards, and scholarship payments.

How do I search for eligible programs for Delaware in the Academic Common Market?

Search for eligible programs within the Academic Common Market.  Review eligibility and apply on the Academic Common Market informational page.

Have specific questions about using the Delaware Higher Education Financial Aid Portal?

For questions such as logging in, updating enrollment, seeing application and award status, and more please visit Delaware Higher Education Financial Aid Portal – Homepage to view additional FAQs.

How are scholarship payments made?

For all DHEO scholarships, payments are not processed until the school/college/university verifies a student’s enrollment. The Higher Education office contacts the school/college/university directly to request this information. Once this information is received, payments can be processed. It takes 4 – 6 weeks once verification is received for the payment to reach the school.  Students can log on to their student account to see the status of all payments.

If denied a scholarship, can I appeal the decision?

Yes.  Students can submit an appeals form after notified. Please review the Awards and Appeals section on this page.

The Michael C. Ferguson Achievement Award was awarded in 2015 to students in Delaware district and charter schools who demonstrated superior performance on the Delaware Smarter Assessment Test.
Students who were awarded this merit-based award in eighth and tenth grade can claim their award through the Delaware Higher Education Office (DHEO).
  • Create a Student Account in the Delaware Higher Education Financial Aid Portal
  • Enter your college enrollment for the current academic year
  • Approximately 2-3 weeks after you first create your Student Account your Michael C. Ferguson award will be available to claim under the “Emails and Notifications” tab
  • If your Michael C. Ferguson award is not available to claim on your Student Account after three weeks please reach out to our office
  • Funds will be sent directly to your institution after your school verifies your enrollment

Contact Us

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