Every year on the second weekend in August, current and alumni McConnell scholarship recipients gather for a three-day conference at beautiful Camp McCumber. This conference is special because our students design and lead it themselves based on what they want to learn and what they have to share. We’ve had workshops on topics including coping with college academics, studying abroad, fitness and nutrition, stress management, personal finance and building credit, how to drive a stick-shift, finding internships, cooking on a budget, and many more – all lead by our students for our students. We also take time just for fun! The purpose of our annual conference is to help our students succeed in college and beyond by sharing useful information and developing lasting, supportive friendships and peer networks.

Eligibility Requirements

Students who wish to apply to The McConnell Scholars Program must meet all of the following conditions for their application to be considered. Please read them carefully before starting your application. 

You may apply to The McConnell Foundation Scholars Program if you meet the following requirements:

• Residency in our service area
  • You live or attend high school in our service area of Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, or Trinity County, or
  • you attend Big Valley High School in Lassen County or Hoopa Valley High School in Humboldt County, which serve students in our service area, or
  • You live in our service area and will transfer from Shasta College or College of the Siskiyous to a qualified four-year university in the coming fall
• You will start at a college or university in the fall term of the upcoming academic year
  • You may not apply if you currently attend college. Concurrent enrollment in high school and college courses is fine.
  • Students who are currently attending Shasta College or College of the Siskiyous may apply by the application due date of the same year they transfer to a qualified four-year university for the following fall term.
  • You may not already have a bachelor’s degree.
• You will enter a qualified college or university
  • The following colleges and universities qualify for McConnell scholarship funds:
    • All public community colleges such as Shasta College, College of the Siskiyous, Klamath College, etc.
    • All California State Universities such as CSU Chico, Humboldt State University, Sonoma State University, etc.
    • All University of California campuses such as UC Davis, UC Berkeley, etc.
    • All public universities within the United States.
    • Many private universities also qualify. For a detailed explanation and partial list, please see below.
• Financial need
  • Your Student Aid Index (SAI) from your Free Application for Federal Student Aid or California Dream Act Application  is $6,655 or less.
• You are not a “disqualified individual”
  • You may not be directly related to any McConnell Foundation Board of Directors or Program Services staff, or current volunteer selection committee member. 
• Undocumented students who meet the above criteria are welcome to apply

The McConnell Scholars Program application is demanding, but don’t let that intimidate you! Many students have submitted high-quality applications over the years, and you can too. The following tips can help.

• Start early! Many students wait until the last day to start and submit their applications. This is a risky strategy that can result in rushed, lower-quality essays, and leaves no time to fix any technical problems that may occur. Leave yourself plenty of time!
• Check the eligibility criteria carefully. The application is a lot of work, and you don’t want to waste your time and effort if you don’t qualify. This happens to a handful of students every year. Usually, it’s because their Student Aid Indexes (SAI) (Formerly EFC) exceed our limit or they plan to attend colleges or universities that don’t qualify for McConnell funding. Don’t let that happen to you.
• Don’t try to complete the application all at once. The essays require a lot of self-reflection and thought, so take your time. A little at a time is usually more effective than one marathon session.
• Tell us a story! Some students make the mistake of just listing the qualities they think we care about. “I am determined, I am a hard worker, I care about my community…” If you are a hard worker, tell us a story or provide an example from your life that illustrates that. We want to get to know you as best we can, so make it personal. It’ll help us remember you!
• Have someone else check your work. While we don’t make our selections based on grammar or spelling, it does make a good impression if you make every effort to submit a high-quality product.
• Make sure you upload the correct documents: your transcript and your Student Aid Report or California Aid Report. These must be in .pdf or .jpg format and nothing else. Every year, we have students who submit the wrong documents, blank documents, and documents in the wrong format.
• Submit your application before the deadline. We review applications as they come in, and we can help you fix any potential problems if you leave us enough time. We can’t do that for applications submitted close to the deadline.
• Give yourself a break! We’ve never had a “perfect” application, and we don’t expect you to be perfect, either. Just do the best you can, and no matter what happens, you can be proud of yourself for being brave enough to give it a good shot.
• Good luck!

Following are the important dates for 2025, including interviews. Our selection process has two parts: reading and ranking of the written application and an interview. Top-ranking applicants in each county are forwarded to the interview and recipients are selected from among the interviewees. Please note that we are not able to offer alternate interview times or dates. If an interviewee cannot make their interview, we will offer their spot to the next-highest ranking applicant in that group.

• December 1, 2024: Scholars application available online on this web page
• Monday, February 10, 2025 at 8:00 AM: Scholarship applications due
• Wednesday, March 5, 2025: Interviewees notified
•  Saturday, March 15, 2025: Scholars interviews in Modoc and Tehama
• Saturday, March 22, 2025: Scholars interviews in Shasta and Siskiyou
• Monday, March 24, 2025: Scholars interviews in Trinity County
• Thursday, March 26, 2024: All candidates notified of selection/non-selection