Scholarships

La Jolla Rotary Foundation administers two scholarship programs under which approximately $200,000 is distributed each year to graduates of La Jolla High School, The Bishop’s School, La Jolla Country Day School and The Preuss School. These are known as: La Jolla Rotary Scholarships and Florence Riford Scholarships.
About Our Scholarship Programs
Both of these scholarship programs provide financial assistance during the first year of college, and are intended to reward achievement and enable graduating seniors of these four La Jolla area high schools to further their education. However, the criteria for considering the scholarship applicants differ somewhat and are described in sections A and B below. Students may be eligible to receive additional scholarship assistance during their Sophomore, Junior and Senior years. (See section D below).
 
La Jolla Rotary Foundation is a charitable “501(c)3” corporation, contributions to which are fully tax-deductible.
 

A. La Jolla Rotary Scholarships

  1. Applicant must attend a four-year college or university in the United States as a full-time student with enrollment starting in the fall after graduating high school.
  2. Applicant must be a citizen of the United States.
  3. Applicant must have an un-weighted cumulative GPA of at least 3.5.
  4. Applicant cannot be a child, grandchild, niece or nephew of a La Jolla Rotary member.
  5. Applicant must submit a completed application (refer to section C) before the specified deadline (refer to section E).
  6. Evaluation criteria include academic achievement, financial need, extracurricular activities, community service, notable experiences or skills, and interview impression.

Funds to support La Jolla Rotary Scholarships are derived from donations, grants, bequests and fundraising activities of the La Jolla Rotary Club. Scholarships awarded to graduating seniors tend to be in the range of $4,000 to $6,000.

B. Florence Riford Scholarships

  1. Applicant must attend a four-year college or university in California as a full-time student pursuing studies leading to a career in science, mathematics, engineering or medicine, with enrollment starting the fall after graduating high school.
  2. Preference will be given to applicants enrolling at UCSD, and then to those enrolling in other California four-year colleges or universities.
  3. Applicant must be a citizen of the United States.
  4. Applicant must have an un-weighted cumulative GPA of at least 3.5.
  5. Applicant cannot be a child, grandchild, niece or nephew of a La Jolla Rotary member.
  6. Applicant must submit a completed application (refer to section C) before the specified deadline (refer to section E).
  7. Evaluation criteria include academic achievement, extracurricular activities, community service, notable experiences or skills, and interview impression. Financial need is not a criterion in the awarding of this scholarship.
The Florence Riford Scholarship program was established and endowed by the late Mrs. Florence Riford, who was the first female member of the La Jolla Rotary Club. Scholarships awarded to graduating seniors tend to be in the range of $4,000 to $6,000.
 

C. How to Apply for Scholarships

Students who might qualify are required to fully complete the application using the link for the Google Form directly below. Note: The scholarship program (Riford or Rotary) that the student may be considered for will be determined by the Scholarship Committee.

Google Form Application

D. How to Reapply for Scholarships

Additional scholarship assistance may be available to college students who received either La Jolla Rotary or Florence Riford Scholarships as graduating high school seniors.

Fill out this Google Form to reapply for the La Jolla Rotary or the Florence Riford Scholarships

Before filling out the Google Form, you will need to have a pdf or Google Doc of a letter written by you requesting additional scholarship funds. Please tell us something about what you are doing in college and why you deserve further scholarship assistance. Please keep the letter to no more than one page. You will upload this to your Google Form.

After filling out and submitting the Google Form, you must also email a certified transcript to:

LJRotaryScholarships@gmail.com

La Jolla Rotary Scholarship recipients must submit a certified transcript from a four­ year college or university which includes your most recent grades from your last completed term, and which reflects your cumulative GPA of at least 3.5.

Florence Riford Scholarship recipients must submit a certified transcript from a four­ year California college or university, which sets forth all of the following: confirmation that you are majoring in a STEM major such as science, technology, engineering, math, or pre­-medicine (or, if you haven't yet declared a major, that your course work is focused on one of these areas); your most recent grades from your last completed term; and, a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5.

If you are approved to receive additional funding, before your scholarship funds can be disbursed, the Registrar's Office of your College/University must email proof of registration for your following school year to Natascha Vossen at:
 
 
NOTE: All applications including requested information must be completed and submitted in a timely manner or they will not be accepted for review, no exceptions.


E. Important Dates and Mandatory Deadlines

  • Scholarship applications from graduating high seniors must be received by La Jolla Rotary no later than midnight on Saturday, May 18, 2024
  • Scholarship reapplications from college students must be received by La Jolla Rotary, no later than midnight on Wednesday May 1, 2024.
  • Scholarship interviews for graduating high school seniors will be held  on Thursday, May 23, 2024
  • La Jolla Rotary’s Scholarship Awards Lunch honoring scholarship recipients will be held at the La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla onTuesday, June 4, 2024.
 

F. How to Receive Disbursement of Scholarship Funds 

Scholarship recipients (including re-application participants) must follow the following procedures to receive scholarship funds for the 20 24–20 25 academic year.   Please note that strict compliance with these procedures is obligatory.
 
On or before October 30th, 2024 the following must be emailed to LJRotaryScholarships@gmail.com
 
  • An official certified document issued by the registrar of your college or university confirming you are a full-time student (a class schedule or a letter accepting you to your college or university is not sufficient)
  • Your current email address and a phone number (in the event we need to contact you) and your mailing address to which your scholarship check should be sent.
Upon receiving all of the foregoing in a timely manner, we will issue you a check as promptly as possible.
 
NOTE: If we have not received the requisite Registrar’s Certified Document and all other required information on or before October 30th, 2024, your scholarship will be forfeited.
 

G. How to Contact La Jolla Rotary Regarding Scholarships

For all scholarship matters, email: LJRotaryScholarships@gmail.com