Hispanic Scholarship Fund

Required documents bolded in red, in step 4, MUST be uploaded onto the application in step 4. No exceptions will be made. See "How can I upload my transcript onto my application?" below.

For more information and instructions, click on "show instructions" next to each required document in step 4.

How can I upload my transcript and/or my GPA Certification onto my application?

You are required to upload your academic transcript(s) and GPA Certification (if needed) by the given scholarship deadline.

Scan and upload a copy of your transcript(s). The transcript may be unofficial provided that it clearly indicates your name and institution. You may click "view" after uploading your transcript(s) to verify the document is legible.

After your transcript is uploaded, the status of the document will change from "Not Received" to "Pending Verification".

Your transcript(s) must include your cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale. If your transcript does not report or display a cumulative GPA on a 4.00 scale, you must scan and upload a completed GPA Certification Form along with your transcript. Click here to download the GPA Certification Form.

If your question is not answered and you require additional assistance, contact us through the Message Center, accessible once you are logged into your HSF online account.

I have more than one transcript to upload. How do I upload multiple transcripts?

If you have more than one transcript to upload, you must scan all documents into ONE file then upload it to your student account. There are many free services on the internet that can assist with merging multiple documents into one PDF file.

I am a legal permanent resident or eligible non-U.S. citizen. What documentation do I need to submit to HSF?

Citizenship Verification is generally processed through the Student Aid Report (SAR). If you are an eligible non-U.S. citizen, supporting documentation may be required:

U.S. permanent resident, with a Permanent Resident Card (formerly known as an Alien Registration Receipt Card or "Green Card”)
Conditional permanent resident (I-551C)
Other eligible noncitizen with an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the Department of Homeland Security showing any one of the following designations: “Refugee,” “Asylum Granted,” “Indefinite Parole,” “Humanitarian Parole,” or “Cuban-Haitian Entrant”

*Documents will be reviewed to determine eligibility

Where do I send my documents?

Documents sent by mail or fax will not be accepted. For more information and instructions, click on "show instructions" in step 4 of your HSF account.

Who should I indicate as my recommender?

A recommender is the person who you wish to complete the online recommendation form to include as part of your scholarship application. Your recommender must be an instructor or an advisor. If you have been out of school for two or more years, your recommender may be your most recent employer. The recommender cannot be a family relative, friend, or co-worker.

You should pick a Recommender who can address the following items:

Academic record, plans, and goals
Personal strengths: including motivation, leadership, and commitment
Community service and extracurricular activities

Your recommender must complete the electronic Recommendation Form online. Instructions about the Recommendation process will be emailed to your recommender within 24 hours after you begin a scholarship application in step 2 and/or 3.

Please be sure to ask your recommender prior to submitting their name and email address to us. You want to be sure they are agreeing to complete the online recommendation form for you and to let them know they will be receiving correspondence from us in regards to this. We ask that you, as well as your recommender, add scholarshipdept@hsf.net to your/their address book in order to ensure our emails are received by the recipients.

How do I know if my recommender has received the email and if they are or have submitted the online recommendation?

Follow up with your recommender to verify if they have received the email from us as we are not able to determine that.

It is the applicant's responsibility to follow up with their recommender to verify if they have or have not received the email from HSF and if they are completing the recommendation by the recommender’s deadline date.

What is my recommenders deadline to submit the online recommendation form for my application?

Recommenders will be able to see their deadline by logging into the account we have set up for them. Login information is provided to them via email we send out once you have applied to scholarships in steps 2 and/or 3.

In lieu of the online recommendation form, can I just submit a paper letter of recommendation?

Paper Letter of recommendations will not be accepted. In order for your application to be complete, your recommender must complete the electronic recommendation Form online. Instructions about the Recommendation process will be emailed to your recommenders' email address that you provided. Reminder emails go out weekly until the application closes.

Please be sure to ask your recommender prior to submitting their name and email address to us. You want to be sure they are agreeing to complete the electronic recommendation on your behalf and to let them know they will be receiving correspondence from us regarding this. We encourage you and your recommender to add scholarshipdept@hsf.net to yours/their address book in order to ensure our emails are successfully received.

What if my recommender is having technical difficulties logging into the recommenders site?

Ask your recommender to email us at recommender@hsf.net using the email address that you provided in your application. Ask them to provide us with your name and the technical issue they are encountering. Please know this address is ONLY for recommenders who are experiencing technical difficulties. Students/applicants should contact us using the message center while logged onto their student account.

What if my college transcripts do not show a cumulative GPA?

Ask a school official to calculate your cumulative GPA and complete the HSF GPA Certification Form. Click here to to download the form. Scan all pages of your transcript and the HSF GPA Certification form into ONE file, save it as a PDF, and upload in step 4.

What is the FAFSA?

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (known as the FAFSA) is a form that can be prepared annually by current and prospective college students in the U.S. to determine their eligibility for student financial aid (including Pell grants, work-study programs, and loans). The U.S. Department of Education begins accepting the applications beginning January 1st of each year for the upcoming academic year. For more information regarding FAFSA, please see their site: www.fafsa.ed.gov.

*Please note that you can apply for financial aid before you file your taxes. Corrections to your(FAFSA) application can always be submitted after you and/or your parents have filed for taxes.

What is a Student Aid Report (SAR) and why do I need to submit one?

The Student Aid Report (also known as SAR) is a report of the FAFSA responses and is produced by the U.S. Department of Education once it has been filed using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The SAR contains information the student provided on the FAFSA as well as the federally calculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC) result. The financial aid office, of the students institution, will use the information contained in the SAR in order to determine the student's eligibility for Federal Pell Grant and any other federal student aid programs. HSF uses the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) calculated on the SAR to determine the students financial need.

How can I obtain a copy of my Student Aid Report (SAR)?

After your FAFSA is processed, you will receive a SAR from the U.S. Department of Education via U.S. mail and/or email. The easiest way to obtain a SAR is to visit the FAFSA website, www.fafsa.ed.gov and use the steps below.

Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov
Click on the orange “Start Here” button

STEP 2 OF 7

Manage your computer's "pop-up blockers"
- Option 1: Disable your computer's "pop-up blocker" while you are browsing the FAFSA website as follows:
  - Internet Explorer: Click on Tools-->Pop-up blocker-->Turn off pop-up blocker
  - Mozilla Firefox: Click on Tools-->Options-->Content-->then un-check "block pop-up windows"
- Option 2: Change your computer's "pop-up blocker" settings to always allow pop-ups from the FAFSA website (www.fafsa.ed.gov)
Make sure you are on the correct and most current FAFSA year (there is a tab for every year you have completed a FAFSA)
- The line directly under the tab should read, “Current Application Status: Processed Successfully.”
Click on the “View Processed Information (PDF Version),” which is the blue button on the right side of the screen.
Enter your PIN.
- If you have lost or cannot remember your PIN, click on FAQs: Receiving and Using a PIN for further assistance.
- You may also contact FAFSA at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).
Download the file called “FAFSA.” This is your SAR report.
- Save the document as a PDF file.
Reply to this email (sar@hsf.net) and attach your SAR (PDF Version Only).
- DO NOT copy and paste the SAR information onto the email.
- DO NOT print and scan the document
- DO NOT fax to an email (this changes the format)
- MUST be downloaded directly from the FAFSA website as an electronic file (PDF format)
- MUST contain ALL pages the Student Aid Report (SAR) indicates (along with its cover. See SAR image below in step 6)

Who can fill out my enrollment verification form?

The enrollment verification form must be completed by the Registrar’s Office of your institution. An official from your Registrar’s Office is the only person that can verify a student’s enrollment. Enrollment Verification forms signed by officials other than the Registrar, will not be accepted.

Can I submit my school’s certification of enrollment or one from the student clearinghouse rather than the HSF Enrollment Verification Form?

Yes, there are several options to submit an official enrollment verification form to HSF.

You can go directly to your institutions registrar’s office and request an official enrollment verification form OR

You can submit an official enrollment verification from the National Student Clearinghouse. This is an organization that most of the U.S. institutions are registered with in order to provide this service to students at an expedited process. You can go to their website at http://www.studentclearinghouse.org/ and for a small nominal fee, you can obtain a PDF version of your enrollment verification OR

You can download HSF's enrollment verification form located under "forms". You can take this form to your registrars office in order to have them complete it. Please be sure to complete the student portion of the HSF form and that your registrars office has completed all questions of their portion.

What should I do if my required documents are deemed as invalid or ineligible?

You can click on "show instructions" located in step 4 once logged into your online account and scroll down to the bottom notes/comments.

If you need additional help, please contact us using the Message Center when you are logged in to your application.

I submitted my documents to HSF. How long does it take for the online application system to show that they have been received?

We will begin processing applications once the deadline has passed. Your valid documents will be accepted as long as they are submitted by the scholarship deadline.

You can view the timelines for each scholarship you applied to by going to our website at www.hsf.net, click on "scholarships" and then the appropriate link that applies to you. You will then see a list of scholarships we offer. By clicking on "view requirements" you will be able to view the calendar for our process and when it begins and when you are notified.

We also recommend checking step 4. Step 4 will provide you with current statuses.

Until the documents are logged in to our site you will still receive emails from us regarding the missing documents as these are automatic weekly email reminders.

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