Life Changing Commitment
Scholarship Academy students learn how to negotiate their financial aid packages, manage their financial awards (in preparation for tuition increases), create scholarship brag projects, and independently navigate the private scholarship market. These tools reduce debt and increase the likelihood of graduation.
Since our inception in 2006, we’ve helped students secure more than $15 million in private funding sources (average student GPA is a 2.75). On average, our students reduce their loan debt by $14,000. Our students’ resumes have been featured on Oprah, Ebony, and US News and World Report.
1000
+
Number of low-income students enrolling in college
$ 633
Avg. Gap Between Cost/Financial Aid Offered
$ 100
Avg. Balance For College Drop-Outs
Welcome to
The Scholarship Academy
The Scholarship Academy (TSA) is a comprehensive scholarship preparatory program that teaches low-income, first generation, and other marginalized applicants how to navigate the maze of financial aid in order to fund their higher education.
Founded in 2006 by Howard University graduate Jessica Johnson, TSA specializes in breaking down the scholarship process into realistic terms for ALL students. Johnson is well-versed in navigating the financial aid system, having received more than $200,000 in scholarships, herself.
As state- and federally-funded scholarship money decreases, more and more students struggle to apply for financial aid while balancing college applications and school demands. The average college student carries an estimated $23,000 worth of student loan debt, which in many cases causes a student to leave school before graduating.
The Scholarship Academy is on a mission to prove that a student’s college options should not be defined by their zip code. Click Here to learn how we’re helping 100 students on Atlanta’s South Side pursue debt-free degrees.
The Scholarship Academy is the nation’s only curriculum-based scholarship preparatory program that trains low-income, first generation students how to use the principles of leadership, entrepreneurship and civic engagement to reduce student loan debt and increase eligibility for entry level positions.
$26,600 – That’s the average debt facing college grads. With college tuition upwards of $25,000 and the average student receiving only $2815 in aid, college is viewed as an obstacle instead of an opportunity for our target families. At The Scholarship Academy, we are acutely aware of the fact that the average guidance counselor only has 38 minutes per school year to helps students explore financial aid options. In contrast, TSA students receive an average of 8 hours of intense scholarship prep support to help them build solid scholarship brands, identify tailored scholarship/internship resources, and craft winning applications.
