Say Yes Cleveland provides scholarships up to the value of tuition to:

• All public universities, community colleges, and Pell-eligible certificate programs in Ohio
• Over 100 private colleges and universities in Ohio and across the nation in the Say Yes National Higher Education Compact.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Say Yes scholarship, students must be continuously enrolled in a CMSD or partnering charter high school, and live continuously within the city of Cleveland, or one of the areas served by CMSD*, from 9^th grade through graduation.

*Students who reside in Bratenahl, Linndale, Newburgh Heights, and parts of Brook Park and Garfield Heights assigned to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District are also eligible if they meet enrollment requirements.

To learn more details about the opportunity, read the Scholarship FAQ.

For a detailed walk-through of the scholarship process and requirements, download our Scholarship Guidebook.

Congratulations!

We are excited for you and your plans to pursue a college or certificate program after high school.

If you have not completed the online Say Yes scholarship form, click here to do it now.

You also must complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

If you need assistance with the above steps, please contact your high school counselor or College Now adviser.

What should I do next?

Log into the Say Yes certification system and look on your student dashboard to see if you are eligible for the Say Yes Cleveland scholarship.

If you are eligible, your status will appear as “tentatively eligible” until you graduate. In the meantime,

• Change your enrollment status in the “School Interest” tab to “yes” for the college or university you plan to attend,
• Complete your FAFSA and any verification process requested by the college/university,
• Complete a Student Aid Report (SAR) from www.fafsa.gov
• Participate in a mentor orientation with College Now and complete the mentoring program application. Scroll down for more details about mentoring.
• Sign up for a Say Yes Summer Session to learn how to calculate an estimate of your Say Yes scholarship for the upcoming year.”

I have the “tentatively eligible” status, but my college’s financial aid letter does not include the Say Yes tuition scholarship. What should I do?

Your estimated Say Yes tuition scholarship amount will be calculated in summer 2021. At that time, your college or university will begin to include it in your financial aid package.

However, please make sure your college or university is aware you are eligible for a Say Yes Cleveland tuition scholarship. By late May, colleges and universities can confirm your Say Yes scholarship eligibility online.

NOTE: If the college or university’s financial aid office would like written confirmation of your eligibility, please contact your high school counselor to provide one.

What do I need to do about the mentoring program?

All Say Yes Cleveland scholarship recipients are being matched with mentors through College Now’s Mentoring Program. You’ll be matched with a Cleveland-area resident who has earned a college degree and wants to answer questions, offer support, and help you reach graduation!

You and your mentor will communicate online twice a month, and meet or video chat a couple times a year throughout your college career.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO TODAY ABOUT THE MENTOR PROGRAM:

• Complete the online mentee orientation (YouTube playlist) (45 minutes to complete)
• Pass the orientation quiz (15 minutes to complete)
• Fill out your Chronus profile (15 minutes to complete)
• If under 18 years old, return Mentoring Program Code of Conduct signed by you and your parent/guardian. Images of signed copies can be emailed to mentoring2022@collegenowgc.org. If you do not have the capacity to print or scan documents, you may use a PDF viewer software (such as Adobe, at https://get.adobe.com/reader/) to complete and sign.

If students have questions or need assistance with the above, they should contact Jasmine Freeman at mentoring2022@collegenowgc.org, and please click here to download a handy checklist of Mentoring Program steps.