Scholarship Overview
Scholarships for every eligible high school graduate.
The Say Yes Scholarship is a tuition gap-closing scholarship with the goal of making a college degree or career training certificate affordable and attainable for every eligible CMSD and charter partner high school graduate. Scholarships can be used to attend a two-year, four-year, or Pell-eligible certificate program at an Ohio public college, university, or trade school, or one of the over one hundred private colleges in the Say Yes National Higher Education Compact.
While scholarship amounts vary for each student based on a number of factors including state and federal grant eligibility and household income, all CMSD and charter partner students who meet scholarship requirements are guaranteed some level of financial support.
Say Yes Cleveland Scholarship Board releases report on the progress and impact of the scholarship program over its first six years.
Scholarship Eligibility
To be eligible for a Say Yes scholarship, students must be:
- Continuously enrolled in a CMSD or partnering charter high school from 9th grade through graduation; and
- Live continuously within the city of Cleveland (or one of the areas served by CMSD*) from 9th 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 visit our Eligibility FAQ page. You can also email questions to [email protected] or call the Scholarship Hotline at 216.454.5400.
Denied eligibility? Find out your options.
VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY
“Applying to colleges can be difficult. You have to go through the application process, you have to read every email, and you have to respond to those emails within a certain time. For me, it’s been a huge wave of responsibility. But my College Now advisors and my school counselors really helped me — especially with the financial aid process. Say Yes Cleveland has helped to set up my future.”
First-Year College Student
Want to talk to someone?
A member of our scholarship hotline can help answer your questions.
Phone
216.454.5400
A checklist for the path to and through college.
Our checklists are designed to help students and parents/guardians remember what to do, how to do it, and when to do it.