The Kean Foundation Scholarship Application is currently available to all current Kean University students and incoming freshmen. 

The application has been available since Thursday, December 1, 2016 and is due by Wednesday, March 1, 2017. 

To begin the application process, log on to http://www.kean.edu/offices/scholarship-services. Once on this page, students can scroll down and click the blue button on the left side of the screen that reads "Online Scholarship Application." 

The next page will give students two options: to create an account for first time users or log in for returning users. If students applied for the Kean Foundation Scholarship in the past, they should use that log in information.

Once a student's account is created/a student logs into their previously existing account, they can begin completing the application. Choose "Start Application" for the 2017-2018 Kean University Scholarship Application. 

The first page of the application consists of a welcome paragraph, technical instructions, applicant demographics, general applicant information and international student information. 

Before moving on to the next page of the application, students need to complete all of the necessary information in order to continue. 

The second page asks for an applicant's income information, financial aid information and a financial need statement, which is a 300 word maximum brief narrative explaining the student's financial need. 

The third page will ask a student to record their academic status and history, community activities and volunteer experience and to choose the organizations on campus they are affiliated with. 

The fourth page will bring students to where they can provide their scholarship essay by either typing or copying and pasting from a word document. The essay should address the student's motivation for pursuing a degree in a maximum of 300 words. 

On the fifth page, students will find a section for them to provide the names of faculty who can produce an online letter of recommendation for them; two letters of recommendation are required of each student. On this page students also put how they heard about the scholarship application and acknowledge that all information presented in the application is accurate to their knowledge. 

Once all the appropriate information is completed on all five pages, the application can be submitted. 

"One application puts you in the running for hundreds of available scholarships," said an email that was sent out to students by the Office of Scholarship Services before winter break. 

There are scholarship opportunities for students in every major and specifically for graduate, transfer and incoming freshmen students. Just take a look at www.kean.edu/offices/scholarship-services/foundation-scholarship-awards and use the links on the right side of the page to check them out. 

The applications are reviewed by a committee and students are notified in June if they are qualified to receive an award. Whether they do or do not receive an award, students will be notified via their email address that is associated with their application. 

"Applications are judged based on academic merit, financial need, community service/volunteer work, faculty references and overall application quality," said Office of Scholarship Services Director Brian Treanor. "It is important to note that because Kean [University] is an NCAA Division III member, that athletic participation plays no role in the scholarship process."

The scholarship awards are applicable to the 2017-2018 academic school year. 

If students have any questions about the application process or scholarships in general, they should email kuscholar@kean.edu.