The national Self Storage Association (SSA) has announced that its scholarship foundation, the Self Storage Association Foundation (SSAF), is accepting applications for college scholarships for the 2010-2011 academic year. Scholarships will range in amounts from $2500 to $5000 per academic year. They can be used to pay for tuition, fees, course-related expenses such as books and laboratory materials, and for room and board.
To qualify for a scholarship from the SSAF, students must demonstrate financial need and must have a cumulative grade point average of at least a "C," or a 2.0 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 point scale. To demonstrate financial need, students should fill out the 2010-2011 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Student Aid Report (SAR). Applicants must also be employed by companies that are members of the Self Storage Association, or must be children or grandchildren of SSA member employees. Students should obtain the SSA member number for the self-storage facility with which they are associated, or contact the SSA for help in locating the member number.
Applicants for the SSAF scholarship must also be U.S. citizens, must show integrity at school or in the workplace, and must be enrolled at least part-time (for at least six credits) at an accredited postsecondary institution during the scholarship award period.
Applications should be submitted electronically by midnight Eastern Time, February 15, 2010. Students who are awarded SSAF scholarships will be notified late in March 2010. However, scholarship money will not be disbursed until the student's academic institution confirm's each student's enrollment. Checks will be sent to colleges annually.
Students who receive scholarships must maintain good academic standing at their institutions, including maintaining good conduct and keeping grades above at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale. If students fall below the required GPA, drop out of school between semesters, or reduce the number of credits they are taking per semester below six, they will forfeit the remainder of their scholarships. Part of each scholarship may be considered taxable income by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and students are responsible for any tax liability that they owe as a result of the scholarship.