Hinkle Student Resource Center

Special Populations Scholarship

The Special Populations Scholarship Program (SPOPS) provides assistance for tuition, fees and textbooks (up to 12 credit hours) for students who demonstrate financial need, meet other scholarship requirements, and are enrolled in eligible occupational programs of study. The scholarship helps students acquire job skills and become financially self-supporting and personally independent. Income guidelines may apply.

The Special Populations Scholarship is available for all semesters at Schoolcraft College on a first-come, first-served basis as long as funding is available. Funding is not available to students enrolled in transfer programs (such as liberal arts/sciences, business transfer, education transfer) or continuing education (non-credit) programs of study.

Eligibility Guidelines

To be eligible for Special Populations funding students must:

  • Be in one of the officially classified "special populations" categories:
    • Student who is a single parent
    • Student who is a homemaker/displaced homemaker
    • Student enrolled in a non-traditional program for his/her gender
    • Student who is economically disadvantaged
    • Student with limited ability to speak, read, write, and/or understand the English language
    • Student with a documented disability (documentation must be on file with a Schoolcraft College Disability Support Counselor)
    • Student who is unemployed or underemployed
    • Student in foster care or has recently aged out of the foster care system
    • Student with parents on active duty in the armed forces
    • Student without permanent housing
  • Be in good academic standing - with a minimum 2.0 GPA and have completed at least 67% of all attempted credit hours
  • Be enrolled in a fundable state of Michigan approved program of study
  • Be able to demonstrate substantial unmet financial need
  • File FAFSA for the current school year and receive an offer/denial letter from the Schoolcraft College Financial Aid Office
  • Not have a degree higher than an Associate degree

To Apply

Students who meet the eligibility requirement must:

  • Complete the Special Populations Scholarship application - including a complete course worksheet
  • Provide a copy of the student's Schoolcraft College Financial Aid Offer Letter for the current academic year
  • Receive and read the Guidelines for Funding attached to the SPOPS application

Important SPOPS Information

  • Students interested in applying for the Special Populations Scholarship must submit a new application each semester before each semester's deadline. Incomplete applications will not be processed.
  • All applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Application will not be accepted before semester registration information (which includes course section numbers) is available on the College website.
  • Any changes to enrollment status by the student must be reported immediately to Special Populations Scholarship staff. Failure to do so may result in award reversal; it is the student's responsibility to pay all outstanding amounts owed to the College.
  • SPOPS recipient's academic progress is reviewed at the close of each semester. Recipients must maintain satisfactory academic progress in classes for which they are funded. Incompletes, withdrawals, and/or poor academic performance may result in a balance owed by the student to the College.
  • Courses not required for students declared academic program and/or classes previously attempted at Schoolcraft College are not eligible for SPOPS funding.
  • Maximum SPOPS tuition award is 12 credit hours. Textbooks are calculated based on the College Bookstore's website; funding is provided for required textbooks and supplies only.
  • Special Populations Scholarship applicants will be notified by email regarding their application status.
  • Maximum amount of funding: up to $1,000 for tuition and fees per semester and up to $500 for required textbooks and supplies per semester for students who qualify.