We understand that you put a lot of effort into both your academics and your scholarship application. However, direct feedback on your application is not possible.
ISTS takes care to review all completed eligible applications. To maintain the integrity of this process and our judges, ISTS will not change decisions.
You can search for more scholarship opportunities at websites like scholarships.com.
To maintain tax free status of funds, ISTS cannot pay funds to you directly. In general, schools apply scholarship funds tax free to tuition, academic fees, books, and equipment a course requires.
It is common in the current academic world for schools to issue need-based financial aid. However, when you receive a new scholarship or grant, it may prompt your school to change your need-based award. If this happens to you, you will need to either negotiate with your school or contact ISTS to defer the scholarship to another year.
Tax laws vary by country, but in the United States, scholarship funds are not taxable if used exclusively for the payment of tuition or textbooks. The scholarship recipient is responsible for taxes that are applied to his or her scholarship award. We recommend you consult your tax adviser for more guidance. You may also consult IRS Publication 970 for further information.
Here are some things to avoid when uploading your documents.
Don’t upload a Microsoft Word™ document (.doc, .docx) or any other format we don’t accept.
Don’t upload more than the requested documentation.
Don’t assume your documents are correct and accepted once you have uploaded them.
Don’t upload a document stating you are mailing your documents.
Don’t assume the required document does not pertain to you. If the application states the document is required, your application will remain incomplete if you do not provide that document.
Don’t upload any file that has a viewing expiration date.
Don’t password protect your uploaded documents. Password protected documents will be rejected.
The Resume page of your application is an opportunity to set yourself apart from your GPA. We recommend entering recent events and awards or activities that you have participated in for a long time as these are stronger and give your scholarship application a robust concise view of what is most important to you.
You can click the tab at the top of your screen to trigger the save function. Additionally, any time you click Submit the form saves. You can still come back and keep editing it until the form deadline. Clicking submit multiple time only saves the new version of the form. This will not duplicate your form.
ISTS uses the eligibility page to verify applicant eligibility for an award. The employee may either be the applicant or the applicant’s parent/guardian or other family member. When you fill out this page, make sure this is information that the relevant employer can check. Contact and address information should refer to business locations rather than personal.
Employees should feel free to reach out to their employer to clarify what information is best to use.
Unless otherwise stated, you should provide your most recently updated transcript to the application process. This may be from a degree you have just completed or have just started.
If you feel it necessary to provide multiple college transcripts, place acceptable files into a .zip file and upload it to the application for review.
Scholarship renewals often only come once a season. Depending on your scholarship sponsor, their renewal timeline may not line up with your school’s academic calendar. With more than 5,000 schools across the United States alone and even more students studying abroad, this is inevitable.
If you find that your school falls outside your renewal timeline, don’t panic. First, file the online form for your renewal to the best of your knowledge. All information should pertain to the upcoming semester. With the form submitted, reach out to our Program Support team with when you expect to have your transcript. We will do all we can to help you out.
