• Legal residents of Delaware
• U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens
• High school seniors who rank in upper quarter of class or GED recipients with a minimum score of 300
• Combined score of at least 1800 on the SAT
• Enroll full-time at a nonprofit, regionally accredited institution.

Award:

• $1,500/year
• Approximately 20 awards/year
• Renewable for up to three additional years with satisfactory academic progress

Deadlines:

• All application materials must be received by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 26, 2010.
• Your High School Academic Record Report and Transcript Request (with your high school transcript) must be submitted directly from your high school to the Commission and received by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 26, 2010.
• Award recipients will be notified by May 14, 2010, and must accept by June 11, 2010.

To apply:
You can apply online beginning December 1, 2009, by completing the Common Merit Application on DHEC's secure Student Account Access site at https://www.doe.k12.de.us/high-ed/student/login.aspx. First-time users must establish an account and provide a valid email and mailing address before proceeding to the application. Incomplete applications cannot be processed. Please be sure to provide all of the required information:

1. Completed application, including activities
2. Essay of no less than 1,000 and no more than 1,200 words, excluding headings and footnotes (word count will be verified)
3. High School Academic Record Report and Transcript Request (with your high school transcript) submitted directly from your high school to the Commission