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SAN MARCOS — Open from May through August, Palomar’s Annual Scholarship Application provides a simple outlet for students to be considered for a range of financial awards.
All scholarships are facilitated by the Palomar College Foundation, an organization that seeks to “remove financial barriers to assure equal access to success for all Palomar College students,” Executive Director Stacy Rungaitis said.
According to the foundation, approximately 672 scholarships were awarded to students for the 2024-25 academic year, totaling $498,205.
The basic requirements for most scholarships include enrollment in at least 6 units and a minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. However, these criteria may be adjusted to provide flexibility and opportunities for all types of students.
The foundation works with donors to “make sure [scholarship] criteria is applicable to be able to award all scholarships,” Rungaitis said.
Students can gain access to the application by navigating to their MyPalomar account and selecting “Apply for Scholarships” on the dropdown list that appears beneath the “Financial Aid” tab. From there, students will be prompted to answer questions mainly pertaining to their academic and familial background.
There are also community service, extracurricular and short-essay sections. After submitting their application, students will automatically be considered for all scholarships they meet the criteria for.
Many awards are available generally and are not major-specific, extending financial opportunities for students who are undecided on their field of study.
The amount of money available for these kinds of scholarships varies. For example, the Palomar College Memorial Scholarship, which extends to full-time students with a minimum 3.0 GPA and demonstrated financial need, can range from $250 to $500.
Some scholarships are also targeted toward reaching students who may be facing disadvantages due to financial or background reasons, such as the Thomas Bibleheimer Jr. Scholarship, which is intended for, but not limited to, reentry students.
As of March 2026, the Foundation confirmed the approval of two significant funding requests. The Issa Family Foundation contributed $75,000 to support “former foster youth, the Rising Scholars and military-affiliated students,” according to documents from last month’s governing board meeting. Additionally, $20,000 was donated toward the Rising Scholar program by the Cohen Family Foundation.
Business and science are two of the most popular fields of study at Palomar, according to data collected by College Raptor in 2023. Palomar offers numerous scholarships that cater to students specializing in these areas.
For business majors, the Lois E. and Floy Danner Masinter Scholarship is a scholarship with an award of $1,000. The James H. Paquin/Osher Scholarship, which provides an award of $1,300, is offered to business and certain science-related majors.
In 2024, former Palomar professor Iris Kohler donated an estate gift of $500,000 to the foundation.
“The donation will establish an endowed scholarship for students in business and will live on in perpetuity,” Rungaitis said.
Science majors also have many scholarship opportunities available to them, including the Bill Bradley Memorial Scholarship, which awards $500 to full-time students who have a declared major of either math, science, or engineering.
For more detailed information on available scholarships, deadlines, and requirements, visit the Palomar Financial Aid website.