For Making Waves Academy
Making Waves Education Foundation partners with Making Waves Academy to make college affordable and graduation attainable. Our college and career success program provides need-based scholarship funding, one-to-one college and career coaching, and financial planning to support students on their path to graduating college with minimal to no debt and set up for their first job.
What’s the program all about? Making Waves’ college and career success program offers scholarships, coaching, and financial planning to support you on your path to getting your college degree with minimal debt and landing a college-level job.
Our college coaching is all about you. We’re here to help you navigate college life, from picking the right major and planning your path to graduation to forming meaningful connections.
With Making Waves, you’re in control of your college finances, with financial aid and budgeting support from our team. Earn $2,000 (community college) or $4,000–$6,000 (four-year college) in annual scholarships that go directly to you to spend when you need it.
Dreaming of a future career but unsure where to start? Partner with our career team to explore career paths, pursue internships, expand your network, and find a job that matches your degree.
We invite you to bring your questions to an upcoming information session.
All Making Waves Academy students with a minimum 2.0 GPA – including undocumented students – who are interested in attending four-year college or community college after high school can apply to join the program during their senior year of high school.
We want you to feel prepared to fully commit to engaging with the support we provide on your path to earning a college degree.
The application process is designed to support your college and career goals by:
Your scholarship is about who you are and your aspirations for the future. Our program application includes written and verbal responses, a recommender evaluation, and information from your high school transcript and the FAFSA.
Four-year college goers: Your annual scholarship award will be $4,000; $5,000; or $6,000. The amount is determined based on the strength of your program application. The top 30% of accepted applicants will be awarded $6,000, the middle 40% will be awarded $5,000; and the next 30% will be awarded $4,000.
Community college goers: Your annual scholarship award will be $2,000 because the cost of attendance at community colleges is lower.
When you apply to our program, we review:
Through a combination of financial aid, grants, and other scholarships, 85% of Making Waves’ college graduates earn their degree with $0 debt. And, for Making Waves college graduates with some debt, their average debt load is less than $10,000 (compared to $30,000 nationally).
While the Making Waves scholarship won’t cover your full cost of attendance, our team will work with you to create a college budget that minimizes debt. We always encourage students to pursue additional scholarship opportunities to supplement their college income.
Once you’ve accepted your place and registered to join our Making Waves college and career success program, you can unlock your scholarship funds in three steps:
Meet with your Making Waves financial services coordinator to help you with this! They’ll help you make sense of your financial aid, scholarship, and cost of attendance.
We’re committed to helping you get your degree on time. To do that, you must enroll in and provide proof that you are registered for full-time units (typically a minimum of 12 units per term).
Once you’ve completed your college budget and we have verified your college enrollment, you’ll be invited to sign-up for your virtual scholarship card. Your scholarship funds will be loaded onto your card each academic term, so you can spend them when you need them.
The new scholarship award puts you in control of your college finances, with more flexible scholarship funding disbursed directly to you, so you can spend it when you need it.
With the previous scholarship we observed about a $2,000 difference in scholarship dollars awarded compared to actual spending. In other words, students weren’t spending their full scholarship allowance, partially due to restrictions with the scholarship process and guidelines. The new scholarship is more streamlined for easier spending on college costs.
Then… Wave MWA-21 | Now… Wave MWA-22 and beyond | |
|---|---|---|
Scholarship award went from variable and need-based to predictable and a set amount | Up to $5,000 need-based scholarship that covers only gaps in your cost of attendance i.e. amounts not paid for by financial aid or other scholarships. Scholarship amount changes year to year based on need. | Set amount: Community college: $2,000 ; Four-year college: $4,000 / $5,000 / or $6,000. Scholarship awarded based on who you are and your aspirations for the future – evaluated based on the strength of your program application. Scholarship amount is set for two years and then reevaluated to keep your award aligned with your progress and commitment. |
Scholarship fund spending went from restrictive to flexible | Restricted spending: Tuition and fees; Required books and supplies; Housing and campus meal plans; Travel related to attendance at the school | Flexible spending: Any costs related to going to college, including: Tuition and fees; Books and supplies; Housing, utilities, and food; Transportation, gas, parking; Other personal costs |
Scholarship fund disbursement went from three week payment requests to fast and easy payments | Students submit a payment request to Making Waves and a staff member makes the payment on their behalf. This process can take up to 3 weeks. | Students receive a virtual prepaid card loaded with their scholarship award for the academic term, so they can make their own payments when they need to. |
This scholarship is about you and your aspirations for the future! The change was driven primarily by college student feedback and a commitment to awarding more scholarship funding to more students.
Making Waves Education Foundation communicated with students and families about the decision to change the need-based scholarship amount in 2021. This decision was based on:
The most recent change is designed to award more scholarship funding to more students; and provide more flexibility with spending. With the previous scholarship we observed about a $2,000 difference in scholarship dollars awarded compared to actual spending. In other words, students weren’t spending their full scholarship allowance, partially due to restrictions with the scholarship process and guidelines.
We have found that students who demonstrate a commitment to college and characteristics like self-awareness, interdependence, passion, and perseverance are more engaged in our programming in support of their college and career goals.
To remain eligible for scholarship funds, you must meet the following criteria on an ongoing basis:
We are here to support your journey! Your college coach and financial services coordinator will support you in navigating college life, including program-specific requirements.
With more agency comes more responsibility, but not to worry – our team of college financial experts will help you create a financial plan that minimizes debt at the start of every year. They will help you make sense of your financial aid, grants, and other scholarships; and allocate funding to key components of your cost of attendance like tuition, housing and meals, transportation, books and supplies, and personal costs. In fact, this is one of our annual requirements before your scholarship funds are disbursed.
Additionally, your scholarship will be disbursed in equal amounts by academic term, so your spending will be spaced out throughout the year in-line with your financial plan. You are fully in control of your college finances, and our team will check-in with you periodically to help you monitor your budget.
This depends on what you spend your scholarship on and your annual income. In general, funds spent on tuition and required fees are not taxable. However, funds spend on housing, meals, transportation, medical expenses, and other personal costs are taxable. For more information, visit this IRS webpage.
Current college students in our Making Waves program do not need to reapply for their scholarship. At this time, we are not changing the scholarship for current college students, though we are considering applying a set scholarship award for AY23-24 high school graduates – only if our budget allows us to maintain or increase students’ current scholarship award.
Making Waves Education Foundation relies 100% on generous donations to provide programming and scholarships for students. While unlikely, it is possible that forces beyond our control may cause a change in the scholarship provided to Wave-Makers in the future. We will always prioritize funding for students and if changes are needed, communicate them in a timely manner so students and families can plan accordingly.
At Making Waves, we are committed to educational equity. Making Waves Education Foundation is a Bay Area nonprofit that supports Making Waves Academy – a public charter school with more than 1,000 5th through 12th grade students – and leads college and career programming with more than 430 college students.
Knowing the opportunities that come with a college degree, we partner with historically underrepresented and underserved students to help make college affordable and graduation attainable. Centering the journeys of our students, our personalized approach includes college and career coaching, scholarships, and financial planning.
Our alumni network includes more than 750 college graduates, who earn their degrees and land jobs at more than twice the rate of their first-generation, low-income peers, with 86% graduating debt-free.
¿De qué trata el programa en general? El programa de éxito universitario y de carrera de Making Waves ofrece becas, orientación y planificación financiera para apoyarlo en su ruta a obtener su título universitario con una deuda mínima y que conduzca a un trabajo a nivel universitario.
¿Sueña con una carrera en el futuro, pero no está seguro de cómo comenzar? Asóciese con nuestro equipo de carrera para explorar rutas de carrera, conseguir pasantías, expandir su red y encontrar un trabajo que se acople a su título.
Le invitamos a compartir sus preguntas en una próxima sesión informativa:
Todos los estudiantes de Making Waves Academy con un promedio general mínimo de 2.0, incluyendo a estudiantes no documentados, que estén interesados en asistir a una universidad de cuatro años o instituto superior después de la secundaria pueden solicitar unirse al programa durante su último año de secundaria. Las solicitudes se abrirán del 13 de enero al 28 de febrero. Visite la página de solicitudes para más información.
Queremos que se sienta preparada para comprometerse totalmente a participar con el apoyo que ofrecemos en su carrera hacia la obtención de un título universitario.
El proceso de solicitud está diseñado para apoyarlo con su universidad y objetivos de carrera al:
Su beca refleja lo que es usted y sus aspiraciones para el futuro. Nuestra solicitud al programa incluye respuestas escritas y verbales, una evaluación de una persona recomendante e información de su constancia académica y FAFSA.
Asistentes a universidades de cuatro años: La adjudicación de su beca anual será de $4,000, $5,000 o $6,000. El monto se determina sobre la base de lo robusta de su solicitud al programa. Se concederá al 30% más alto de los solicitantes aceptados $6,000, al 40% intermedio se le adjudicará $5,000 y al 30% restante se le adjudicarán $4,000.
Asistentes a institutos de educación superior: La adjudicación de su beca anual será de $2,000 debido a que el costo para asistir a institutos de educación superior es menor.
Cuando usted aplica a nuestro programa, revisamos:
Por medio de una combinación de ayuda financiera, subvenciones y otras becas, el 85% de los graduados universitarios de Making Waves obtienen su título con una deuda $ 0. Y, para los graduados universitarios de Making Waves con algo de deuda, su carga de deuda promedio es menor a $10,000 (en comparación con $30,000 a nivel nacional).
Aunque la beca de Making Waves no cubrirá su costo de asistencia total, nuestro equipo trabajará con usted para crear un presupuesto de universidad que minimice la deuda. Siempre recomendamos a los estudiantes proseguir oportunidades de becas adicionales para complementar sus ingresos universitarios.
Una vez que ha acetado su lugar y se ha registrado para unirse al programa de éxito universitario y de carrera de Making Waves, podrá desbloquear sus fondos de beca en tres pasos:
La nueva adjudicación de beca le da el control de sus finanzas universitarias, con un fondo de beca más flexible que se le desembolsa directamente, puede invertirlo cuando lo requiera.
Con la beca anterior observamos una diferencia aproximada de $ 2,000 en dólares de beca adjudicados en comparación con el gasto real. En otras palabras, los estudiantes no estaban invirtiendo toda la subvención de su beca, en parte debido a restricciones con el proceso y las pautas de la beca. La nueva beca se ha dinamizado más para facilitar la inversión en costos universitarios.
Then… Wave MWA-21 | Now… Wave MWA-22 and beyond | |
|---|---|---|
Adjudicación de beca | Variable, basada en la necesidad
Una beca basada en la necesidad de hasta $ 5,000 que cubra únicamente vacíos en sus costos de asistencia, por ejemplo, montos no pagados por ayuda financiera u otras becas.
El monto de becas cambia de año a año basado en la necesidad.
| Predecible, monto establecido:
Monto establecido:
• Instituto de educación superior: $2,000
• Universidad de cuatro años: $4,000 / $5,000 / o $6,000
Beca adjudicada sobre la base de quién es usted y sus aspiraciones para el futuro, evaluada sobre la base de lo robusto de su solicitud al programa.
El monto de beca se establece para dos años y luego se reevalúa para mantener su adjudicación alineada con sus avances y compromiso. |
Qué fondos de la beca se pueden gastar | Gasto restringido
• Colegiatura y gastos
• Libros y útiles requeridos
• Vivienda y planes de comidas en el campus
• Viajes relacionados a asistir a la escuela | Gastos flexibles
Cualquier costo relacionado a ir a la universidad, incluyendo:
• Colegiatura y gastos
• Libros y útiles
• Vivienda, servicios públicos y alimentación
• Transporte, gasolina, estacionamiento
• Otros costos personales
|
Cómo se desembolsan los fondos de la beca | Solicitar pagos con tres semanas de anticipación
Los estudiantes presentan una solicitud de pago a Making Waves y un miembro del personal hace el pago en su nombre. Este proceso puede tomar hasta 3 semanas.
| Pagos rápidos y fáciles
Los estudiantes reciben una tarjeta prepaga virtual a la cual se carga su adjudicación de beca para su periodo académico, de modo que puedan hacer sus propios pagos cuando lo necesiten.
|
Esta beca refleja lo que es usted y sus aspiraciones para el futuro. El cambio se promovió principalmente por observaciones de los estudiantes universitarios y un compromiso por adjudicar más fondos a las becas para más estudiantes.
Making Waves Education Foundation se comunicó con los estudiantes y sus familias respecto a la decisión de cambiar el monto de becas basado en la necesidad para 2021. Esta decisión se basó en:
El cambio más reciente está diseñado para adjudicar más fondos de becas a más estudiantes; y ofrecer una mayor flexibilidad en el gasto. Con la beca anterior observamos una diferencia aproximada de $ 2,000 en dólares de beca adjudicados en comparación con el gasto real. En otras palabras, los estudiantes no estaban invirtiendo toda la subvención de su beca, en parte debido a restricciones con el proceso y las pautas de la beca.
Hemos determinado que los estudiantes que demuestran un compromiso con la universidad y características como concientización, interdependencia, pasión y perseverancia están más comprometidos en nuestra programación en soporte de su universidad y objetivos de carrera.
Para seguir siendo elegible para fondos de becas, debe cumplir con el siguiente criterio de manera continua:
Estamos aquí para apoyarlo en su trayectoria Su orientador universitario y coordinador de servicios financieros lo apoyarán en explorar la vida universitaria, incluyendo requisitos específicos al programa.
Con un mayor representación viene más responsabilidad, pero no se preocupe, nuestro equipo de expertos financieros universitarios lo ayudarán a crear un plan financiero que minimice su deuda al inicio de cada año. Le ayudarán a entender su asistencia financiera, subvenciones y otras becas; y asignar un financiamiento a componentes clave de su costo de asistencia como, por ejemplo, colegiatura, vivienda y comidas, transporte, libros, útiles y costos personales. De hecho, este es uno de nuestros requisitos anuales antes de que se desembolsen los fondos de su beca.
Adicionalmente, su beca será desembolsada en montos iguales por periodo académico, de modo que sus gastos tengan un espacio a lo largo del año, alineado con su plan financiero. Usted estará en total control de sus finanzas universitarias, y nuestro equipo verificará con usted periódicamente para ayudarlo a llevar un control de su presupuesto.
Esto depende en qué invierta su beca y de sus ingresos anuales. En general, los fondos invertidos en colegiatura y gastos requeridos no son gravables. Sin embargo, los fondos invertidos en vivienda, comidas, transporte, gastos médicos y otros costos personales son gravables. Para mayor información, consulte: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/qualified-ed-expenses
Los estudiantes universitarios actuales en nuestro programa en Making Waves no necesitan volver a aplicar para su beca. En este momento, no estamos cambiando las becas de estudiantes universitarios actuales, aunque estamos considerando la aplicación de una adjudicación de beca establecida para graduados de secundaria del año 2023-2024, solo si nuestro presupuesto nos permite mantener o incrementar la adjudicación de beca actual de los estudiantes.
Making Waves Education Foundation depende en un 100% de donaciones generosas para ofrecer programaciones y becas para estudiantes. Aunque es poco probable, es posible que fuerzas más allá de nuestro control puedan causar un cambio en la beca proporcionada a los alumnos de Making Waves en el futuro. Siempre daremos prioridad al financiamiento para estudiantes y sin fuesen necesarios cambios, los comunicaremos de manera oportuna de modo que los estudiantes y sus familiares puedan planificarlo de manera correspondiente.
At Making Waves, we are committed to educational equity. Making Waves Education Foundation is a Bay Area nonprofit that supports Making Waves Academy – a public charter school with more than 1,000 5th through 12th grade students – and leads college and career programming with more than 430 college students.
Knowing the opportunities that come with a college degree, we partner with historically underrepresented and underserved students to help make college affordable and graduation attainable. Centering the journeys of our students, our personalized approach includes college and career coaching, scholarships, and financial planning.
Our alumni network includes more than 750 college graduates, who earn their degrees and land jobs at more than twice the rate of their first-generation, low-income peers, with 86% graduating debt-free.
