A college education improves your chances at having a promising career and fulfilling life. Thanks to the generosity of the Acklie Charitable Foundation, Nelnet and Union Bank & Trust, the dream of a quality education can be a reality for graduating public or private high school students through the Learn to Dream Scholarship.
The scholarship, established in 2007, gives economically disadvantaged students the opportunity to complete up to 60 semester credit hours at one of the Southeast Community College campuses in Beatrice, Lincoln and Milford, without paying tuition and fees.
Eligibility
You can apply for the Learn to Dream Scholarship if you meet the following criteria:
- You are enrolled in a Lincoln public school or private school at the beginning of your senior year.
- You must remain in the district until graduation.
- You must be approved for free or reduced-price meals.
- You must start college at SCC within one year of high school graduation.
Eligible students in the 10th 11th or 12th grade may enroll in SCC dual-credit and The Career Academy classes that provide high school and college credit at the same time. The scholarship pays tuition and fees and counts toward the 60 semester credit hours available to each student.
How To Apply
The application process starts with current high school students visiting with their high school counselor and filling out the application online through Lincoln Public Schools.
If you attend high school in SCC’s 15-county area, you may be eligible for a Learn to Dream Community Scholarship which covers 30 semester credit hours. Graduates from outside of Lincoln High Schools are not eligible for a second year of scholarship. Check with your high school counselor or SENCAP coordinator at one of these schools to see if you qualify: Ashland Greenwood, Beatrice, Bishop Neumann, Diller-Odell, Exeter-Milligan, Falls City, Fillmore Central, Friend, Heartland, Johnson-Brock, Johnson Co, Central/Tecumseh J.S., Lewiston Consolidated, McCool Junction, Mead, Milford, Norris, Palmyra, Pawnee City, Seward, Shickley, Southern, Syracuse-Dunbar, Tri-County, Wahoo, Weeping Water, Wilber-Clatonia, and York.
Once you are awarded a Learn to Dream Scholarship, you must be actively participating in an SCC class within one year after graduating high school to activate the scholarship.
For example, if you graduate from high school in May of 2025, then you must be attending a class before May of 2026. Please note, being enrolled for a future term within the deadline does not activate the scholarship. You must be actively participating in a class within a year or you will lose the scholarship.
- The Learn to Dream Scholarship is awarded term by term and is applied to your student account approximately four weeks into the term.
- As an SCC student, you are eligible to also apply for Pell Grants and other scholarships. To apply for Pell Grants and other scholarships, you will need to complete the FAFSA. Keep in mind each award and scholarship you receive have separate academic policies, regulations and requirements. Always speak to the Learn to Dream office and Financial Aid when figuring out your current status.
Once you are in the program and a start date has been established, you must successfully complete 30 semester credit hours within 24 months of first enrollment at SCC after graduation. If you used Learn to Dream at TCA or for dual credit classes while in high school, your graduation date will be used as your official enrollment date.
To remain in good standing in the program, you:
- Must maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade-point-average while enrolled at SCC. If you drop below a 2.0, you will be placed on probation or suspension. You will receive communications from the Learn to Dream office about completing an appeal.
- Must enroll in and pass ACFS 1015-Success@SCC in your first term. If dropped or failed, you must retake the class in the following term. If dropped or failed for a second time, the scholarship is withdrawn.
- Are responsible for purchasing your own textbooks, supplies and potential special fees.
As a Learn to Dream Scholarship recipient, you:
- Are not required to take a certain amount of credits each semester. That said, you need to be mindful of the 24-month time frame you have to use the scholarship.
- Can take a semester off as long as you can complete your 30 hours in a 24-month time frame.
- Can drop a class and will not have to repay the Learn to Dream funds. Keep in mind this will have an impact on your federal financial aid completion ratio if you are receiving federal funds. You will want to speak to the Financial Aid office before dropping a class to understand any possible impacts of probation or suspension.
Once you have been awarded the scholarship, we suggest you do the following:
- Schedule an admissions appointment to be guided through the admissions process or to find a program which fits your career goals.
- Complete the admissions process.
- Demonstrate Math and Reading proficiency. You may send your ACT/SAT test scores to admissions. If you do not have ACT/SAT scores, you may contact the SCC Testing Center to schedule the Next-Generation ACCUPLACER® exam.
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
- Register for classes within three semesters of high school graduation and ACFS 1015 during your first semester at SCC.
