Miami-Dade College Assistance Program

Scholarship Sponsored by Miami Foundation

Short version — what CAP, Inc. does
- CAP, Inc. provides scholarships to Miami‑Dade County public high school graduates (or eligible GED earners) who have exhausted federal, state, and school financial aid but still face significant unmet need to attend college. Awards are for undergraduate study only.

A little history
- In 1977 the Miami‑Dade County Public School System piloted a college assistance program with a small team of part‑time advisors. In 1978 CAP, Inc. was founded to financially support that College Assistance Program and to award scholarships to students with significant need.

How to apply (step‑by‑step)
1. Go to miamifoundation.org/scholarships.
2. Click “scholarship portal” (right side of the page) and register for an account.
3. After registering, select “2023 College Assistance Program (CAP, Inc.) Scholarship” in the portal and complete the online application.
4. Submit your completed application online by Friday, May 23 at 5:00 p.m. (The Foundation will not accept mailed, faxed, or emailed applications.)

Eligibility — who can apply
- Demonstrated financial need based on the CAP Unmet Need Calculator.
- Graduated from a Miami‑Dade County Public High School, or earned a G.E.D. after November 1, 1996, with at least two years attending Miami‑Dade County public high schools.
- Accepted to or enrolled in a postsecondary institution to pursue a first undergraduate degree only.
- Enrolled full time (12–18 credits) toward a degree.
- The scholarship must be used only at the postsecondary institution named on your application.
- Complete the online application and upload all required attachments by the deadline. Do not expect staff to contact you if information is missing — incomplete applications will not be supplemented by email or phone.

Required attachments — what to upload and how
- All required documents must be uploaded as a single file (PDF or JPEG). If a document has multiple pages, combine them into one file before uploading. The online portal accepts only PDF or JPEG files.
1. CAP Unmet Need Calculator
- Download the calculator from the Foundation’s website, complete it, use its figures in your application, and upload a PDF version.
2. FAFSA Student Aid Report (SAR)
- Upload all pages for the applied year. If you are not eligible for federal aid, indicate that in the application.
3. College Financial Aid Award Letter
- Rising freshmen: Request the 2025–2026 award letter from your college’s financial aid office. If it’s not available by the CAP deadline, request an estimated award letter.
- Returning students (rising sophomores, juniors, seniors): If the 2025–2026 award letter is not available by the deadline, you may submit the 2024–2025 award letter.
4. Unofficial college transcript (returning students only)
- Required for applicants who will be sophomores, juniors, or seniors. Rising freshmen from Miami‑Dade Public Schools do not need to submit high school transcripts.
5. G.E.D. diploma
- Required only for G.E.D. applicants.

Important reminders (teacher’s checklist)
- Funds are only for undergraduate study.
- The scholarship award must be used at the institution named on your application.
- Only PDF or JPEG; combine multi‑page documents into a single file before uploading.
- The Foundation will not accept paper, faxed, or emailed submissions and will not notify you if something is missing.
- Double‑check your FAFSA SAR and award letter pages to be sure you uploaded everything required.

If you want, I can help you make a checklist you can print or copy into your phone to track each document as you gather it.