Roberta B. Willis Scholarship Program

Connecticut residents attending a Connecticut public or non-profit private college other than Wesleyan or Yale, who rank in the top 20 percent of their junior class and/or score 1200 SAT / 25 ACT, and whose Student Aid Index falls at or below the state's annual cutoff. The counselor files the application.

The Roberta B. Willis Scholarship is Connecticut's main state grant program, with a need-merit component and a need-based component. Under the need-merit award, full-time students may receive up to $5,250 per year in a four-year program or up to $4,650 per year in a two-year program (FY-26 figures). Merit is established by ranking in the top 20 percent of the junior-year class and/or scoring at least 1200 on the SAT or 25 on the ACT. Need is established by a federal Student Aid Index at or below the Office of Higher Education's annual cutoff, which was 10,999 for the most recently published year. Awards are usable at Connecticut public and non-profit private colleges, with Wesleyan University and Yale University excluded. The application is submitted by the student's school counselor, not by the student, which is a frequent point of failure.

Renewal terms: Renewable for up to six consecutive years toward an associate or bachelor's degree, subject to continued need, satisfactory academic progress and annual FAFSA refiling.