FAQs

Southern Scholarship Foundation has firm application deadlines of November 1st (for the Spring Semester) and April 1st (for the Fall Semester). Applications submitted after these deadlines will not be considered for acceptance.

All applicants, including those reapplying, need to be 25 years or younger on or before their first day of school of the semester they are applying.

Southern Scholarship Foundation will to the extent possible, place students in housing that is most suitable to the gender identity of the respective student. SSF has a zero-tolerance for bullying, social isolation, or harassment based on any aspect of a person’s identity. Individuals are encouraged to speak with the Director of Student Affairs to discuss what housing option will best fit their needs.

Southern Scholarship Foundation uses housing labeled female or male. However, from time-to-time circumstances may offer mixed-gender housing as needed. Residents will be notified and offered a single gendered housing option.

Yes. SSF accepts all students that meet the eligibility requirements. International students who do not have an EFC number must use the link provided in the application to calculate it.

Applicants who are interested in being considered for more than one campus will need to denote this information on the application. There is a section that asks for your top choice and other campuses you would like to be considered for.

Throughout the semesters, vacancies tend to arise at SSF. If and when this occurs, the Director of Student Affairs will carefully consider all wait-listed students for any vacancies. SSF cannot guarantee that a spot will open. It is advisable for all wait-listed students to continually check their email for updates. All applicants are encouraged to secure on-campus housing. SSF has a partnership with the university housing departments. If selected for a scholarship, most housing departments will release you of your dorm contract with proof of acceptance into SSF. However, SSF cannot assist with private housing providers.

All residents are instructed to complete a Scholarship Renewal Application at the end of each spring semester. Review factors include overall academic requirements, program adherence, compatibility, and commitment. As long as the resident is not on Academic or Conduct Probation, completes the application and essay on time & correctly, and has maintained the basic scholarship requirements (3.0 cumulative GPA, EFC below 7500, and cooperative living within the house), the resident’s scholarship is renewable for the following year.

Yes. Residents who leave SSF and want to reapply must contact the Director of Student Affairs for their respective campus before starting an application. If a resident was dismissed after being placed on Academic Probation, their cumulative GPA must be a 3.0 before consideration. Any resident that has been dismissed due to Conduct Probation will not be accepted back.

Yes and it satisfies the first-year requirement for students.

Once you create a profile within the application, you will be able to add a recommender who will be sent an email with the link to submit the letter of recommendation. You will be notified via email once we have received the letter of recommendation. Only after SSF receives the letter will you be able to submit your application.

Admissions@SouthernScholarship.org

Beyond rent-free housing, SSF is a living and learning community. The cooperative living program fosters leadership and instills essential life skills. Residents maintain individual household responsibilities, such as cooking, cleaning common areas, managing the house’s finances, budgeting weekly expenses, and organizing socials.

Yes.

Upon acceptance to SSF, each student must pay an initial $300 reservation fee. The reservation fee is a one-time fee, paid directly to SSF, of which $150 is refundable when a student leaves SSF (in good standing).

Residents pay a Food & Services Bill that averages $1,200 statewide and is paid directly to their assigned house. Each house has its own checking account to cover the household expenses of food, utilities, cable, laundry, Wi-Fi, fire monitoring, waste collection, and maintenance. $275 is due on move-in day.

Each student must pay at least $275 to receive keys and move into the house. If you do not have $275 upon move-in you will need to contact the Director of Student Affairs as you may not be able to move in without it.

Each resident must pay their Food & Services Bill directly to their scholarship house using a check, money order, or Zeffy. Details are provided to residents after scholarship acceptance.

Suite-style and community-style houses follow the same community living standards, the only difference is in the setup of the house bathrooms. Residents of suite-style houses share bathrooms based off of room arrangement. Between two rooms is a full bathroom, shared by the residents living in the two rooms. Residents of community-style houses share larger bathrooms based off of an area of the house..

Each room comes with a bed, dresser, closet, desk, and chair for each resident in the room. The mattresses in each room are encased with a protective mattress cover. Depending on the room, some may have additional furniture to be shared between residents, such as a bookshelf or additional table. Typically, two residents share a room, although this number can increase depending on the size of the room and house.

Residents should bring personal items for their space, such as bed sheets (all beds are regular twin), comforters, décor, personal hygiene and shower products, as these items are not provided. Basic furniture is covered in each room, and through each resident’s contribution to the house budget through their semesterly Food & Service Bill payment, community cleaning and paper products are purchased for general house use. Residents may choose to bring additional items such as lamps, shelves, rugs, curtains, etc. for their shared space, and are encouraged to discuss this with their roommate.

Yes! SSF residents are often highly involved with their campus community, from involvement in service organizations, clubs, intramural sports, and more, in addition to partaking in competitive internships and career opportunities. Regardless of campus and community involvement, residents should stay mindful of the commitments of their SSF housing scholarship, such as attending semesterly events, house meetings, leadership, and successfully living cooperatively.

Yes, SSF residents can bring their personal vehicle and may park on SSF property for free. In order to do so, residents must complete the automobile registration form (LINK) and bring their license and registration to the SSF office to be scanned and placed on file. Failure to register a vehicle may result in towing the vehicle from SSF property.
Residents of the houses on the FAMU and FGCU campuses, and their guests, must abide by the parking policies of their respective universities and are not required to have SSF parking decals or passes.