Jewish Children’s Regional Service (JCRS) is now accepting college aid applications for new and matriculating undergraduate Jewish students. The priority deadline is May 31, 2022. To be eligible, students must be Jewish and reside primarily within a seven-state service region: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. 

JCRS provides college or vocational training scholarships based on financial need. Many of the college students who receive aid from JCRS are from low-income families, but middle-class families are encouraged to apply. Over half of JCRS’s college scholarships are awarded to families whose household income is between $50,000 and $150,000.

In 2021, the program funded 90 students with an average award of $3,000. Typically, freshman and sophomores are eligible for grants for the academic year. Juniors and seniors generally are eligible for a combination of grants and no-interest loans.

Caroline Samuels, a recent college graduate and former recipient of JCRS college aid, sums up the program best, “Thank you for the generous scholarships and loans. They’ve made it much more manageable to handle the various costs. I would not have been able to complete my studies without the funding you all provided, so thank you very much.”

Applications can be found on the JCRS website at https://jcrs.org/services/college-aid/

For questions about the JCRS College Aid Program, contact Lisa Tabb at Lisa@jcrs.org or if in the Greater Houston area, contact Melanie Musser at Melanie@jcrs.org.

ABOUT JCRS: Established in 1855 as an orphanage in New Orleans, JCRS is currently the oldest existing Jewish children’s social service organization in the U.S., as well as the only regional Jewish child welfare agency in the country. JCRS provides needs-based scholarships for summer camp experiences, college aid and assistance to children with special needs. Additional outreach programs include the Oscar J. Tolmas Hanukkah Gift Program and the PJ Library program for Jewish children ages 12 and under.

For more information on JCRS and how to support its unique and important work with vulnerable of Jewish youth, call (800)729-5277, or visit the website at www.jcrs.org.