The Alachua County Housing Authority awards a Scholarship in the name of former a Board Member, Barbara Higgins who served on the Board for over 25 years.  The Barbara Higgins Scholarship Award was established in 1993 to provide financial aid for residents in public housing throughout Alachua County, who are qualified and interested in furthering their education.  Ms. Higgins, a lifelong resident of Gainesville, was involved in civic and community activities over many years.

The Santa Fe College Foundation offers a variety of other scholarship opportunities for deserving students.  If you do not qualify for the Barbara Higgins Scholarship we encourage you to apply for one of the others that are available. Applicants who apply for the SF Foundation scholarship will automatically be connected to any of SF Foundation scholarship for which they qualify.

Any resident interested in applying for the scholarship award must meet the following criteria of eligibility listed below:

  • Be a U.S. Citizen
  • Plan to enroll as a full-time student (12 credit hours) at Santa Fe College
  • Provide transcript showing the minimum of 2.0 GPA.   Official high school transcript must be submitted to Office for Advancement.  Incoming students/transfers official transcripts must be submitted to Registrar’s office for processing.
  • Complete the online registration
  • Scholarship recipients must upload a copy of their thank you letter addressed to their scholarship award at the SF Foundation before the award will be posted to the student’s college financial aid account.  The original hand-signed thank you letter must be mailed to the Santa Fe College Foundation Office, 3000 NW 83 Street, F-207, Gainesville, Fl 32606.
  • Must maintain the minimum GPA and hours completed requirements stated on the scholarship announcement each semester for renewal (if applicable to Scholarship).

2020-2021 Scholarship Applications are accepted year-round with the following priority dates.

  • Fall Term – Preferences are given to High School students – February 15th.
  • Fall Term – All students should apply – by June 15th.
  • Spring Term – All students should apply – by October 1st.

If you are interested in the opportunity, please contact Ebony Harrington, Housing Counselor for further information, and assistance.   Staff from the Housing Authority, Santa Fe College, and the Barbara L. Higgins Legacy Corporation will serve as resources to further assist you in preparation for this opportunity, if needed.  

For more information please visit BarbaraLHiggins.org