LBW Community College is changing the way scholarship applications are accepted, and applicants have a limited time frame to gather all the required documentation.

“For those interested in applying for LBWCC’s institutional scholarships, or scholarships available through the LBWCC Foundation or MacArthur Foundation, they must complete and submit the application online this year,” said Renée LeMaire, public information officer and director of marketing and development.

“Last year, we began transitioning to this method by offering both online and printed applications. By going strictly to online applications, the processing time is greatly reduced.”

Officials anticipate the application to be available through the college website, www.lbwcc.edu, by Jan. 15, 2014, with a March 3, 2014, submission deadline.

In addition, the State Board of Education requires students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before they can be considered for institutional scholarships, she said.

“Students must complete the FAFSA at www.fafsa.gov, which becomes available as of Jan. 1, 2014.”

Timing is critical in ensuring all the required documentation is gathered and submitted with the application, and requirements are different for some scholarships.

“Some require letters of recommendation, while others may have different requirements. It is the responsibility of the applicant to understand what is required. We are happy to answer any questions, but applications without the required documentation are considered incomplete.”

Parents and/or students need to process 2013 federal income tax returns as quickly as possible because that information is required for the FAFSA, she said.

“File taxes as early as possible, but don’t delay the FAFSA due to your taxes not being done. According to FAFSA documents, it is okay to estimate financial information on the FAFSA, and finalize it later. To help with processing, they should remember to include LBWCC’s federal student code of 008988.”

Each application has a minimum of three required documents: a completed LBWCC admission application, official high school transcript (for seniors, that includes ninth grade through the first semester of the 12th grade), and the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) number from the FAFSA application.

LBWCC recently announced an increase in institutional scholarships, now totaling more than $1 million for the 2014-2015 academic year. In addition, foundation awards last year totaled approximately $103,000 by the LBWCC Foundation and $22,000 by the MacArthur Foundation.