HSED Scholarships

Helping Adult City Residents Earn Their High School Degree

If you live in the City of Racine and are ready to go back to school to earn your high school diploma,
fill out this application for a City HSED Scholarship and begin your journey!

If you’re a City of Racine resident who is ready to go back to school to earn your high school diploma, fill out this application to earn up to $1,500 in City HSED Scholarship to help you pay the bills while you go through YWCA SEW’s FREE, supportive program. That’s right, their program is FREE, successful, and supportive, AND, for a limited time, you can earn up to $1,500 from the City while you do the work of going through this program. You can use the City HSED Scholarship for The City of Racine believes in the potential of all our residents! For a limited time, we are offering scholarships of up to $1,500 to adult City residents who go back to school to earn their high school degree through YWCA SEW’s HSED program.

We know that for many City residents, high school was not a good experience and life may have gotten in the way of getting that diploma. No matter what happened in the past that kept you from earning your high school diploma, we don’t want it to hold you back from your future. If you are ready to go back to school and earn your high school degree, we want to help you do that!

YWCA SEW’s FREE HSED program is based on schoolwork, not tests! It is a supportive, engaging program that will allow you to earn your high school credential in 20 weeks or less. 

We know that going back to school requires a lot of time, effort, and sacrifice, so the City of Racine is now offering scholarships of up to $1,500 to City residents who enroll in and graduate from this program. If you live in the City of Racine and are ready to enroll in YWCA SEW’s HSED program,

Learn more about YWCA SEW’s HSED program and register for a virtual information session with YWCA SEW here:

HSED Scholarships Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Eligible for These HSED Scholarships?
What if I Don’t Live in the City of Racine?
  • These scholarships are offered by and funded by the City of Racine and are only for people who live in the City of Racine.
  • You can check to see if your home address is actually in the City by looking up your address at https://myvote.wi.gov – if that site says people at that address vote at a City of Racine polling place, it’s in the City. Otherwise, it’s not.
How Do I Apply?
How Much Are the Scholarships?
  • You can earn up to $1,500 if you enroll in and graduate from YWCA SEW’s HSED program.
  • The total amount you’ll receive in scholarship payments depends on your progress in the program.
What Can I Use the Scholarship For?
  • The City’s HSED Scholarship is meant to help support you and your family while you focus on earning your HSED.
  • You can use the scholarship payments however you’d like: to pay the rent, child care, car payments, utilities, buy a laptop, etc.
  • Please note that receiving up to $1,500 from this Scholarship may affect your eligibility for public benefits and your taxes. Please reach out to the City’s Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) to get free, 1:1, confidential, professional help to achieve your financial goals and address any impacts from receiving the scholarship.
How Many Scholarship Payments Will I Receive?
  • You can earn a total of three separate scholarship payments, one after each completed milestone.
  • The total amount you can earn in scholarship payments depends on your progress in the program that you make AFTER you submit your HSED Scholarship Application. We cannot award scholarships for progress made in the program BEFORE you applied for the HSED Scholarship.
What Happens After I Apply?
  • You must enroll in YWCA SEW’s HSED program. Get started here www.YWCASEW.org/grow
  • After you have completed enrollment, you’ll be contacted by the City of Racine via email to complete these final steps for the scholarship. Make sure to check your email!
  • You will need to:
    • Sign a Scholarship Acknowledgement Form;
    • Complete a W9 form;
    • Provide verification of your City of Racine residency; and
    • Complete a short online survey
  • You will not receive any scholarship payments until after all of your documentation is complete.
What is the Application Deadline?
  • If you have not yet enrolled in YWCA SEW’s HSED program, you can apply for the City HSED Scholarship at any time. Funding is limited, though, so don’t wait to get started!
  • If you’re already enrolled in YWCA SEW’s HSED program, you will only be eligible for a partial scholarship amount based on the milestones you complete AFTER applying for the HSED Scholarship.
  • While you can apply for the City HSED Scholarship at any time, we recommend you apply sooner rather than later, especially because you can only earn scholarship payments for milestones you complete AFTER you have applied for the scholarship.
Once I’ve Applied for a Scholarship and Enrolled in YWCA SEW’s HSED Program, How Do I Get My Scholarship Payments?
  • You can earn a total of three scholarship payments.
  • You will earn one scholarship payment each time you achieve a milestone in the program after your scholarship application date. The City will be notified when milestones are met and verified. Those milestones are:
    • Completion of Health and Career Courses ($400 scholarship payment);
    • Completion of Science and Math Courses ($700 scholarship payment); and
    • Completion of Social Studies and Language Arts Course ($400 scholarship payment).
How will I Receive My Scholarship Payments?
  • You will receive checks by mail from the City of Racine.
  • You may also pick up your scholarship checks from the Mayor’s Office at City Hall.
  • You will be contacted by the City when your scholarship check is ready for mail or pick up.
How Long Will the City Offer These Scholarships?
  • The City has approved a set amount of money for these scholarships; once that funding is gone, the City will not be able to offer additional scholarships.
Who Do I Contact if I Have Additional Questions about YWCA SEW’s HSED Program?
Who Do I Contact if I Have Additional Questions About the City of Racine HSED Scholarships?
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