Blinn College District, Blinn Foundation announce new scholarship program for Austin County residents

Scholarship provides up to $1,000 in tuition support for Austin County residents for up to one year after they graduate from high school or earn their high school equivalency

January 24, 2024

Beginning this fall, a college education will be even more affordable for many Austin County residents.

The Blinn College District and Blinn College Foundation announced today a new scholarship that will provide up to $1,000 in tuition support for Austin County residents for up to one academic year. Effective beginning in fall 2024, the scholarship covers both academic transfer and career and technical education courses, as well as both credit and non-credit courses. Students may use the scholarship to attend any Blinn campus or complete courses online.

“The Blinn College Austin County Scholarship provides Austin County residents an affordable pathway to a college degree,” said Dr. Mary Hensley, Chancellor of the Blinn College District. “I would like to thank the Blinn College Foundation and its Board of Directors for their support of this initiative and for their dedication to creating new opportunities for Austin County students.”

“This scholarship represents an incredible gift for the Austin County high school students who will begin their college education at Blinn,” said Nancy Berry, Chair of the Blinn College Foundation Board of Directors.

The scholarship has no need requirements and disburses on a “last-dollar basis,” meaning that scholarship funds will be applied toward eligible students’ tuition costs after all other financial aid awards have been applied toward their balance. Scholarship funding covers up to 12 credit hours per semester and is available for up to one year after students have graduated high school or earned their high school equivalency.

To be eligible, students must:

• be residents of Austin County;
• have graduated from any public, private or home-school high school or earned their high school equivalency in the past year;
• complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at https://studentaid.gov;
• apply to Blinn College at ApplyTexas.org;
• apply for the scholarship using the Endowed Scholarship Application at www.blinn.edu/scholarships when the application opens on Feb. 1, 2024;
• and maintain a 2.0 Blinn College GPA (if applicable).

The scholarship is funded by a gift from the estate of Sidney Dell Johnston Remmert. Remmert was a graduate of Sealy High School and attended Blinn College from 1957 to 1959. At Blinn, she was a member of the Blinn College Buccaneer Band, assisted in the library, and worked part-time in the administration office.

She transferred to Sam Houston State Teachers College and graduated with a degree in library science. After years working as a high school librarian, she and her husband worked on their ranch and managed a livestock operation located between Sealy and Wallis.

The Blinn College Austin County Scholarship builds upon the success of the Blinn College Washington County Scholarship that launched in 2022. Blinn seeks to create similar scholarships for additional counties in its service area with additional funding.

“This scholarship represents just the beginning of what we hope to offer students in the years to come,” Hensley said. “With additional funding, we can expand this program to provide students more scholarship support, extend the eligibility period, and introduce similar scholarships to other counties within the Blinn service area.”

For more information regarding the Blinn College Austin County Scholarship, visit www.blinn.edu/scholarships/austin-county.html.