2026 SSFA Scholarship
Need- and merit-based scholarships for eligible full-time high-school students and undergraduates, with a five-item application.
This captured cycle appears closed. Use this page for historical guidance unless the official source has reopened the program.
Captured cycle: This page is retained for historical guidance. Confirm whether the program has reopened before planning an application.
2026 SSFA Scholarship
Overview and award details
The Sejong Scholarship Foundation of America (SSFA) describes its scholarships as need- and merit-based support for eligible high-school students and college undergraduates. For the 2026 cycle, applicants must be enrolled full time in Fall 2026 and meet the foundation’s geographic or parent-residency and tax-filing conditions. SSFA says Korean descent is not required. These are meaningful points for students deciding whether to apply: the opportunity is not limited to students of Korean heritage, but it is limited by enrollment status, education level, and a connection to the Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Virginia area. (SSFA application; SSFA FAQ)
The current application page does not publish a 2026 award amount, so applicants cannot estimate from the available information what costs an award might cover. Ask SSFA whether the amount has been set and whether it varies by applicant category.
The application is relatively concrete in one respect: SSFA identifies five upload items, including enrollment and transcript records, a tax return, a short video, and one file documenting recent activities or credentials. The foundation says applicants create an account, complete a long-form application on one page, upload their materials, and submit. A confirmation email follows submission, according to the Apply page. (SSFA application)
At a glance
| Item | 2026 cycle information |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Sejong Scholarship Foundation of America (SSFA) |
| Funding type | Need- and merit-based scholarship |
| Intended students | Full-time high-school students and undergraduate college students enrolled in Fall 2026 |
| Geographic eligibility | Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Virginia; some students enrolled elsewhere may qualify through their parents’ DMV residence and tax filing |
| Korean descent required? | No, according to the SSFA FAQ |
| Award amount | Not stated on the current Apply page or FAQ described in the brief |
| Required uploads | Five items: Fall enrollment verification, transcript, most recent tax return showing a DMV address, a 3–4 minute video, and one file of recent activity or credential evidence |
| Apply-page deadline | Friday, October 23, 2026 at 11:59 PM; timezone is not specified |
| Conflicting FAQ date | December 31, 2026; this conflicts with the Apply page, so confirm the operative deadline with SSFA |
| Ceremony listed | November 28 |
| Official application | ssfa.org/home/apply |
The Apply page labels applications open and lists October 23; the FAQ gives December 31. The dates conflict and require confirmation. (SSFA application; SSFA FAQ)
Who should apply and eligibility
The local route is for a full-time high-school student or undergraduate enrolled for Fall 2026 in Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Virginia. The brief does not limit this local route to a specific school, major, year of study, or age, and none should be inferred from the listed conditions. Applicants should check that their institution’s Fall 2026 enrollment verification accurately reflects both full-time status and enrollment location, since those are stated elements of eligibility. (SSFA application)
A student enrolled at a school elsewhere in the United States may still apply if their parents live in the DMV and filed the prior year’s income taxes there. This is a conditional path for students whose campus is outside the region; both the parental residence and prior-year tax filing conditions appear in the supplied eligibility information. Before preparing an application under this route, make sure the records you intend to submit can show the relevant DMV address. The application’s required tax-return upload is the most recent return showing a DMV address. (SSFA application)
Graduate students and international students are ineligible. Korean descent is not a requirement, as SSFA states in its FAQ. These distinctions matter for students who otherwise have a DMV connection: meeting a geographic condition does not make a graduate or international student eligible under the published rules. Conversely, a student should not rule themselves out solely because they are not of Korean descent. (SSFA FAQ)
The brief does not state a GPA or income threshold, rules about other scholarships, or whether a student must have accepted an admission offer. If any of these affects you, ask SSFA; do not infer an unstated requirement or exemption.
How to Apply
SSFA’s Apply page says to create an account, complete the long-form application on one page, upload the listed materials, and submit. A confirmation email follows. As practical preparation, gather the five files first, review the completed form and attachments, then submit and check for the email. (SSFA application)
The five stated upload items are:
- Official Fall enrollment verification.
- An official transcript.
- The most recent tax return showing a DMV address.
- A three-to-four-minute “Making a Difference” video.
- One file of recent activity or credential evidence.
These are the five uploads described by SSFA. The fifth item is one file of recent activity or credential evidence; the brief does not define its format or list file-size limits. Check the portal’s instructions and ask SSFA if the format is unclear. The supplied information does not list a recommendation letter, separate essay, fee, or additional financial form, so do not add such items unless the portal requests them. (SSFA application)
The “Making a Difference” video must be three to four minutes. The supplied information gives no script, rubric, or technical format. Address the stated topic, meet the time range, and follow any further directions shown in the portal.
After submission, look for the confirmation email. If it does not arrive, check the account or portal status and contact SSFA through its official site to confirm receipt. Keeping copies of the submitted files and confirmation is optional recordkeeping advice. (SSFA application)
Timeline and deadlines
The current Apply page labels the 2026 application open and lists Friday, October 23, 2026 at 11:59 PM as the deadline. It does not specify a timezone. The SSFA FAQ, however, says the 2026 application closes December 31, 2026. Since the two official pages conflict, applicants should not assume the later FAQ date extends the deadline shown on the current application page. If applying, use the earlier date as the urgent planning reference while promptly asking SSFA to confirm which date governs and what timezone applies. (SSFA application; SSFA FAQ)
The Apply page lists a November 28 ceremony. The FAQ says recipients are notified by email and honored at the fall award ceremony. The materials provided do not state a separate notification date, so the ceremony listing should not be treated as a guaranteed award announcement date. Check the FAQ and application portal for updates, and monitor the email address associated with the application after submitting. (SSFA application; SSFA FAQ)
Because the deadline conflict is unresolved, promptly ask SSFA to confirm the operative date, timezone, and whether applications can be accepted after October 23. The brief gives no contact details; use the official website’s contact route.
Preparation and common mistakes
Optional preparation advice: request official enrollment verification and a transcript early. Check that the verification reflects Fall 2026 full-time enrollment and that the transcript is official. SSFA does not specify school processing times or a delivery format. (SSFA application)
Optional preparation advice: check that the most recent return shows a DMV address before uploading. For students enrolled elsewhere, the eligibility condition also specifies that their parents live in the DMV and filed the prior year’s income taxes there. If your record does not fit, ask SSFA what it accepts instead of substituting a document without guidance. (SSFA application)
Optional preparation advice: explain how you have made a difference, time the finished video, and confirm the file plays before uploading. SSFA’s supplied information gives the topic and duration but no rubric or production standard.
Avoid confusing the two deadline dates, assuming a timezone, omitting an official document, splitting the fifth upload, or assuming the submission completed. The cited pages also do not publish an award amount or selection formula. Confirm time-sensitive details through SSFA’s official site.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be Korean American or of Korean descent?
No. SSFA’s FAQ says Korean descent is not required. Eligibility instead depends on the published student status and geographic conditions. (SSFA FAQ)
Can a student attending college outside the DMV apply?
Possibly. A student enrolled elsewhere in the United States may apply if their parents live in the DMV and filed the prior year’s income taxes there. The application also lists the most recent tax return showing a DMV address among the required uploads. (SSFA application)
Can graduate or international students apply?
No. The supplied FAQ information says graduate-school students and international students are ineligible. (SSFA FAQ)
How much is the scholarship?
The available Apply page and FAQ information do not state the 2026 award amount. Ask SSFA whether the amount is set and whether it varies; do not rely on an amount from an older cycle without confirmation.
Which deadline should I follow?
The Apply page lists October 23, 2026 at 11:59 PM, while the FAQ lists December 31, 2026. The timezone is not stated on the Apply page. The conflict needs confirmation from SSFA. Applicants who want to apply should plan against the earlier date while seeking clarification. (SSFA application; SSFA FAQ)
How will applicants hear about results?
The FAQ says the committee notifies recipients by email and honors them at the fall award ceremony. It does not give a separate notification date in the supplied information. (SSFA FAQ)
Official sources and details to confirm
Use the 2026 SSFA application page for eligibility, uploads, process, deadline, and ceremony details. The SSFA FAQ covers Korean descent, ineligible groups, recipient notification, and the conflicting closing date.
Confirm unresolved details with SSFA through its official site. The supplied sources do not state the award amount, timezone, separate notification date, selection rubric, file limits, or contact details. The deadline dates conflict. Ask about any of these if they affect your application.