What’s New for 2025-2026?

Important Dates

  • Public Meeting on Las Animas Goree and Princeton Goree Scholarships, Pioneer Room, Sullivan Center, Trinidad State College:  September 28, 2025, 6:00 p.m.  Speaker David Vandermeulen, president of the Mary John Goree Las Animas County Scholarship Foundation. Mr. Vandermeulen’s presentations from this year’s Meeting will be available on our Resources page after September 28.
  • Application Opens :  Thursday, October 16, 2025
  • Deadline for Submission of Applications and Supporting Documents by students :  Thurday, December 4, 2025, 3:00 p.m. Central
  • Deadline for Submission of Recommendations and Supporting Documents by teachers and counselors:  Tuesday, December 9, 2025, 3:00 p.m. Central
  • Applicants Informed of Board’s Decisions on Finalists:  Monday, February 16, 2026
  • Finalist Interviews:  Sunday, March 8, 2026. 
  • Finalists Informed of Board’s Decisions on Recipients and Alternates: Monday, March 16, 2026
  • Deadline for all Recipients to respond to the Foundation’s offer of a scholarship. Deadline for Recipients who are accepting the offer of a scholarship and choosing not to remain on any college waitlist(s) to inform the Foundation of their college choice. Deadline for Recipients who are accepting an offer of a scholarship, but who are choosing to remain on a college waitlist(s), to provide the Foundation with the name(s) of any college(s) where they are remaining on a waitlist(s). Deadline for all Recipients accepting a scholarship (regardless of whether they are choosing to remain on a college waitlist(s)), to submit required financial information if they are seeking a needs-based award in addition to their minimum award. Monday, May 4, 2026.
  • Deadline for Recipients who choose to remain on a waitlist(s) to inform the Foundation of their college choice. Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

Important Notes

  1. Eligibility:  Beginning in 2021, students will have to (1) have an unweighted cumulative GPA through their first 3 years of high school of 3.00 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent AND (2) a qualifying combined evidence-based reading and writing and mathematics score on the SAT OR composite score on the ACT as indicated on this Eligibility Table.  Students can no longer establish eligibility solely on the basis of GPA or standardized test score alone.
  2. Supporting Documents and Recommendations:  Supporting documents and recommendations must be uploaded.  They can no longer be emailed or mailed.
    1. Students may submit supporting documents up until the deadline for submitting applications:  Thursday, December 4, 2025, 3:00 p.m. Central.  After the deadline for submitting applications has passed, only counselors can submit supporting documents on behalf of students.  All supporting documents must be submitted by Tuesday, December 9, 2025 3:00 p.m. Central.
    2. Teachers and counselors must follow the directions contained within the application for the submission of recommendations.  The deadline for submission of recommendations is Tuesday, December 9, 2025, 3:00 p.m. Central.
  3. Teacher Evaluation:  The required teacher evaluation must come from a teacher who has taught the student in 9th, 10th, 11th and/or 12th grade.  Evaluations from a teacher who taught the student in elementary or junior high/middle school will not be accepted unless the teacher has also taught the student in high school. Evaluations from an academic advisor, academic coach, athletic coach, extracurricular advisor or any other person unless that recommender has also taught the student as a classroom teacher in grades 9, 10, 11 and/or 12. Only one teacher evaluation will be accepted.
  4. SAT:  Because the SAT is now the standardized test taken by all Colorado high school juniors, we require it for all applicants.  If students so choose, they may also submit ACT scores and Advanced Placement test scores.
  5. Questions about the Application:  For questions about the online application process or about submitting supporting documents, email lasanimasgoree@scholarshipamerica.org, or call (507) 931-1682 and ask for the Mary John Goree Las Animas County Scholarship Program.