Bianca Bautista, a guest blogger from the Susan T. Buffett Foundation, wrote this blog. She shares an overview of the scholarship, eligibility, criteria, and what to expect from the application. The deadline to complete the scholarship application is February 1, 2025.

Scholarship Overview

The Susan T. Buffett Foundation has offered scholarships to Nebraska college students for more than 50 years. Scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis to eligible applicants. There are a limited number of scholarships, so the Foundation is unable to provide awards to all eligible applicants.

The application opened on Nov. 1, 2024. Click here to apply.

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the scholarship, students must:

• Live in Nebraska and meet in-state residency requirements of the college they plan to attend.
  • DACA, undocumented, or DACA-eligible students are eligible to apply.
• Graduate from a Nebraska high school or earn a Nebraska GED.
• Achieve a 2.0 cumulative unweighted GPA, or 77 on a 100-point scale in high school.
• Be a first-time freshman when entering college.
  • Dual enrollment credits while in high school are ok.
• Plan to attend a Nebraska public college, including:
  • Community Colleges 
    • Central Community College, Little Priest Tribal College, Metro Community College, Mid-Plains Community College, Northeast Community College, Nebraska Indian Community College, Southeast Community College, or Western Nebraska Community College.
  • State College System
    • Chadron State College, Peru State College, or Wayne State College.
  • University of Nebraska System
    • Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, University of Nebraska at Kearney, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, or University of Nebraska at Omaha.
• Demonstrate financial need, as shown by the results of the FAFSA.
  • Student Aid Index (SAI) below 10,000.
  • Students do not need to be Pell Grant eligible to qualify.

Do The FAFSA

Complete the 2025-2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available Dec. 1, 2024, at StudentAid.gov. Upload your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) after your 2025-26 FAFSA is successfully processed. Click here for more information.  

Contact Your Recommender

One person must complete an online recommendation form on the scholarship application. The recommendation must be professional and come from a teacher, school administrator, school counselor, employer, coach, clergy, or other adult mentor. Recommendations from family members, family friends (including neighbors), or personal friends will NOT be accepted. Reach out to this person when you apply and tell them about the scholarship opportunity and that you need their email address. The recommender must complete the recommendation form by the deadline.

Obtain Your Transcript

Work with your high school office or counselor to download your transcript in a PDF format. The transcript can be official or unofficial (no signature or stamp required) if it shows your high school’s name, full legal name, date of birth, cumulative unweighted GPA, coursework with grades, and current work in progress.

Short Answer Requirement

There are three short answer prompts that let the scholarship reviewers learn about your background, your academic experience, and how the scholarship would impact you. Tip: Have someone else read your short answers before submitting your final draft.

Apply, Complete, Apply for More

Visit the Buffett Scholarship website to apply and view deadline information. The Buffett Scholarship is one of many scholarship opportunities for Nebraska students. Complete the FAFSA, talk to your high school counselor, contact the college’s financial aid office, and check out this additional scholarship resource.  

By Bianca Bautista, Guest Blogger