Getting Ready

What can families do now?

Encourage and support your student to take challenging courses and do well in school. Remember, an Alaska Performance Scholarship is based on rigorous course selection, overall grade-point average in high school and an examination score. Achieving a higher grade-point average and exam score will result in a student eligible for a higher level of scholarship -- The difference could be several thousand dollars over a student’s postsecondary years.

If your student is in middle school, take time to talk about career aspirations and goals for education beyond high school, and help your student select 9th grade classes wisely. Students who want to earn an Alaska Performance Scholarship need to be prepared to take a challenging curriculum for all four years of high school.

When your student is selecting high school courses for the upcoming year, consult with your student’s school counselors on academic courses that will best prepare and align your student for an Alaska Performance Scholarship award. Have your student create a portfolio on the Alaska Career Information System (AKCIS), either through their school's AKCIS account or individually through the Alaska statewide Zip Code login. In addition to many other great tools and program, when students click on "My Course Plan" in their student portfolio, they can create a course plan using pre-filled suggested course schedules to meet Alaska Performance Scholarship requirements. Students can create their student portfolio and begin to plan their courses as early as middle school, and can transfer a portfolio to their high school's AKCIS site at any time.

In addition, plan to apply for other aid. Remember that award recipients must apply for and use any other non-loan aid they receive, such as state or federal grants or other scholarships before they may apply an Alaska Performance Scholarship toward their remaining costs of attendance.

How can I learn more about the Alaska Performance Scholarship?

Updated information will be posted at APS.alaska.gov as it becomes available. You may also get information from your high school counselor, from the financial aid office at your Alaska postsecondary institution or by visiting ACPE’s Success Center in Anchorage located at the Dimond Mall.

Alaska School Contact Lookup Tool

Select a school for the drop down menu below. Information for an Alaska Performance Scholarship contact person will display to the right.

Please report incorrect school contact information to Shari Paul.



 

 

As a parent, how can I access my student’s APS eligibility information?

You can discuss the eligibility requirements with your student and meet with your student’s high school counselor or school district office to verify the curriculum, GPA, and test scores that are part of your students permanent record. These are used in the calculation of the eligibility status and award level. You can compare this information to the requirements for qualifying and determining award level.

Students may also choose to register for an optional Alaska Student Aid Portal (ASAP) account, in which they can review the eligibility status and award level reported by their school district in late July following high school graduation, and track scholarship usage. The student is the only person who may register for and access their ASAP account. Logging on to ASAP requires that a user affirm that the individual logging on is the student in question, so it is not possible for a parent to access ASAP on behalf of a child, even if your student is under 18.