The Brunswick Area Student Aid Fund has announced it has awarded more than $480,000 in scholarships to 141 local students this academic year.  Most of those receiving this year’s scholarships are graduates of Brunswick and Mt. Ararat High Schools.

The fund is seeking contributions to help more students in the Brunswick area.

“We continue to see larger and larger gaps between costs of schools and Expected Family Contribution amounts — further proof that the cost of higher education is inflating at a much greater rate than families’ ability to pay, which forces students to acquire more debt,” Chad Schuman, who chairs the fund’s scholarship and development committees, said. “Funds like ours, based on need, are more important than ever.”

“Fifty-four percent of this year’s awardees have a gap of $30,000 or more between (Expected Family Contribution) and tuition costs,” fund member Dory Streett, a retired college admissions counselor, said. “This number has gone up each year.”

The fund’s mission is to award scholarships to eligible high school graduates who pursue post-secondary education at four-year colleges and universities, trade schools, technical schools, junior colleges and similar institutions. Student financial need is the primary criteria in determining awards.

Students need not be graduates of Mt. Ararat or Brunswick High Schools to apply for a scholarship. Residency in the towns of Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Brunswick, Harpswell or Topsham, regardless of where the student attends high school, is required.

A secondary mission is to assist grade K-12 students in the served communities with overcoming challenges that interfere with being a productive student, such as assistance with the cost of eyeglasses, clothing, doctors, dentists and other necessities.

“I grew up in a single-parent household and, along with my siblings, am a first-generation college student,” Brunswick High School Senior Makenna Monaghan, one of this year’s scholarship recipients, said. “The accessibility of the scholarship and the stress-free application were very convenient for me. Cost is such an important factor in college decisions, but the award I received from the fund allows me to afford my dream school and lessen the financial burden of higher education, and for that, I am so thankful.”

Visit studentaidfund.org for more information.