Next Steps Scholarship

Purpose

WorkReady U through the Foundation for the Louisiana’s Community and Technical Colleges is providing a way to help students pay for the Louisiana High School Equivalency (HSE) test in either English or Spanish. The scholarship will provide financial support to test candidates that meet the eligibility criteria. 

Awards

Up to sixty (60) scholarship awards, per fiscal year, are available in amounts up to $90 worth of vouchers to eligible first-time test takers that demonstrate financial hardship and readiness to pass the Louisiana HSE test.   

Eligible students must be in good standing with the WorkReady U program based on the eligibility criteria listed below and will be responsible for paying any retest fee, $6.00 per subtest.  

Eligibility Criteria 

  1. Must be currently enrolled in an approved WorkReady U program and have accumulated enough attendance hours for a valid post-test.
  2. Must have scored ‘Prepared or Well Prepared’ on the ETS, HiSET® Official Practice Test (OPT) on three (3) of the five (5) subtests.*
  3. Must have a valid state/government-issued ID in order to test.
  4. Must have created an ETS HiSET account http://hiset.ets.org/test_takers.

Application Requirements 

  1. A completed application and the required documentation listed in this section. Only completed application forms will be considered.
  2. Student Statement: Please describe in essay form why you are applying for the scholarship (financial need) and your educational and career goals. A minimum of 500 words is required.
  3. WorkReady U Director/Supervisor must complete Section 2 and sign the Scholarship Application form.

Selection Criteria 

  • Selected awardee(s) will be notified within ten (10) business days of submission.
  • Award amount will be deposited in the awardee’s HiSET account.
  • Award must be redeemed within 90 days of issuance.

The scholarship is non-transferable and is intended for use at an approved Louisiana High School Equivalency Test Center.  Scholarship is valid for twelve (12) months from date of initial test.

Submission of Application Form 

Applicants must complete Section 1 of the Louisiana HSE Test Scholarship Application Form and submit the signed application and required documentation to the WorkReady U Director/Supervisor.  

The WorkReady U Director/Supervisor will sign and date the WRU section of the application to certify that the applicant meets all Eligibility Criteria. 

Completed application forms must be submitted via email.  Emailed applications should be sent as a pdf file to [email protected]; Subject/File Name - “LA HSE Scholarship Application [Test Candidate’s Last Name only]”.   

The HSE Scholarship Awards are awarded without regard to race, sex, religion, age, national origin or sexual orientation.  The LCTCS Foundation and WorkReady U will not award scholarships to applicants who are not qualified and reserves the right not to award scholarships in a given cycle. 

* In order to qualify for the scholarship, students must meet a minimum score of “Prepared or Well Prepared” on three (3) of the five (5) subtests; however, the student must score “Prepared or Well Prepared” on each OPT subtest before being recommended for each subtest on the official test.