Yes! You can apply for another Ruby’s Rainbow Scholarship as soon as the year after you received a scholarship from us! We have a separate application for this, so please be sure you are filling out the RE-APPLY APPLICATION (not the original one)!!! If you need help, please email Liz@rubysrainbow and I can help you make sure you are filling out the correct one!

Yes! As long as they still meet the eligibility requirements, individuals who apply for a Ruby’s Rainbow Scholarship in a given year are eligible to apply again as soon as the following year, regardless of whether or not they were granted a scholarship.

We will contact all applicants via U.S. Mail by early June. If you have not heard anything by this time, feel free to send an email to Liz@rubysrainbow.org.

With proper documentation, Ruby’s Rainbow can send the scholarship funds directly to the university or program you are attending. Applicants (or their parents/guardians) can also receive scholarship funds directly via reimbursement for tuition, books or other qualified expenses by submitting proper documentation, including paid receipts. If you are awarded a Ruby’s Rainbow Scholarship, we will send you more information about the proper documentation needed for tuition or other fee reimbursement.

Ruby’s Rainbow Scholarships range from $1,000 to $5000 per awarded individual. We also currently offer $7,000 and $10,000 scholarship awards to select recipients, which we award in conjunction with major supporters and businesses. (This is why we highly recommend submitting extra supporting materials with your application, such as videos, scans of artwork or writing, etc., to help us get to know you better!)

Please note that all scholarship funds awarded must be used within one year.

Yes, you can apply for a Ruby’s Rainbow Scholarship if you are still in high school, as long as you are at least 18 years of age, or will be by August 1 of the scholarship year, and you are planning to graduate in the spring/summer of the year in which you apply.

No. All scholarship application submissions become property of Ruby’s Rainbow and will not be returned. Please do not submit any physical items, such as books, CDs or binders, as all applications and supporting materials must be able to be scanned and shared digitally with the scholarship committee; and please do not submit any items that you wish to be returned.

Yes, but we ask that you fill out as much of the application as possible without help, as independently as you can and to the best of your abilities. We recognize that you may need assistance from a parent, guardian or friend, but we want to read your own, individual responses so we can get a full picture of your accomplishments, goals and personality. Note that written responses are preferred, but audio-recorded responses are also acceptable.

Once you have completed as much of the application as possible on your own, we do welcome a parent, family member or friend who helped you with the application to add anything to your application that they feel is needed to help us get to know you better. We also welcome one family member to submit an essay, in addition to the applicant’s own essay, if they would like to add any additional information or inspirational stories.

We would love to get to know you better!! You can submit pictures, artwork, drawings, poems, a video of you doing something you are proud of, a personal video you made…the possibilities are endless!! We want to get clear vision of your personality, accomplishments, activities you enjoy and your future goals…so be creative!!! If you send pictures or video files, please be sure they are able to be downloaded so we can share them with our scholarship committee for review. Videos should be five minutes or less in length.

For your Ruby’s Rainbow application to be considered complete, you must submit the following either online or via email or mail:

• Completed Ruby’s Rainbow Scholarship or RE-APPLY Scholarship Application
• Applicant essay (100 words or more, or 200+ words for RE-APPLY applicants)
• Parent/Guardian Information (if applicable)
• Two letters of recommendation
• A copy of high school diploma, certificate of completion, or equivalent proof of enrollment in post-secondary educational program (see application for more options and details)
• At least one photo of you
• Other supporting materials, if desired (e.g., photos, drawings, videos, etc.)

All of the above materials must be submitted by the deadline for your application to be reviewed. If any of the above items are missing, we will be unable to consider your application.

While videos and other extra supporting materials are not required with your application, due to the competitive nature of the application process, they are strongly recommended! We encourage you to submit something that will help us get to know you better and give us a clear vision of your personality, strengths, accomplishments and future goals. We can’t wait to receive your application and get to know you better!!

We love to hear from others about how you have inspired them or touched their lives in some way!! A few examples of people you can ask are lifelong friends, teachers, employers, co-workers or religious leaders. Please ask them to keep recommendation letters to one page in length.

No, to be eligible for a Ruby’s Rainbow Scholarship, any applicant must have Down syndrome. Since Ruby, who inspired the organization, was born with Down syndrome, the organization has chosen to focus its efforts on benefitting the Down syndrome community.

No, we encourage you to apply even if you are still considering postsecondary programs or courses but you haven’t been accepted to one yet. Scholarship applications received past the deadline will not be considered, so even if you are just thinking about applying to a postsecondary program, it’s best to be prepared by submitting your Ruby’s Rainbow Scholarship application in a timely manner!

You can submit your application and supporting materials either online (preferred), via email, or via U.S. Mail or other mail carrier. If you choose to email your application, we prefer Dropbox links emailed to Liz@rubysrainbow.org. If you choose to mail in your application, you can send it to:

Ruby’s Rainbow
P.O. Box 153095
Austin, TX 78715

Please note that any application materials sent after the deadline will not be considered. Applications submitted via email or mail must be sent or postmarked by the application deadline.

The deadline for the 2022 Ruby’s Rainbow Scholarship is Monday, April 18, 2022, by 12 midnight (Central Standard Time). Any applications or supporting materials received after the deadline will not be considered.

All Ruby’s Rainbow Scholarship applications (and RE-APPLY applications) are evaluated by our Scholarship Selection Committee—a group of caring individuals who are committed to the Ruby’s Rainbow mission. The Selection Committee uses the criteria detailed in our Scoring Rubrics to evaluate all applications based on five different categories: Personal, Accomplishments, Goals, Community Impact and Extras. Applicants may be awarded between 0 and 5 points in each of these categories. Please see the rubrics for more information.

Applications for a Ruby’s Rainbow Scholarship will open in January of each new year for funds to be granted for the fall of that same year. Check our Apply page for exact dates. You can also contact Liz@rubysrainbow.org or call 512-879-7801 with any questions.