Merced County Office of Education

Virginia Smith Trust

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The Virginia Smith Trust (VST) was established with the goal of helping future generations of Merced students achieve academic excellence. The scholarship’s namesake, Virginia, left Merced as a young teen but retained strong ties to her hometown. Such strong ties that in her will she declared that the land which supported her family for almost a century would be used to fund scholarships for “worthy, deserving and needy students” in Merced. 

Since its inception in 1976, the VST has benefitted 3,700 students through nearly $6 million in scholarships, and 200 high school seniors received $500 grants to assist with college tuition and housing. 


Highlig​hts

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Eligib​​​ility

To be eligible for VST grants or scholarships, students must be a senior at a high school in Merced, have attended a school in Merced for at least 3 years, be on track ​to graduate with their A-G requirements and have a minimum GPA of 3.0.​


Deadline​​​

The 2023-24 VST Scholarship Application​​ is now available.  The application deadline is March 2, 2023.​​​


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Virginia Smith Trust Office
632 West 13th Street, Room C-1, Merced, CA  95341​