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The program will be available again in January 2024. Please return then to view the updated Eligibility and Awards for the 2025-26 academic year!

 

If you are an applicant who would like to discover more scholarship opportunities you might qualify for, please continue to the Scholarship America Hub and sign up!

Buffalo Scholars Program
Application status: Closed

Hilltop Holdings Inc. has established a scholarship program to assist children of employees who plan to continue their education in college.

The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor, and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.

Applicants to the Buffalo Scholars Program must be:

  • Children, stepchildren, or the legal dependent of full-time Hilltop Holdings, HilltopSecurities, PlainsCapital Bank, or PrimeLending employees who are in good standing with the company and who have a minimum of one year of employment as of the application deadline.
  • High school seniors or graduates, or current postsecondary undergraduates, who plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study (minimum 12 credits per semester or equivalent) at an accredited, four-year, public college or university in the United States (U.S.) for the entire upcoming academic year.

Awards

If selected as a recipient, the student will receive a $5,000 award. Up to 8 awards will be granted. Assuming there are qualified applicants, at least one recipient will be selected from each company and the racial/ethnic and gender diversity of the recipient pool will reflect the diversity of the applicant pool.

Awards are not renewable, but students may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements.

Awards are for undergraduate study only.

Notification

All applicants will be notified in late April.

Payment of Scholarships

Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of Hilltop Holdings Inc. Payments are made in one installment in early August.

Selection of Recipients

Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:

  • Academic record
  • Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
  • Work experience
  • A statement of educational and career goals and objectives
  • An online recommendation.

Financial need, as calculated by Scholarship America, must be demonstrated for the student to receive an award.

Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of Hilltop Holdings Inc. play a part in the selection. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients.  All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.


As part of your application, you must upload the following:

  • A current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display student name, school name, grades and credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.

NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload an official copy of those test scores separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.

One online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf no later than March 4, 2024 3:00 pm Central Time.

Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.

Hilltop Holdings Inc. has partnered with Scholarship America. Selecting the button below will redirect you to the Scholarship America Student Hub!

Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address provided below in the footer as safe senders in your email contact list.