Scholarship Opportunities for Incoming Freshmen

St. Joseph Hill Academy High School offers Benefactor Scholarships to incoming freshmen, funded by generous donors. Each scholarship has specific eligibility criteria and varying award amounts. The eligibility criteria and award amounts for each scholarship were established by the donors, while a committee selects the recipients annually.

Application Timeline

• Applications Open: October 7, 2025
• Application Deadline: December 16, 2025
• Notification Date: January 21, 2026 (in your admission letter)
• Application Fee: None

How to Apply

For each scholarship you apply to, you must submit:

• Online application form
• Letter of recommendation
• Essay (250-500 words)
• Financial aid form through FACTS (required for all scholarships except the Mary Alice Lucey O'Malley Scholarship)

Available Scholarships for Class of 2030

• The Costa Family Scholarship (1 recipient)
• The Daughters of Divine Charity Scholarship (1 recipient)
• The Sister M. Charlotte Gulban Memorial Scholarship (1 recipient)
• Holy Family Province Scholarship (1 recipient)
• Mary Alice Lucey O'Malley Scholarship (3 recipients)
• The Sister M. William McGovern, F.D.C. Scholarship (1 recipient)
• Dorothy Skiba Pisarski Scholarship Fund (1 recipient)

Eligibility

Review each scholarship's specific criteria below and apply for all scholarships where you meet the requirements.

Ms. Constance Costa, a consummate educator and St. Joseph Hill Academy “Lifer” (E ‘61; HS ’65), had a calling to provide opportunities for the undeserved and disenfranchised. Ms. Costa has always been an advocate for students who struggled academically and emotionally in “traditional” schools and therefore found themselves seeking alternative options. In June 2020, Ms. Costa managed to direct a donation of $450,000 to St. Joseph Hill Academy to establish The Costa Family Scholarship Fund. The funds have been designated for scholarships and to provide financial assistance for Hill High school students. The fund may also be used to support scholarships for Hill’s elementary school students, curriculum enhancement, and other special projects.

The Costa Family Scholarship Fund provides one (1) $5,000 partial scholarship to one (1) awardee for four (4) years culminating with commencement.

• Applicants must be firmly committed to their four-year education at Hill.
• Applicants must exhibit strong evidence of leadership, scholarship and service.
• Applicants must demonstrate financial need by completing the financial aid form in FACTS. 

• Applicants must clearly demonstrate a commitment to the mission of the Daughters of Divine Charity, which is to "make God's love visible in the world." 
• Applicants must demonstrate financial need by completing the financial aid form in FACTS. 

• Applicants must be a daughter, granddaughter, or sibling of a St. Joseph Hill Academy High School Alum or a daughter or granddaughter of a St. Joseph Hill Academy Elementary School Alum.
• Applicants must clearly demonstrate an outstanding commitment to the values and traditions of St. Joseph Hill Academy.
• Applicants must exhibit strong evidence of leadership, scholarship and service.
• Applicants must demonstrate financial need by completing the financial aid form in FACTS. 

• Applicants must be a current 8th Grade student of the St. Joseph Hill Academy Elementary School.
• Applicants must clearly demonstrate an outstanding commitment to the values and traditions of St. Joseph Hill Academy.
• Applicants must exhibit strong evidence of leadership, scholarship and service.
• Applicants must demonstrate financial need by completing the financial aid form in FACTS. 

Mary Alice O’Malley graduated from St. Joseph Hill Academy in 1960. She went on to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan, where she graduated as a registered nurse in 1963. The Mary Alice Lucey O’Malley scholarship is open to the daughters of Registered Nurses (RN), members of the NYPD, and/or members of the FDNY. Each scholarship will provide approximately 80% of the total annual tuition for each student for their four (4) years of enrollment at St. Joseph Hill Academy. Parents and/or lawful guardians of incoming Freshmen who are eligible to apply should fill out the attached application.

The Mary Alice Lucey O’Malley Scholarship provides scholarships covering 80% of tuition for three (3) awardees for four (4) years culminating with commencement.

• Applicants must be the daughter of a Registered Nurse (RN), member of the NYPD, and/or member of the FDNY.

The Sister M. William McGovern, F.D.C. Scholarship Fund honors the commitment and dedication of Sr. M. William McGovern, who has served St. Joseph Hill Academy for decades. An alumna of both the Elementary and High School, Sister M. William grew up in Great Kills, Staten Island. Sr. William entered the Daughters of Divine Charity novitiate in Allamuchy, New Jersey in 1955, professing her first vows in 1957 and her final vows in 1962. Sister William graduated from Fordham University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English. She also completed her Master’s Degree in English at Fordham. Sister William pursued a post Graduate degree at Fordham University in Guidance and Counseling and subsequently established the Guidance Department in the High School. She dedicated much energy and time in assisting the students not only to select the right college but to being visible and available to listen and advise the students, many of whom came to her with personal issues. Sister William spent most of her religious life at St. Joseph Hill Academy and St. Joseph Hill Convent. Sister William, together with Sister Maureen, established the Development Office for the Daughters of Divine Charity. Sister William continued serving the Province as the Director of Development. Among her many accomplishments was the establishment of the Associates of the Daughters of Divine Charity in Staten Island. Sister Mary William McGovern passed away peacefully surrounded by her Sisters at St. Joseph Hill convent on Holy Thursday April 6, 2023.

The Sister M. William McGovern, F.D.C. Scholarship provides one (1) $2,500 partial scholarship to one (1) awardee for four (4) years culminating with commencement. 

• Applicants must have selected St. Joseph Hill Academy as their first choice of school.
• Applicants must be interested in pursuing the Humanities Pathway.
• Applicants must be baptized Catholic.
• Applicants must demonstrate financial need by completing the financial aid form in FACTS. 

The Dorothy Skiba Pisarski Scholarship Fund was established by Dorothy Skiba Pisarski, St. Joseph Hill Academy Class of 1976.  As a student at St. Joseph Hill Academy from 1972-1976, Ms. Skiba Pisarski was a recipient of a full merit scholarship. Expressing her gratitude for the opportunity she had to attend St. Joseph Hill Academy on scholarship Ms. Skiba Pisarski states, "As the daughter of poor immigrants from Poland I was always taught to work hard to attain good grades, and the scholarship was a generous acknowledgement of my diligence.”

Ms. Skiba Pisarski is a Professor Emerita at Drake University, where she taught Advertising for 17 years, following a career in marketing and advertising in the New York metro area.  A graduate of Siena College, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Management.  Ms. Skiba Pisarski went on to earn a Master of Business Administration degree from New York University in Marketing and Marketing Research.  She funded this scholarship as her way of providing an opportunity for another Hilltopper, and contributing to her alma mater.

The Dorothy Skiba Pisarski Scholarship Fund provides one (1) $1,000 partial scholarship to one (1) awardee for four (4) years culminating with commencement.

• Applicants must provide evidence of excelling in Mathematics (this will be determined by your TACHs Exam and Middle School records).
• Applicants must clearly demonstrate active participation and service to her parish in their application (this must be conveyed in the required essay). 
• Applicants must clearly demonstrate an outstanding commitment to the values and traditions of St. Joseph Hill Academy based on scholarship, character, leadership, and service. 
• Applicants must demonstrate financial need by completing the financial aid form in FACTS. 

The recipient will receive this scholarship for all four (4) years of their education at St. Joseph Hill Academy as long as they maintain a minimum 85 final average in each award year with no failures and remain in good disciplinary standing. The awardee's family will be required to pay the balance of the tuition and fees per school year.

The Dorothy Skiba Pisarski Scholarship Fund Essay Topic

St. Joseph Hill Academy prides itself in the education and development of young women who will represent the qualities of leadership, community service and integrity. In a separate document, please write an essay answering the guidelines below:

1. A short essay (200-300 words) that describes a recent experience or accomplishment that sets you apart in your successful studies of mathematics, and share a vision for how you might intentionally use mathematics in your future education or profession.
2. A short reflection (200-300 words) on what has led you to active participation in the life of your parish and what most enhances your faith from those experiences.