Locations
San Mateo County Scholarships
Founded in 1981, 10,000 Degrees has expanded to eight Bay Area counties serving more than 16,000 high school and college students each year. 10,000 Degrees expanded its innovative college success program model to San Mateo in 2018. This school year, we will be launching our College Access program at Woodside High School, providing near-peer mentoring, financial aid advising, scholarships, and college matriculation support to all students from low-income backgrounds.
Established in
2018
High School Students Served Annually
Scholarships in FY23
Partner Schools
High Schools
Woodside High
The Opportunity in San Mateo County
Meaningful change. Lasting impact.
Despite San Mateo county being among the most affluent in the nation, students from low-income backgrounds in this region—especially Black, Latine, and Vietnamese students—face significant barriers to college attainment. The college dream remains out of reach for many San Mateo high school students, as the troubling statistics at right demonstrate.
10,000 Degrees works to change that. We are committed to increasing student applications for free financial aid at our partner schools, and helping more socioeconomically disadvantaged students in San Mateo County get into college, persist in college—and graduate with their degree. That’s our promise.
How we do it: We work directly with San Mateo County students from low-income backgrounds to:
- Foster a college-going culture
- Introduce 2- and 4-year college pathway options
- Help students apply for and enroll in college
- Help students apply for and manage free financial aid (FAFSA & CA Dream Act)
- Provide scholarships and near-peer mentoring to help our students navigate the entire college success journey
- Offer community college transfer support
- and more!
Our support extends to, through, and beyond college: We offer paid internships and career development opportunities through our local business partners.
Your gift to 10,000 Degrees will allow us to help more San Mateo students from low-income backgrounds achieve their college and career dreams.
What our partners, students, alumni, and staff have to say about 10,000 Degrees
Regional Stories
Peninsula Advisory Board
Jennifer Sweeney, Co-Chair
Trish Hayward, Co-Chair
Tracy Sedlock