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Stockton Schools Partner With Scholarship Discovery App

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STOCKTON (CBS13) — The city of Stockton and the Stockton Unified School District are trying to help students find financial aid for college.

To that end, they have worked out an exclusive deal with the app, Scholly, which lets users find scholarships for college. And now Stockton students can use it for free.

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"I didn't know where to start with scholarships, but then this app put them all on one spot," explained Luis Lopez, a senior at Franklin High School in Stockton.

He's considering studying physics or biomedical engineering at UC Berkeley or UC Irvine.

"My mom keeps on telling me to apply, and I barely started. So this helped me a lot!" said Lopez.

A series of question lets students create a profile that matches grants to students needs.

The partnership with the city and app makers allows Stockton students to access the site for free, as the city pays for the cost to download the app.

In addition, what is unique about Scholly, is it also finds scholarships based on merit or particular skill set. That's a big plus for Superintendent Dr. Eliseo Davalos with the Stockton Unified School District.

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"There may also be local opportunities such as a San Joaquin County grant to study crop science. So those would be for those students working in those fields. That potential is tremendous for our students," said Dr. Davalos.

The deal was announced at an event on Thursday at Franklin High School in Stockton. Mayor Michael Tubbs worked out the deal with Scholly.

But critics, who point out the app only costs $3 download and use, say that's not a big investment in students.

Tubbs disagrees. He says more than money, it shows students that the city cares.

"I think it's a huge first step. It shows students in the city that we are willing to invest in them," said Tubbs.

And critics have other complaints about Scholly. For example, they say the app isn't as comprehensive as other sites. They also complain that the app doesn't include institution-based scholarships.

But Tubbs says Scholly is at least a step in the right direction.

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