FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – Cumberland Farms is accepting applications for its 2017 Believe and Achieve Scholarship Program, marking the 11th consecutive year the company will provide financial assistance to high school seniors.

The Believe and Achieve Scholarship program, created specifically to support the development of young people, provides $1,000 scholarships to 130 eligible graduating high school seniors each year. Scholarships are awarded based on a student’s academic performance, as well as financial need. Winners will be notified in the spring of 2017.

“We want to do our part to ensure that a college education is accessible for motivated students in the communities we serve,” said Ari Haseotes, CEO of Cumberland Farms, in a press release. “Cumberland Farms recognizes that to truly impact our communities we need to give back, and there is no better way to do that than to help build the future for a deserving student.”

Through this program, Cumberland Farms has provided more than $1 million in scholarships to students across the company’s eight state territory. The program is open to students entering a full-time undergraduate course of study at an accredited college, university or vocational-technical school in the fall of 2017 who live within 30 miles of any Cumberland Farms location. For more information and to apply for 2017 scholarships, visit the Program Information Page. The application period runs from now until December 15, 2016.

Cumberland Farms will also designate one special Believe and Achieve Scholarship winner as the “Haseotes Scholar.” Named for company founders, the Haseotes Scholar Award is presented to the student who best exemplifies Cumberland Farms’ values of hard work, achievement and commitment to community.

Thanks to the help provided by these scholarships, last year’s Believe and Achieve winners have attended a wide range of institutions, including Columbia University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Boston College, Tufts University, Skidmore College and the University of Maine.