The Emerge Scholarships Inc. (Emerge) scholarship program (www.emergescholarships.org) has awarded nearly a quarter of a million dollars in scholarships since its founding year, 2001. While each year hundreds of applicants apply for the scholarships, we are only able to recognize a small number of winners. The selection committee is focused on identifying special women – non-traditional students whose education was delayed or interrupted, individuals with a vision to succeed regardless of any obstacles that life has put in their way. We are especially interested in recognizing women who give back to their communities and whose goals and desires for education align with their passions. Additionally, preference is given to women who are pursuing their educational endeavors in the state of Georgia.
This may include women who are returning to school after a hiatus, changing careers, seeking advancement in their career or work life, and stay-at-home moms entering the work place and in need of additional education/training. This scholarship is not intended for recent high school graduates or women who are eligible for or who have already received other significant financial aid.
Scholarship Information
The money provided by the Emerge scholarship may only be used to pay for tuition and fees at the educational institution. The scholarship check will be made out directly to the institution with instructions to only apply the funds to the student’s current account to pay for school tuition and fees. If awarded, your scholarship funds will be available as of March 2014 and may be paid towards tuition, books and fees from that time until Fall 2018, or until the full scholarship funds are used.
The exact amount of each scholarship and the total number of scholarships to be awarded will vary from year to year (13 scholarships were awarded in 2013). The approximate value of each award for 2014 will be $2,000 - $5,000 (amount is subject to change).
Eligibility Criteria
1. Scholarship applicants must be accepted into a program of study at an educational institution, as evidenced by a proof of acceptance – either an acceptance letter OR a current school transcript.
2. Applicants must be at least 25 years of age as of the date of the postmark of the application.
3. Applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, and/or physical impairment.
4. Applicants must complete the application form and essay requirement and must mail all required materials to the address provided. All materials being submitted for an applicant (signed application, recommendation letters and program acceptance letter or current transcripts) must be submitted in one package. All material related to an applicant must note the applicant’s name and email address. The application package must be postmarked no later than Thursday, October 31, 2013. No exceptions will be made.
5. Applicants are responsible for gathering and submitting all necessary information. Applications will be evaluated based on the information provided; therefore, all questions should be answered as thoroughly as possible. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
6. Scholarship recipients will be chosen based on a number of criteria, including financial need, other funding received, career/life goals, essay content, leadership and participation in community activities, and honors and awards received. Please see the Additional Information section for detailed information on selection criteria and application requirements.
7. Only a select number of applicants will be chosen as recipients. “Recipients will be announced by December 20, 2013. Please check www.emergescholarships.org after that date for a list of recipients. Due to the large number of applications received, only recipients will be notified.
8. Acceptance of a scholarship award constitutes permission for Emerge to use the recipient’s name, biographical information, and photo for publicity purposes.
9. Recipients of scholarships will be responsible for any and all taxes that apply to receipt of a scholarship under the law of their state of residence. Applicants should check with the appropriate state agency or with an accountant or lawyer specializing in tax questions. Emerge cannot answer questions about taxes
10. Board members of Emerge or employees of Emerge are not eligible for a receipt of a scholarship, nor are relatives of board members or employees of Emerge.
11. The 2014 Emerge scholarships will be presented and winners recognized at an awards luncheon in February, 2014 in the metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia area. Each scholarship recipient is asked to attend the awards luncheon. Travel arrangements will be made by Emerge, and all expenses associated with travel and lodging will be paid by Emerge.
12. All materials submitted become the property of Emerge and will not be returned to the applicant.
13. Applicants for domestic scholarships must be a current resident of the United States (including Puerto Rico), or a U.S. citizen living abroad who is applying for study at an educational facility located within the United States. Foreign nationals living in the United States who have a green card and who plan to study within the United States may also apply. Emerge does not award scholarships for study outside of the United States.
14. Emerge provides international scholarships for study under the auspices of educational institutions and organizations that are equipped to properly screen and sponsor students who do not reside in the United States. These scholarships are awarded only to international students who will be studying at educational facilities located within the United States. At this time we do not accept direct applications from international students; students will be referred to us by the institutions and organizations that will sponsor them.
Additional Information
Selection Criteria
The primary selection criteria the committee will consider are:
- Financial Need (based upon employment, family contribution, other scholarship funding, other income, etc.)
- Personal Vision (alignment of goals with life journey)
- Service to Community
- Future Plans, i.e., how the applicant plans to apply her education
Emerge is looking for special scholarship recipients who will use this opportunity and the education that they receive to better themselves and to help others around them.
Application Requirements
Please comply with all of the following application requirements:
- Answer all questions on the application form; incomplete applications will not be considered.
- Typewritten applications are recommended and preferred; however, handwritten applications will be accepted. Please ensure that your handwritten application is legible. Essays should be a maximum of two pages, one-sided, double-spaced, preferably 12 point, Times New Roman font. If you do not have Times New Roman font, please use Arial. Please avoid cursive fonts, as these can be difficult to read.
- Applications must be sent via U.S. mail, UPS, FedEx or other postal service and must be postmarked by October 31, 2013.
NOTE: Please plan ahead; do not wait until the last minute to send in your application. When sending your application materials, please ensure you indicate that the requirement for a signature is to be waived. Applications requiring a signature of receipt might not be received. We will not make exceptions to the deadline due to delays in delivery. If you wait until the last minute you risk missing the deadline.
- Do not send binders, DVDs, cassettes, transcripts, or any other extraneous materials that are not specifically requested by the Emerge scholarship committee.
Recommendations
- Two letters of recommendation are required. At least one of these should be from someone who knows the applicant in a professional or work-related relationship, including volunteer work. The second recommendation may be personal or professional. Recommendation letters from relatives will not be accepted.
- The applicant’s full name and email address should be on each recommendation letter.
- The purpose of the letters of recommendation is to assist the committee in our evaluation and decision-making. Recommendation letters should address the following points:
- his/her observation of your level of commitment to pursuing future plans, and your ability to stick with a program once you’ve made a commitment
- information about your character that the person would consider important when describing you to a stranger
- why he/she is recommending you as a scholarship recipient
- what he/she thinks you bring to the table that makes you unique among the many applicants
- he/she should be as straightforward as possible; honesty and sincerity always show through the verbiage!
Other
- Scholarship applicants must submit proof of acceptance from your educational institution – either an acceptance letter OR a current transcript.
- Upon completion of the application cycle—after the scholarships are awarded—all materials will be shredded and disposed of in order to ensure your privacy and the security of your personal information.
- Scholarship recipients must submit a photograph—hard copy or digital (preferred) - to the committee after receiving confirmation of the award. This photograph will be used for publicity purposes, and may be included on the Emerge website and in other promotional materials. Hardcopy pictures will not be returned, so please do not send your only copy.
- Emerge requires an email address for each applicant. If you do not have your own email address, please provide one belonging to a friend or relative who would be willing to accept and send messages for you. (There are several sites that offer free email addresses, such as Gmail.com and Yahoo.com)
- Any additional communication that may be necessary regarding the application process will be handled via email.
- We have made every effort to include all necessary information on the website and in the eligibility criteria. After reading the information thoroughly, if you still have questions please send an email to us at info@emergescholarships.org
If you do not receive an email within one week after sending in your application you may email to request confirmation.
- Please do not contact the committee to inquire about your status; we will contact all recipient
Remember – plan ahead! We have a very tight timeline between the application deadline and when we must make our decision on our 2014 awardees. We will not be able to extend the scholarship deadline to accommodate last-minute applications that do not arrive on time, regardless of the reason.
Source: http://www.emergescholarships.org./scholarships/apply.php