Current and prospective students are encouraged to apply for scholarships provided by organizations outside of Westminster. The list below represents a sampling of scholarships for which seminary students may by eligible. The asterisk (*) beside a scholarship indicates a scholarship for which Westminster students have been successful in applying. We also encourage students to search the web, where additional sources of aid may be found.
Oustide Scholarship Sources
(grouped by unique eligibility criteria)
An (*) by scholarship name denotes scholarships for which Westminster students have successfully applied.
Financial Aid Reference Materials
Up-to-date and thorough financial aid reference books are available at the Financial Aid Office. These include:
• Financial Aid for African Americans
• Financial Aid for Asian Americans
• Financial Aid for Hispanic Americans
• Financial Aid for Native Americans
• Directory of Financial Aids for Women
• Money for Christian College Students
For your convenience, these helpful works may be checked out; just sign your name on the "FA Books" sign-out sheet located on the Financial Aid Assistant's desk. Note that some entries in the list below have been extracted from the very applicable "Money for Christian College Students" (MCCS).
For other helpful links to outside scholarship information click here.
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General
Acton Institute Calihan Fellowship
Awards: Fellowships and research grants up to $3,000
Eligibility Criteria: For advanced graduate students and seminarians with strong academic performance and an interest in pursuing the themes of the Acton Institute.
Champions for Christ
Deadline: April 1 for summer semester and July 1 for fall semester
The purpose of the foundation is to provide scholarships to students who endeavor to enter full time Christian service.
Ford Foundation Fellowships
Deadline: November 14
Award: $20,000
Eligibility Criteria: A U.S. citizen or national who is committed to a career in teaching/research at the college or University level, who is planning to enroll in a research-based program leading to a PhD.
*Fund for Theological Education
FTE is a leading national advocate for excellence and diversity in Christian ministry. Their work supports the next generation of leaders among pastors and scholars. Some of the scholarships offered are:
Congregational Fellowship - $2,000 to $5,000 dollar-for-dollar match to a congregation's contribution to a first-year as a full-time M.Div. student
Ministry Fellowship - $10,000 award to second-year full-time M.Div. students (Student must be nominated by the dean of president.)
Doctoral Fellowship for African-Americans - stipend of up to $18,000
Dissertation Fellowship for African-Americans - stipend of up to $18,000
Doctoral Fellowship for Racial/Ethnic Scholars - stipend from $5,000 to $10,000
*Harvesters Scholarship
Deadline: May
Award: $2,000
Eligibility Criteria: For students going into missions.
Address: Harvesters Scholarship Foundation, 7252 Berry Creek St., Eastvale, CA 92880
*International Order of the King's Daughters and Sons
Deadline: April 30
Award: $2,000
Eligibility Criteria: Student Ministry Scholarship grants are provided to students preparing for full time religious vocations enrolled in M.Div. programs at A.T.S. accredited seminaries and who are citizens of the U.S. or Canada. Scholarships are usually are in the amount of $1,000. Applications may be requested between January 1 and March 31, and completed applications are due April 30. For an application write: Director, Student Ministry Department; P. O. Box 1040; Chautauqua, NY 14722-1040. Requests for applications must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed legal-size envelope.
Kenneth N. Findley Memorial Kerusso Scholarship
Awards: $20,000 max/year
Deadline: April 8
Eligibility Criteria: Seminary student pursuing Master’s or PhD degree, who intends to enter a full time Christian ministry vocation, particularly preaching, upon graduation. Awardee must take at least 9 credits/semester.
*Leopold Schepp Foundation
Deadline: December 31
Eligibility: Students between 17-30 yrs of age. Show excellent character, scholastic achievement, need, and complete an interview in New York. Must be U.S. citizens or legal resident. Award: Up to $8,500 (Renewable). Applications available after June 1.
Address: Leopold Schepp Foundation; Scholarship Coordinator, 551 Fifth Ave., Suite 3000, New York, NY 10176
Phone: (212) 986-3078.
Marguerite Young Endowment Fund
Created for students enrolled in a protestant seminary preparing for full-time ministry.
*Shepherds for the Savior Scholarships
Deadline: June or December
Award: $1,000
Eligibility Criteria: Applicants must be preparing for a career as a pastor or missionary. Along with their application, they must submit brief statements on 1) their area of study and future plans; 2) their extracurricular activities; 3) when they accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior; and 4) their faith and their goals for continuation of Christian ministry. Financial need is not considered in the selection process (785, MCCS).
Address: Shepherds for the Savior, 19380 Highway 105 West, Suite 516, Montgomery, TX 77356
Phone: (936) 448-6239
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Ethnicity
American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association
Award: $500 - $2,000
Eligibility Criteria: The applicant should be of Greek descent or a member or son or daughter of a member, in good standing of AHEPA.
Global Mission Church For Korean-American full time students who have completed one year of seminary.
*Haruyama Scholarship
Deadline: May 31
Eligibility Criteria: The mission of the Haruyama Scholarship is to support Japanese or Japanese-American students who are in an MDiv or other ministerial preparation program and are considering becoming ordained pastors or missionaries to serve the Japanese or the Japanese-American churches. For details, please contact the Japanese American United Church via website or call.
Phone: (212) 242-9444.
Jonathan Theological Scholarship Fund
Email: jtscholarship@yahoo.com
Send request to: Jonathan Theological Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 6756, Laguana Niguel, CA 92607-6756
For Chinese Christians called to serve North American Chinese Churhes, who have completed one year of theological studies.
*Korean American Scholarship Foundation
Deadline: July 8
The Korean American Scholarship Foundation (KASF) is a non-profit, volunteer-managed organization established to help meet the financial needs of Korean-American students seeking higher education. Founded in 1969 by a small group of concerned individuals in Washington, D.C., the KASF began as a local organization with limited focus and funding resources. However, with the dramatic growth of Korean immigrant communities in the U.S., the KASF has expanded to include other regions and to broaden its funding base.
Margaret and Charles E. Stewart Scholarship Fund
Deadline: April
Award: $500
Eligibility Criteria: This program is open to M.Div. candidates enrolled full time at an accredited seminary. They must be interested in preparing for the pastorate in the Black church of any Protestant denomination. Financial need is considered in the selection process (681, MCCS).
Email: scholarships@philafound.org
National Korean Presbyterian Women Grants
Deadline: May
Award: $1,000
Eligibility Criteria: This program is open to second-generation Korean American women who are entering their third semester of full-time study at a Presbyterian seminary. Selection is based on ability and leadership skills.
Email: jungbang@gmail.com
New Life Church of Chicago Scholarship Program
Deadline: October 19
For Korean American or other ethnic minority students who need financial aid and meet one of the following requirements: a) is currently studying theology in seminary or graduate school, or b) is a pastor's child or missionary's child who is currently enrolled in college or graduate school. For application materials click here. Visit http://www.NLChicago.org, or email scholarship@NLChicago.org for more information.
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Region
*Delaware Higher Education Commission
Deadline: April 15
The Higher Education Commission offers four state grants and several private scholarship programs to help Delawareans continue their education. Applicants for all state-funded programs must be Delaware residents and U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens.
Foundation for the Carolinas
Deadline: March 1
The Foundation for the Carolinas coordinates scholarships for students in the Carolinas and Virginia areas. Various scholarships and grants are available. Check website for information on specific scholarship funds. To obtain an application or further information, please contact Qiana Austin, Vice President of Scholarships. (704) 973-4535.
Julie Ann Jones Memorial Trust For students called to the ministry. Preference is given to students who reside in Washington County, TX, and surrounding counties. Send request to: Julie Ann Jones Memorial Trust, Sally M. Jones, P.O. Box 382, Brenham, TX 77833.
*Mary E. Bivins Foundation (Texas)
Award: $7,000
Assists Amarillo/Panhandle (Texas) area students with their studies towards a degree that prepares them to preach the Christian religion. Contact the foundation directly at Mary E. Bivins Foundation, PO Box 1727, Amarillo, TX 79105-1727. Office: (860) 379-9400; Fax: (806) 379-9404.
Mary L. Clark Ministry Study Grant (Pennsylvania)
Deadline: April
Award: Varies
Eligibility Criteria: This program is open to residents of Pennsylvania who are members of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Applicants must be preparing for service in the Presbyterian ministry at a Presbyterian seminary or a seminary approved by their Committee on Preparation for Ministry. They must be under the supervision of a Presbytery within the bounds of the Synod of the Trinity within Pennsylvania (690, MCCS, see also 691).
Email: mhumer@syntrinity.org
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Denominational Affiliation
*American Baptist Financial Aid
Awards: $500 - $1,000/year
Educational Ministries administers the American Baptist Financial Aid program. They make available a variety of scholarships, grants, and loans to students who are members of American Baptist churches, and ministerial leaders.
Baptist Foundation of Illinois
Deadline: February 15
Award: $500 - $1,000/year
Eligibility Criteria: A member in good standing for at least one year with a church affiliated with Illinois Baptist State Association, show a potential for Christian leadership, and have financial need.
Barber Education Fund Scholarship (United Methodist)
Email: methodistof@att.net
Deadline: May 31
Phone: (815) 268-4320
Award: Varies
Eligibility Criteria: Demonstrate a commitment to full-time church ministry. Preference is given to students who have lived or live in the Onarga, IL area. Some preference given to those who are United Methodist.
Christian Vocation/Wallingford Scholarships (PCUSA)
Deadline: April
Award: $500 - $2,000
Eligibility Criteria: Students must be communicant members of the Presbyterian Church (USA), be pursuing a Christian vocation field of study, ... and have a GPA of 2.0 or higher (493, MCCS, see also, 560).
Congregational Foundation for Theological Students
Deadline: April 1
Provides grants, loans and scholarships to students who are preparing for ministry in Congregational Churches. Further information can be obtained from: National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, 8473 S. Howell Ave., Oak Creek, WI 53154, Tel: (800) 262-1620.
John, Karl, Elizabeth Wurffel Memorial Fund (Presbyterian)
Deadline: March
Award: $2,000
Eligibility Criteria: This program is open to members of Presbyterian churches in the Synod of the Northeast (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont) who are entering into a program in any state ... Applicants must submit an essay of 400 to 500 words on why they should be considered for this assistance, their reasons for wanting to pursue a seminary education, their extracurricular activities and interests (school, church, and community), and the role their faith will take in fulfilling their academic goals. Selection is based on financial need, academic potential, church and campus ministry involvement, community and mission involvement, and continued academic improvement (631, MCCS).
Email: SynodOffice@Synodne.org
The Old Gray Dog Foundation (Reformed)
Deadline: Not specified
Award: Not specified
Eligibility Criteria: The OGDF wants to help the ministry of all congregations committed to the essential tenets of Reformed theology ... We want to help equip the saints with the sound doctrines of our Christian faith. We have grants available for seminary students, pastors and congregations committed to the essential tenets of God's grace.
Email: Dr. James E. Tuckett at jameset@aol.com
Presbyterian Study Grants (PCUSA)
Deadline: June
Award: $1,000 - $4,000
Eligibility Criteria: This program is open to students enrolled full time at a PCUSA seminary or accredited theological institution approved by their Committee on Preparation for Ministry. Applicants must be working on 1) an M.Div. degree and enrolled as an inquirer or candidate by a PCUSA presbytery, or 2) an M.A.C.E. degree and preparing for a church occupation. They must be PCUSA members, U.S. citizens or permanent residents, able to demonstrate financial need, and recommended by the financial aid officer at their theological institution. Along with their application, they must submit a 1,000-word essay on what they believe God is calling them to do in ministry (761, MCCS).
Email: finaid@pcusa.org
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Gender
AAUW Career Development Grants
Deadline: December 15
Award: $2,000 - $12,000
Eligibility Criteria: Grants for female students who are preparing to advance their careers, change careers, or re-enter the workforce. Must be a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident and completed a bachelor's degree.
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Disability
The National Federation of the Blind Scholarship Program
Deadline: March 31
This program offers thirty scholarships for students who are legally blind.
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Other
Louisville Institute Dissertation Fellowships
Deadline: January
Award: $19,000
Eligibility Criteria: Applicants must be candidates for the Ph.D. or Th.D. degree at a graduate school in North America. They should have finished all pre-dissertation requirements by the time of application and expect to complete their dissertation during the following academic year. Their dissertation proposal must have received official, final faculty approval at the home institution by the application deadline. Preference is given to proposals that attempt to 1) describe more fully how the Christian faith is actually lived by contemporary persons and to bring the resources of the Christian faith into closer relation to their daily lives; 2) help us understand more adequately the institutional reconfiguration of American religion; or 3) explore the nature and challenge of pastoral leadership, with special attention given to the conditions of contemporary Christian ministry in North America and the character of pastoral excellence. Proposals on certain other issues of importance to the churches are also welcome (668, MCCS).
Email: info@louisville-institute.org
*Military Chaplain Association
The Military Chaplain Association seeks to help by providing scholarships for seminary students who intend to pursue a career as a military chaplain. While the amount won't cover all the expenses, it can certainly help. The requirements are simple: Full time student in an accredited seminary. Currently approved and serving as a chaplain candidate in one of the Armed Forces (Army, Air Force, or Navy). Complete MCA application form. Applicants must apply to MCA between January 1 and May 30 each year. Return the completed application form to MCA at the address indicated on the form. The amount of the scholarship will be determined each year by the MCA Scholarship Committee.
Helpful links to other outside scholarship information:
The Fund
Roothbert Fund
College Answer
Scholarships4school
FinAid
FastWeb
Disciples Home Missions
Scholarship Spotlight
