Presbyterian Scholarship Fund
The Presbyterian Scholarship Fund is available for freshmen college students who reside in the western half of the Synod of the Trinity and who are planning to attend a college in that area. The opportunity is open to students in the presbyteries of Beaver-Butler, Kiskiminetas, Lake Erie, Pittsburgh, Redstone, Shenango, Upper Ohio Valley and Washington. Participating colleges include College of Wooster, Davis and Elkins, Grove City, Muskingum, Washington and Jefferson, Waynesburg and Westminster.
The Presbyterian Scholarship Fund was established in 1843 to provide scholarships for Presbyterian students at seven Presbyterian-related colleges within Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. Board members are elected from eight presbyteries from the western half of the Synod of the Trinity to manage and develop the funds necessary to provide financial aid to qualified students. Using proceeds from current investments, the fund provides $33,600 in aid annually for 28 students. The board recently began an active campaign to secure new gifts that will enable more scholarships to be awarded.
There are also opportunities available for individuals, churches and presbyteries to provide a scholarship for a student.
More information is available on this flyer here. For additional information, contact Karen Gray (call 239-293-8121 or email kgray345@gmail.com).
Student & Parent Loan Program
The PCUSA Student and Parent Loan Program is designed to serve Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) members seeking assistance with the expenses of dependents attending college in the United States. More information is available here.
Presbyterian Promise Scholarship
The Presbyterian Promise Scholarship is a commitment by Presbyterian College in South Carolina to recognize students for their merit and affiliation with the Presbyterian Church. PC seeks to develop students academically and spiritually in this signature scholarship. Students who are of members of Presbyterian churches will receive a scholarship for a minimum of $20,000 per year for up to four years — an $80,000 commitment. For more information and to apply visit their site by clicking here.
Coleman-Patrick Scholarship
The Robert Coleman/Dr. Leroy Patrick scholarship is annually awarded to racial-ethnic undergraduate students who are recommended by their church pastor or the director of a validated mission agency of Pittsburgh Presbytery. The awards are distributed through the National Black Presbyterian Caucus (NBPC), Pittsburgh Chapter.
Click here for the scholarship application. (Note: The deadline for 2023 was June 2.)
Presbytery of West Virginia Scholarships
The Presbytery of West Virginia, through its Nurture Committee, has $1,000 loans as well as grant monies that vary in amount available for those seeking a post-secondary education. You will find the application form for these loans and grants here, and a flyer to post in your church here.
Please post the flyer where high school seniors and parents can see it, and forward the application to high school seniors who are continuing their education. The application deadline, including the return of references letters, is April 30.
In addition, if you are aware of students from your congregation who will be continuing their education next year and have received loans in the past that they might like to renew, please remind them they must submit a written request, including a brief description of their past year, for their loans to be renewed; they do not have to resubmit the entire application. Their deadline is also April 30.
Presbytery of Shenango Scholarships
The Presbytery of Shenango Scholarship Fund is supported by gifts from the congregations of the presbytery. The fund is intended to assist students who are members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Preference will be given to applicants who belong to churches in the Presbytery of Shenango. Recipients of aid from this fund are eligible for continued assistance in successive years, but they must reapply for aid annually and continue to meet the criteria listed below.
Criteria for Consideration
1. Acceptance as a full-time student at Grove City College or Westminster College by June 1
2. Demonstrated financial need
3. Academic achievement: if a high school senior, a minimum GPA of 3.3; if a current student at one of the colleges, a minimum GPA of 3.0
4. Evidence in writing of past and present involvement in the life and witness of the Christian community
Click here to download the scholarship application.
(Note: The deadline is June 1.)
Robert & Hellen Russell Scholarship
The Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery Scholarship Fund was established in November 1997 through the generosity of Robert H. and Helen B. Russell of the First Presbyterian Church in Shadyside, Ohio. Its purpose is to assist with the cost of education beyond high school. Members or persons regularly attending Presbyterian Churches within Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery may apply for scholarships from the fund, within the following guidelines. The presbytery receives interest on the principal amount of the funds endowed for this scholarship, as well as gifts by other donors, which perpetuate the fund.
Grant applications can be downloaded by clicking here. For 2024, the deadline is May 29.
No online applications will be accepted. Applications shall be reviewed by the Training and Development Committee which shall make a final decision as to eligibility and amount at its June meeting each year. Applications should be mailed to Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery, 907 National Road, Wheeling, WV 26003. If you have questions, contact Shawn Todd at shawn@uovpresby.org.
Davis & Elkins College Scholarship
Davis & Elkins College is seeking students who are interested in applying for a unique scholarship opportunity that focuses on faith, ethics, public policy, sustainability and service. This is a competitive scholarship for highly qualified and motivated individuals. Please share this information with potential students and encourage them to contact D&E’s Admission office for more information. A flyer is available here.
Westminster College Scholarship
The Young Presbyterian Scholarship, a $96,000 scholarship designated for PC(USA) high school seniors to attend Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA, is available. Established in 2002, this scholarship aims to encourage and provide an opportunity for outstanding PC(USA) students to apply to Westminster College. The scholarship totals $96,000 over four years, equating to $24,000 per year, and is intended for qualified high school seniors entering college in the fall of 2024. Every PC(USA) congregation can nominate two students every year. More than 1,000 deserving students have been nominated since the start of the scholarship.
If you have not yet done so, don’t miss this opportunity to share a Westminster education and nominate two qualified high school senior students with a 3.5 grade-point average or higher. Scholarship requirements are: 3.5 HSGPA (cumulative), PC(USA) membership and a written nomination by pastor/congregation. Note program deadlines: pastor/congregation nominations by Dec. 15; student applications also due by Dec. 15. Nominate online here and to also download the nomination form.
For assistance, contact Rev. Beth Creekpaum, Jim Mohr, College Chaplain, mohrjr@westminster.edu, (724) 946-7116; or Caitlin DeSantis Rozzi, Associate Director of Admissions, desantcn@westminster.edu, (724) 946-7108, Westminster College, 319 S. Market Street, New Wilmington, PA 16172.
Information available by clicking here.
JERB MILLER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM: Westminster College alumni who are educators have the opportunity to nominate five deserving students, with a 3.5 grade-point average or higher, for the Jerb Miller Scholarship. The Jerb Miller scholarship is a four-year renewable award valued at $96,000 ($24,000 per year) for first-year students enrolling in the Fall 2024 semester. The scholarships are created in honor of Dr. Jerb Miller, a beloved professor of education at Westminster from 1968 until his death in 1992. Find more information and a nomination form here.
Presbyterian Mission Scholarships
If you’re a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) student about to enter or are currently enrolled at a PCUSA-related school or secular university, Presbyterian Mission has scholarships of up to $4,000 to apply for. Deadlines range from May 15 to June 15.
For details, go to pcusa.org/financial aid and click on undergraduate opportunities.
National Presbyterian College Scholarship
The General Assembly Presbyterian Mission Agency offers a National Presbyterian College Scholarship.
Twenty-five to thirty students will be selected for award. Those students will have an opportunity to renew the scholarship provided that they maintain a 2.5 GPA, participate in campus ministry or regularly attend church during college, and participate in discernment of vocation through a series of essay questions that ask the student to consider who God is calling them to be.
More information is available here.
Transition-to-College Assistance Grants
A Transition-to-College Assistance Grant program is intended to help eligible families of entering college freshmen with transitional expenses such as a computer purchase and dorm furnishings.
A one-time grant is available to qualifying plan members whose employer is under direct governance of the PC(USA), whose household’s adjusted gross income does not exceed $116,000, and whose college-bound child is a dependent enrolled in the Benefits Plan. The child must be enrolled full time at an accredited college or university.
Amounts range from $500 to $1,000, depending on total family income.
Complete the Transition-to-College Assistance Grant Application and return it with the required documentation to the Board at the address listed on the form. A link to the application and more information is available here.
Presbyterian Foundation Leadership Grant Program
Grants are available to assist pastors to attend continuing education opportunities that will help them in leading their congregations toward financial and missional vitality. Church stewardship team members are encouraged to apply with their pastors.
List of pre-approved events/courses includes:
–Stewardship Kaleidoscope, Presbyterian Stewardship Conference
–Generosity Now and Generosity Next Conferences, Ecumenical Stewardship Center
–1001 New Worshiping Community National Gathering: Financial Sustainability Track, 1001 Worshiping Communities
–Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising and Creating Cultures of Congregational Generosity, Lake Institute
For more information on these scholarships, click here.
Eugene Carson Blake Scholarship
The General Assembly Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations (CEIR) has been invited to nominate one Presbyterian Church (USA) student applying for admission to the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Switzerland, for the upcoming academic year. Priority will be given to students under 40 who have at least an undergraduate degree in theology or two years of a Master of Divinity/Theology.
Learn more here.
GuideOne Foundation Scholarship for Juniors and Seniors in Religious Studies
The GuideOne Foundation, one of America’s leading insurers of churches, is offering four $2,500 scholarships to students who are actively pursuing a future career in ministry and meet the below criteria:
1) Junior and senior religious studies students, graduate religious studies students and any individuals in seminary are eligible. Please note that you must plan to be enrolled in your program of study for the following fall semester to be eligible.
2)Students must be attending accredited colleges, universities or seminaries within the United States and District of Columbia.
3) Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25 is required.
4) Transcript and one letter of recommendation are required. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted.
5) Applicant is required to submit an essay that explains why they chose to pursue their degree and how they plan to use their education and future career in ministry. Essay should be double spaced and not exceed 350 words.
6) GuideOne employees or children of employees are not eligible.
7) GuideOne agents or children of agents are eligible.
More information is available here.
