Scholarship America Celebrates National Scholarship Month

Scholarship America®, the nation’s leading nonprofit scholarship and educational support organization, is proud to celebrate National Scholarship Month through November. The month, developed by Scholarship America in 1998, and now sponsored by the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA), is a national campaign designed to raise awareness of the vital role scholarships play in reducing student loan debt and expanding access to higher education.  It also recognizes the determination, ingenuity and drive of scholarship recipients across the country and brings awareness to the needs of all students as they work to achieve their educational dreams.

Scholarship America distributes $276 million in scholarship dollars to over 100,000 students annually. In 2019 alone, Scholarship America managed 79,920 individual awards through over 1,400 partner programs. These programs supported students entering fields such as education, healthcare, engineering, computer science, political science, communications, and human development; students who, through the support of our partners, may now have the career they once thought was out of their reach.

“Students in 2020 are experiencing adversity that none of us could have foreseen or prepared for; challenges that still threaten to derail their dreams indefinitely,” said Robert C. Ballard, president and CEO, Scholarship America. “Through a student survey conducted this past summer, we found that COVID-19 caused students to lose their job, face increases in medical costs and struggle to pay for food. Yet, despite all of these challenges, 96% of the students who responded said they were planning on attending college in the fall. This National Scholarship Month, we are proud to celebrate the resilience of these students and pledge that we will continue to work with our partners to support these students in achieving their goals.”

National Scholarship Month is a national movement to raise awareness of the power of scholarships and the effect they have not only on individual scholars, but also on local, national, and global communities.

“It’s more important than ever to make an impact on higher education access, academic success, and college completion,” said Ballard. “Scholarships are powerful and help make a difference. They help students stay in school, make it to graduation and achieve their dreams. Furthermore, they help create a more just, equitable and inclusive nation, by expanding diversity, equity and inclusion in education. Scholarships are a lifeline for millions of students, and they are especially vital to those who are disproportionately harmed by so many of these inequities.”

“The American Dream begins with believing it is for everyone,” noted Ballard. “Not just the 4.0 students. Or those of a certain ethnicity. Or economic background. Or situation in life. That is why we are advocating for fair and equal equity, across the board.”

For more information on current scholarships, click here.

About Scholarship America

Scholarship America is a non-profit organization that helps students fulfill their college dreams. Since 1958, Scholarship America has distributed $4.3 billion to more than 2.6 million students. The organization works with partners to lower barriers to a college education and give students the support needed to succeed. Learn more at scholarshipamerica.org.

Contact

Joan Cronson at 952.830.7308 or jcronson@scholarshipamerica.org