RARE Scholars Program
BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. has established the RARE Scholars Program to assist high school seniors or graduates, current college undergraduates, or graduate level students who have been diagnosed by a physician, regardless of treatment status, with one of the following – achondroplasia, Batten disease, any form of mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS), or phenylketonuria (PKU) – or students who are a
legal guardian of a child/individual diagnosed with one of the aforementioned conditions.
RARE Scholars Program
The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.
Eligibility
Applicants to the RARE Scholars Program must:
- Be diagnosed by a physician, regardless of treatment status, with one of the following – achondroplasia, Batten disease, any form of mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS), or phenylketonuria (PKU) – or be a legal guardian of a child/individual diagnosed with one of the aforementioned conditions. Applicants will be asked to provide a Diagnosis Verification Form, for themselves or their child, provided by a physician verifying diagnosis.
- Be high school seniors or graduates, current college undergraduates, or graduate level students.
- Plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate or graduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming academic year.
- Have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent).
Applicants are not required to be using a BioMarin product. Treatment status with any manufacturer products should not be disclosed and will not be considered in evaluating applications.
BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. employees and their children are ineligible for the program.
Awards
If selected as a recipient, the student will receive:
- An award of $10,000 for undergraduate four-year or graduate studies
- An award of $5,000 for two-year or vocational-technical studies.
Awards are not renewable, but students may reapply each year they meet eligibility requirements.
Awards are for undergraduate and graduate study only.
Awards can be used for any education-related expenses.
Notification
All applicants will be notified in May.
Notifications are sent via email. When setting up your account, avoid using a school or work email. Instead, use an active, personal email address that you will continue to have access to.
Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address as safe senders in your email contact list.
Payment of Scholarships
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. Payment is made in early August.
Selection of Recipients
Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:
- Academic performance
- Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
- Work experience
- Statement of educational and career goals and objectives
- Unusual personal or family circumstances
- An online recommendation
Financial need will not be considered.
Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. play a part in the selection. Treatment status (including past, present, or future status) has no bearing on applicant eligibility and will not be considered as part of the application. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.
If selected as a recipient, the student or the student’s guardian will be asked to sign a BioMarin release form and provide a photo to be used in BioMarin communications about the RARE Scholars Program.
Requirements
As part of your application, you must upload the following documents:
- A current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display:
- Student name
- School name
- Grades
- Credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.
NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload a copy of your test score report(s) separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.
Additionally, a Diagnosis Verification Form must be completed by a physician and submitted on your behalf per instructions on the form. No exceptions. This form must be emailed directly from your physician to biomarin@scholarshipamerica.org.
One online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf no later than three business days after the application deadline date.
Your application is not complete unless all required documents are submitted electronically.
