Peter J. McGrail Scholarship Program
Paylocity has established a scholarship program to assist children of employees who plan to continue their education in college.
Peter J. McGrail Scholarship 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.
About the Scholarship
To our dear friends at Paylocity:
I am honored to write about my husband, Peter J. McGrail, and the Peter J. McGrail Scholarship Paylocity established in his name. For those of you that did not have a chance to know Peter, he was Paylocity’s CFO from 2010 until 2017, when he passed away after an intense battle with an aggressive cancer. He was smart, funny, loving, and possessed a spirit to never quit.
Peter believed in the power of education to shape lives. As a leader, he took the time to guide, encourage, and inspire to help others succeed. The Peter J. McGrail Scholarship carries on this mission. It provides financial assistance and amplifies Peter’s commitment to help others succeed and realize their own potential.
It is a great honor to know the Peter J. McGrail Scholarship benefits Paylocity employees’ children pursuing higher and vocational education, who are creating meaningful legacies of their own. In this way, Peter continues to make a lasting impact on the lives of others, just as he did throughout his life.
I am excited to share that the Scholarship Committee increased the award amount from $2,500 to $3,500, with applications being accepted starting December 15th. For more details about the scholarship and how to apply, visit Linktr.ee/PJMScholarship.
Thank you to all Paylocity employees for your enthusiasm and support of the Peter J. McGrail Scholarship. It is an exciting time to be at Paylocity.
Warmest wishes and Happy Holidays everyone!
Agnes and the McGrail Family
Paylocity’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
We believe that people matter most and that differences of experience and perspective make us stronger together. We’re committed to lead by example to forge a path forward where dignity, respect, safety, and justice are for all. Scholarship America will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the scholarship application process, please contact paylocity@scholarshipamerica.org.
Eligibility
Applicants to the Peter J. McGrail Scholarship must meet all eligibility requirements, including:
- Be dependent* children, age 26 and under, of full-time Paylocity employees who have a minimum of one (1) year of employment with the company as of the application deadline date.
- Be a high school senior, high school graduate, or current post-secondary undergraduate, who plans to enroll or is already enrolled in full-time undergraduate study at an an accredited two-or four-year college, university, vocational-technical school or trade school for the entire upcoming academic year.
- Children of VP-level employees and above are ineligible to apply.
*Dependent children are defined as biological, step-or legally adopted children living in the employee’s household or primarily supported by the employee.
Awards
Up to 50 awards of $3,500 each will be granted, as follows:
- Up to 25 awards of $3,500 for recipients attending an accredited four-year college and university
- Up to 25 awards of $3,500 for recipients attending an accredited two-year college, vocational-technical school or trade school program
- Awards are not renewable, however students may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements.
- Awards are for undergraduate study only.
Notification
Applicants will be notified in late April. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients.
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 Paylocity. Scholarships are granted in one installment in mid-July. Checks are sent directly to the awardees but are made payable to the awardee’s attending institution.
Selection of Recipients
Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:
- Academic performance
- Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
- Work experience
- A statement of educational and career goals and objectives
- An essay on volunteerism and community
- A 1,000-character essay
- Two letters of recommendation
Essay Topic: What personal obstacles have you encountered and how have you overcome them to get where you are today?
Financial information will only be considered if there are more eligible applicants than can be awarded.
Selection of recipients is decided by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of Paylocity play a role in the selection.
All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.
Revisions
Paylocity reserves the right to review the conditions and procedures of this scholarship program and to make changes at any time including termination of the program.
Timeline
- December 15: Scholarship program opens for applications
- December – February: Scholarship program actively accepting applications
- February 27: Scholarship program closes for applications
- April:
- Students must finalize school selection and acceptance process
- Awardees are determined by Scholarship America
- PCTY verifies awardees eligibility
- Awardees are notified by Scholarship America
- May:
- Awardees winners provide verification of school selection and confirm fall enrollment
- July: Checks are distributed to each awardee. Checks are sent directly to the awardees but are made payable to the awardee’s attending institution.
Requirements
As part of your application, you must upload the following:
- 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.
- A high-resolution head and shoulders photograph (2.5 x 3.5) to be used only in awardee announcements if you are selected as a recipient of the scholarship.
Two letters of recommendations must be submitted online on your behalf no later than March 4, 2026 10:00 PM Central Time.
Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.
Letters of Recommendation
As a part of your application, you will need to get two letters of recommendation submitted on your behalf. One must be academic related and one personal/community related. These recommenders cannot be related to you, but should be people who know you well.
It is your responsibility to follow up with your recommender to ensure they receive the email.
Keep in mind recommenders may need extra time because of their busy schedules. You can come back to this section any time before the recommender deadline to add or change a recommender for a specific program. The recommendation must be submitted by March 4, 2026 10:00 PM Central Time.
Examples of Possible Recommenders:
Academic: This should be someone that knows you well and can speak on behalf of your academic success and experiences.
Ex: teacher, professor, academic advisor, principal, etc.
Personal/Community: This should be someone that knows you well that you have worked with in the community or that knows you personally, but who is not related to you.
Ex. work supervisor, coach, volunteer coordinator, mentor, other community member, etc.
