The PIMCO Foundation Future Leaders Scholarship Program
A Scholarship program for graduate students pursuing a degree and/or future career in the financial services industry.
The PIMCO Foundation Future Leaders Scholarship Program
The PIMCO Foundation Future Leaders Scholarship aims to build the next generation of leaders and expand access to careers within the financial services industry. Current or future (Fall 2026) graduate students are invited to apply.
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 PIMCO Foundation Future Leaders Graduate Scholarship must:
- Plan to apply, be awaiting acceptance, or be accepted to a master’s degree program at an accredited United States (U.S.) institution for a Fall 2026 start (graduating with a master’s degree between December 2027 – June 2028)
OR
Be a doctoral student in good academic standing at an accredited U.S. institution with an expected graduation date between December 2027 – June 2028
- Plan to enroll in full-time graduate study at an accredited four-year college or university in the U.S. for the entire upcoming academic year (Proof of acceptance and registration will be required.)
- Demonstrate an interest in financial services by:
- Pursuing a relevant degree, including but not limited to business management, finance, computer science, engineering, economics
AND/OR
- Pursuing a career in financial services or an adjacent industry (e.g.: financial technology)
- Pursuing a relevant degree, including but not limited to business management, finance, computer science, engineering, economics
PIMCO employees and their immediate family members (spouses, children, and grandchildren) are ineligible.
Awards
If selected as a recipient, the student will receive a $20,000 award.
Awards are one-time only. Past recipients may not reapply.
Awards are for graduate study only.
A completed W-9 form and proof of acceptance and registration at an accredited U.S. institution for the upcoming academic year are required before award disbursement.
Awards can be used for any education-related expenses. Awards will be made payable to recipients and may be considered taxable. Scholarship America will issue IRS 1099-Misc. forms to recipients.
Notification
All applicants will be notified in mid-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: PIMCO-future-leaders@scholarshipamerica.org as safe senders in your email contact list.
Payment of Scholarships
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of the PIMCO Foundation. Payment is made in late July. Award checks are made payable to the student and mailed to the recipient’s home address (granted a W-9 and proof of acceptance and enrollment have been received from the student).
Selection of Recipients
Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:
- Academic performance
- Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
- Work experience
- An essay statement (1,000 characters)
- A video submission (2-3 minutes in length)
In addition, applicants will be required to upload a copy of their resume. Finalists’ resumes will be reviewed by the selection committee.
During the selection process, preference will be given to federal financial aid-eligible graduate students and first generation college students.
Scholarship America will select finalists. After reviewing application materials and conducting applicant interviews, the PIMCO Foundation will select recipients. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.
Applicants should exhibit PIMCO’s CORE values of collaboration, openness, responsibility, and excellence while demonstrating the potential to excel as a leader.
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.
- An essay response*
- A video submission** (2-3 minutes in length)
- Your master’s program acceptance letter, application, or intent to apply
- Your current resume
*Essay topic
What motivated you to pursue a graduate degree? How does this scholarship align with the impact you hope to have in the financial services industry?
**Video topics
Address the following prompts in a 2-3 minute video. You will be able to share the unlisted YouTube URL on the application.
1. Tell us about yourself and describe a time when you had to navigate a situation with many unknowns.
2. What market trend are you following the closest, and what intrigues you most about it?
Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.
