Penguin Random House Scholars Program
The Penguin Random House Scholars Program offers financial assistance to eligible employees’ dependent children who plan to continue their post-secondary school education. Scholarships are offered for one year for full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two-year or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school of the student’s choice.
Penguin Random House 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 Penguin Random House Scholars Program must:
- Be dependent* children, age 24 and under, of PRH US or PRH Canada regular full or part-time employees (scheduled to work 20 hours or more per week) who have a minimum of one (1) year of employment with the company as of the application deadline date and are employed by the company at the time recipients are selected
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- Have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent)
*Dependent children are defined as natural, legally adopted children, stepchildren or children of a same-sex domestic partner living in the employee’s household or primarily dependent on the employee for financial support.
U.S. Applicants must be high school seniors or graduates who plan to enroll or students who are already enrolled in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two-year or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming academic year.
Canadian Applicants must be secondary school students in the final year of school, or secondary school graduates who plan to enroll or students who are already enrolled in full-time university level undergraduate studies at an accredited two-year or four-year college, university, vocational-technical school, or CEGEP for the entire upcoming academic year.
Dependent children of U.S. Lead Team and Canada Board Members are not eligible to apply.
Awards
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
- Unusual personal or family circumstances
- An online recommendation
Financial need will be considered in determining recipients. Preference will be given to applicants with financial need. Further information for completing the financial section of the application can be found at the bottom of the page.
For Canadian applicants: The academic evaluation of Canadian applicants will include a review of the grade/mark average and a review of the results of academic examinations.
Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any employee of Penguin Random House play a part in the selection. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.
If selected as a recipient, the student will receive:
- A $2,500 award issued in U.S. currency
Up to 25 awards will be granted each year.
Receipt of a scholarship is conditional upon the student’s enrollment and of the Penguin Random House employee being actively employed at the time the award is granted.
Awards are not renewable, but 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 July.
Notifications are sent to the applicant 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.
Payment of Scholarships
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of Penguin Random House. Payment is made in U.S. currency by check/cheque in one installment in mid-August. The check/cheque is mailed to each recipient’s home address and are made payable to the school for the student.
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
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.
One online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf no later than three business days after the application deadline date.
Recommenders should be someone who has knowledge of your academics and other achievements, job history, etc., such as a teacher, guidance counselor, coach, or employer.
Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.
Financial Information
The Financial Data section of the application should be completed by the employee. Adjusted Gross/Net Income and Total Federal Income Tax amounts should be reported from the employees’ most recently filed tax return or based on estimated information to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA). Dollar amounts should be reported in U.S. dollars for U.S. employees and Canadian dollars for Canadian employees.
If the student resides with only one parent, financial information must be received from the employee of the company sponsoring the scholarship program and from the parent (if different from the PRH employee) who claims the child as a dependent for tax purposes. If a parent has remarried, the spouse’s information is required if the spouse is a legal guardian of the student, or claims the student as a dependent, or the student is included in the spouse’s benefit plan. If necessary, a separate printed Financial Data Form (PDF) may be submitted in order for one to be completed by each parent if they cannot submit data jointly in this section.
- State/Province of Residence is the state/province where the parents reside and pay state/province income tax.
- Adjusted Gross Income can be found on IRS FORM 1040 (U.S. applicants only) and is gross income reduced by specific adjustments allowed by law. For Canadian applicants, report CRA Taxable Income.
- Total U.S. Federal/Canadian Federal Income Tax Paid includes the total amount of federal income tax to be paid to the IRS/CRA. This is not the amount withheld from the employee’s paycheck (the amount withheld should be adjusted by any refund or additional taxes due.) Do not report state/province income tax.
- Total Income of parent(s) should be reported individually.
- Yearly Untaxed Income and Benefits include any other income or benefits (i.e. social security, child support, etc.) not included in the adjusted gross income figure. Do not include untaxed contributions to retirement plans.
- Medical, Dental and Prescription Drug Expenses not paid for by insurance. (includes copays, deductibles; excludes premiums)
- Total Cash, Checking/Chequing, Savings, Cash Value of Stocks, etc., includes liquid assets that can be used for educational expenses. Do not include IRA, 401k, RRSP or other retirement plan funds.
- Total Number of Family Members living in the household and primarily supported by the reported income may include:
- the applicant
- the applicant’s parents
- other children living in the household
- dependent college students living away from home
- other people who live in the household and receive more than half of their support from the reported income
- Marital Status is the current status of the person from whom the financial information is submitted.
- Of the total number of family members on line 8, number of students attending college includes family members attending a two- or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school at least half-time. Include the applicant in this number. Do not include parents.
NOTE: Any exceptions to providing financial information as instructed above must be submitted to Scholarship America in writing.
