Maine State Society Scholarships

Scholarship Sponsored by Maine State Society of Washington, DC

Introduction
This scholarship supports Maine-connected undergraduate students pursuing a bachelor’s degree at a four-year, nonprofit college or university in Maine. Below are the qualifications, required materials, submission rules, selection process, and frequently asked questions.

Eligibility
- Residency: Applicant must either have been born in Maine or have been a legal Maine resident for at least four years — or have at least one parent who meets that four-year Maine birth/residency requirement.
- Age: Applicant must be younger than 25 years old on June 30 of the application year.
- Academic status: Applicants must have finished a full academic year of college and be currently enrolled as a baccalaureate candidate in at least 12 semester hours (or the equivalent in quarter hours/courses) as defined by their institution. The college/university must be a nonprofit, four-year degree-granting institution located in Maine.
- Ineligible: First-year college students are not eligible. Scholarship funds may not be used for graduate study or community college coursework.

Required application materials
- Official student copy of the college/university transcript (issued by the registrar) showing all grades from semesters prior to the application date and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2 (or equivalent).
- A typed essay (maximum 750 words) responding to one of the two prompts on the current application form.
- A current résumé, no longer than two pages, detailing coursework, academic honors, awards/scholarships, leadership roles, employment, and volunteer experience.
- Online application form submitted with all attachments by the deadline (see below).
- Optional: Applicants may include a work sample (for example, prose, poetry, published articles, or visual art) to help reviewers better evaluate their abilities.

Submission deadline
- Complete applications must be submitted through the online form no later than midnight ET on April 15 of the application year. There are no deadline extensions.

Selection and award disbursement
- The Scholarship Committee evaluates submissions on merit and recommends the strongest candidate(s). The number of awards depends on application quality and available funds. Recommended recipients’ names are forwarded to the Board of Directors for review.
- Awardees will be notified in writing. Scholarship payments will be sent directly to the recipient’s institution for use toward tuition in August.
- If a recipient is placed on academic probation or does not enroll in the following semester after an award is issued, the student is expected to make a good-faith effort to return the scholarship funds.
- Applicants may submit applications in later years, but an individual may receive only one scholarship from this program.

Special Award
- The Marjorie Pearson Memorial Award: $1,500 to an exceptional female applicant who demonstrates strong academic achievement, outstanding volunteer leadership, and a clear commitment to the State of Maine.

Frequently asked questions
- Questions: Direct any inquiries to mssfscholarship@gmail.com.
- Receipt confirmation: You should receive an acknowledgement within 72 hours after submitting your application. If you do not receive confirmation, check your spam folder and consider resubmitting your materials.
- What to include: A complete online application plus the required attachments listed above must be submitted to make your application complete.