School Me! How Can I Go To School Via the BSA?

Within this page are discussions dealing with:


Don Newcomb:

Andrew is about to finish his Eagle (a few months before turning 18) and several people in the local area have mentioned something about an Eagle Scout Scholarship. Always very vague, something you need to talk with "them" about, no details, etc. Now, I've been reading this group for years and I have not heard anything here about Eagle Scout Scholarships. I have the strong feeling that this falls under the heading of "Urban Myth" and I would like to get the facts, if for no other reason than to assure my wife that there is, or is not, anything to it.

Mike Walton:
Eagletip: Scholarship Opportunities for Eagles

Hi folks!

Here's the information in following up to Don Newcomb's request. I hope that this helps others as well that are looking for ways to further motivate some of your Life Scouts toward Eagle.

This was taken from the Eagle Scout Service' Eagleletter:

"Thanks to Mabel and Lawrence Cooke, qualified Eagle Scouts can have the opportunity to soar through college.

Lawrence S. Cooke, Eagle Scout class of 1923, has founded the Mabel and Lawrence S. Cooke Eagle Scout Scholarship Endowment Fund in the memory of his wife Mabel. Maximum grants are for $40,000 and pay up to $10,000 per year for 4 years.

The $40,000 is the largest educational grant awarded by the Boy Scouts of America. Winners are selected by a committee that also determines the number and size of scholarships granted each year.

The deadline for the scholarship is Feburary 28 of each program year, with all applications postmarked by that date and received by the Eagle Scout Service by March 5.

Each candidate must be a graduating high school senior in the year in which the awards are being presented, must be currently registered in the Boy Scouts of America, and must have been granted the Eagle Scout Award prior to application. A minimum score of either 900 (combined verbal and math) on the SAT or 20 on the ACT is also required.

To be eligible, candidates must demonstrate financial need and obtain an endorsement from a volunteer or professional Scouter.

To obtain applications for the awards, candidates should contact their local Council Service Center and request form 58-702 or contact the National Eagle Scout Service S220, National Office, Boy Scouts of America, 1325 West Walnut Hill Lane, Post Office Box 152079, Irving, Texas USA 75015-2079."

The Eagle Scout Service also accepts tax-deductible contributions to this fund by parents or others to honor Eagles, youth or adult, or in memory of a fallen Eagle (as was suggested we do collectively back in 1994, when an Eagle Scout from Florida, Sean Harrington, died of cancer).

Contributions may be sent directly to the Eagle Scout Service office listed above, and please mark the check or money order "In (tribute to) (memory of) Eagle Scout (name)".

In addition, the following scholarships are also offered:

Michael F. Bowman:

Don,

In addition to the Eagle Scholarships already mentioned in previous postings there are Eagle Scholarships sponsored by the:

National Jewish Committe on Scouting,

The Eastern Orthodox Committe on Scouting, and

Several local scholarship sponsored by private businesses; e.g. Vitro Corporation has one for Scouts in the National Capital Area Council.

Bill Gremillion:

Texas A&M University offers $2000 scholarships ($500 per semester for four semesters) to ROTC Corps cadets who are Eagles. I can't find my literature right now, but I believe about 20 per year are available for entering freshmen cadets. BTW, the only medal "fish" are allowed to wear on their uniforms is the Eagle medal. My kind of folks.

Here it is. Twenty scholarships from $2000-2500 over two years for Eagles AND Gold Award winners. From Sept '91 thru Sept '94 322 Eagles and Gold winners entered the Corps. Eighty scholarships were awarded in that time period, about one in four.

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Learning for Life/Exploring (an entirely different program than the BSA) offers the following scholarship opportunities previously only available to BSA Exploring members. To find out about these opportunities, Learning for Life participants need to contact their Unit-Serving Executive or Learning for Life/Exploring:

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There are some other resources that I urge you to followup up:

  • your employer. Most larger corporations (and some smaller companies as well) offer either grants, loans, or a combination of both to outstanding sons and daughters of their employees (or to their employees)

  • community-based agencies like the United Way. In most larger communities, the United Way/Appeal/Community Chest offices have a listing of organizations that want to make a specific contribution to the community but chooses not to donate directly to the UW's pool.

  • churches and religious groups. Most of our larger religious organizations have organizations or mechanisms in which small grants or large loans (or work-study grants) are given to deserving Scouts.

  • the federal government. Yes, our government still offers (it's getting smaller each year, but they do provide) the Pell Grant and several loan programs. Also consider voluntary service through AmeriCorps (as long as they are still being funded), which allows you to work in a community in exchange for a tution stipend or repayment on student loans or both.

    There's also a program called JTPA (it used to be called CETA; that's the agency through I worked for the BSA through) that have a small pool of funding to support for instance, local Councils hiring one or two volunteers to work in rural or intercity areas of their council. You get a small (it *is* small) paycheck, supplemented by the hiring agency; most importantly, you get valuable experience which transfers over to WORK. Check with your local Council.

  • Finally, don't forget that you can sock away up to $2K each year in a Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and can withdraw it WITHOUT PENTALTY for educational expenses up to a amount. Check with the IRS or with your tax person.
  • I hope that this, Don, is what you're looking for. I'll send a complete file, with all of the school locations and what they are asking for, to Jon this week so that we can include it in our growing Eagletips files.

    Sorry this comes later than I stated!

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    From: Jim Miller Jr.

    Although I'm not really up on the scolarships, any Eagle attending college should speak to their counsellor about credits for earning Eagle. Friends have gotten anywhere from one to three college credits for being an Eagle Scout. Along with these, bring First Aid/CPR certifications. Many colleges offer these courses as health credits and are willing to give credit when a valid certificate is presented

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