An Eagle Scout Scholarship is a financial prize offered to high school students who have fulfilled the Eagle Scout Rank criteria. This title is given to young men who have demonstrated exceptional leadership abilities and are dedicated to serving their community.
The National Eagle Scout Association awards the scholarships (NESA). Scholarship applications are accepted each year in late January or early February. The application date varies per year, although most scholarships are awarded in May or June.
Applicants must have earned at least 35 points on the Eagle Scout Rank examination and completed at least one service project approved by their council or district leadership to be eligible for a scholarship. A service project could range from painting a mural to arranging a charity event.
Eagle Scout is a significant milestone for any young man or woman, and it can start them on a successful path. But what about those who did not achieve the rank of Eagle Scout? As long as they meet the standards, they can still pursue opportunities.
Level/Field of Study
The Eagle Scout Scholarship is an undergraduate scholarship for young students interested in serving their community.
Host Nationality
The Eagles Scout Scholarship is funded by the National Eagle Scout Association for Americans interested in serving their community.
Criteria for Eagle Scout Scholarships
A student must complete the following conditions to be eligible for an Eagle Scout Scholarship:
- Eagle Scouts may apply for NESA scholarships beginning in their final year of high school and continuing through their junior year of undergraduate study, or by the midway mark of their associate degree program or skilled trade program.
- Recipients may only earn a NESA scholarship once.
- Eagle Scouts who are currently enrolled in or accepted by a recognized educational institution as full-time students (at least 12 credit hours) in a program leading to an academic degree (including associate degrees) or a skilled trade program are eligible for NESA scholarships.
- Cooke four-year scholarship recipients must be enrolled full-time (at least 12 credit hours) in a bachelor’s degree program at an eligible four-year college or university.
- Students attending any of the United States military academies are not eligible for NESA scholarships.
- Graduate students seeking a master’s or doctoral degree are not eligible for NESA scholarships.
Deadline for the Eagle Scout Scholarships
Eagle Board of Review Date:
Must be on or before January 24.
Application Portal Open:
December 1 through January 31.
Application Must be Completed and Submitted
By 11:59 p.m. CST on January 31.
Announcement of Scholarship Awards: June 10.
Application Process for the Eagle Scout Scholarships
- You must be a NESA member to apply, but no BSA membership numbers or IDs are required to update the application. Do not contact NESA to confirm your membership.
- To begin the application process, go to the NESA scholarship portal by clicking on the “CLICK HERE TO APPLY” button below. Applications will only be accepted in this manner.
- If you are visiting the portal for the first time, click “New applicant” to begin the scholarship application process. (Other BSA IDs and passwords will not work; to begin the procedure, all new applicants must click “New applicant.”)
- After you’ve created your Portal account, you can start filling out the application. You do not have to finish the application fully at once; you can return and make changes.
- You will be sent a link to your application. To make any changes, save this URL.
- TROUBLESHOOTING: If you log into the site and do not see your scholarship application, it is most likely because you did not click on the link. Please do not start a new application; instead, use the URL provided to log back in.
Award Condition
The condition for the Eagle Scout Scholarships is as follows
- For each award period, the awardee must be an active member of the National Eagle Scout Association.
- During the scholarship period, the awardee will register, maintain, and submit NESA with documentation of full-time status at their chosen college/university or skilled trade school.
- During the scholarship’s four-year term, all money will be paid directly to the awardee’s chosen college/university or skilled trade school for tuition, lodging, board, and books.
- The awardee must be enrolled full-time (at least 12 credit hours) in an approved educational institution in a program leading to an academic degree (including associate degrees) or a skilled trade program.
- Following receipt of a school/program course schedule certifying the awardee’s full-time status, NESA will make payment to the designated college/university or skilled trade program.
- NESA will submit payment to the designated college/university for Cooke’s four-year grantees upon receipt of a course schedule and unofficial transcript showing the awardee’s full-time status.
- NESA reserves the right to grant scholarship prizes in instalments or as a lump sum. The scholarship must be used during the academic year in which it is awarded. Scholarships cannot be postponed.
- At the start of the school year, the awardee will submit a brief thank you video report (2 -4 minutes) to NESA outlining the significance of the scholarship to their academic progress.
Scholarship Reward
- Endowments from the National Eagle Scout Association, as well as the Hansen & Mary Hall Scholarship Fund, the Lester S. McElwain Eagle Scout Scholarship Endowment, and the Robert and Rebecca Palmer Eagle Scout Scholarship Endowment, provide funding for these awards.
- Scholarships are given to Eagle Scouts who have demonstrated active participation in school, Scouting activities, and community service, as well as demonstrating an understanding of the basics of community service, Scouting service, and character. They should also illustrate what distinguishes their financial need from others if they have one.
- Each of the 16 NSTs received a $7,500 scholarship.
- Each of the sixteen NSTs received two $3,500 scholarships.
FAQ
There are no time constraints for achieving First Class. However, once there, a boy must be active as a First Class Scout for four months to achieve Star, six months as a Star Scout to gain Life, and six months as a Life Scout to win Eagle.
According to section 2 of the Eagle Scout Rank Application, each candidate desiring to join the ranks of Eagle Scout must select six (6) references (five (5) if the applicant has no former employer).
The average age of a Scout when he receives the organization’s highest rank of Eagle Scout is 17, according to Boy Scouts of America statistics. There are exceptions, such as Nathan Reynolds, a Buckeye Valley student who received his Eagle Scout rank at the age of 14.