NESA’s Eagle Scout scholarship window opens

Eagle Scouts, start your mouses.

The window for 2015 National Eagle Scout Association scholarships opens today. You have nearly three months to submit your application; the deadline is Dec. 31, 2014. Winners will be contacted by July 15, 2015.

Last year, NESA awarded more than $650,000 in scholarships to deserving Eagle Scouts.

NESA offers two types of scholarships: academic and merit.

Academic scholarship applicants must be Eagle Scouts who are graduating high school and entering college in 2015.

Exception: Scouts whose Eagle Scout boards of review are held the same year of their high school graduation may apply in that calendar year. For example: a Scout who earned Eagle in February 2014 and graduated high school in May 2014 wasn’t eligible to apply for 2014 scholarships. So he should apply for 2015 scholarships.

Academic scholarships require a minimum 1800 SAT or 28 ACT score to apply.

You may receive a scholarship one time only.

Merit scholarship applicants must be Eagle Scouts graduating high school or undergraduate college students no farther than completion of the junior year. Recipients may receive the scholarship one time only.

Here’s what else you need to know:

Online only

As with past years, there is no paper submission form. You can only apply online, a move that saves NESA about $15,000 a year in printing, postage and other costs.

Paper copies from previous years are out of date and will not be accepted. If you see a paper application online, don’t use it. Applying with that may make you ineligible.

Judged by volunteers

NESA staffers process the applications, but judging and selection is done by volunteer committees based in the region in which you earned the Eagle rank.

Personal identifying info is removed, meaning judges don’t know the Eagle Scout’s name, address or troop number.

Applicants must be NESA members

To apply for a NESA scholarship, you must be a NESA member. It makes sense.

You can join NESA at this link and then apply once you’re a member.

NESA staffers will verify that each recipient is a NESA member using the official NESA database. NESA membership is based on the date and time the membership application is received by NESA.

No wiggle room on the deadline

When the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, the application window is closed. So get it in early. NESA does not grant extensions for any reason.

Also, the application requires references. So, be courteous and give the individuals who are writing references on your behalf plenty of time to get their reference letter in before the deadline.

Have questions?

Most of your questions are likely answered on the NESA scholarships page.

NESA might not see questions you post as comments below. It’s better to email questions to nesa@scouting.org.

Video: Scholarship tips from NESA


Photo from Flickr:  Some rights reserved by Monash University


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.