-Higher Education Scholarships-
Scholarships Overview
The scholarship program was created to prepare Iñupiat students for the professional workforce through higher education and skill-building opportunities. This program funds 2-year, 4-year, and graduate-level programs.
Open Applications:
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Be an ASRC shareholder or lineal descendant of an original ASRC shareholder.
- Have a high School diploma or GED
- Be at least 17 years old, or 16 and legally emancipated
- United States citizen and United States resident
- Accepted to an accredited U.S. college, university, technical, or vocational school.
- Must have and maintain a 2.0 grade point average (GPA)
- NOT be a spouse, ancestor, or lineal descendant by blood or adoption of any member of the AEF Board of Directors.
Application Procedures
AEF no longer accepts paper applications. We recently migrated our applications to Kaleidoscope, where all applicants must now apply. See the links above to access the scholarship applications.
Required Documents
FIRST-TIME APPLICANTS:
- Three (3) letters of recommendation.
- A copy of your high school diploma or GED
- A copy of your high school and/or college transcripts (if applicable).
- Letter of Acceptance from the school you are attending
- Financial Need Sheet/Budget Forecast
- If an ASRC shareholder, you will be asked to provide a copy of your ASRC shareholder card or an unofficial copy of your enrollment verification form.
- This may be downloaded from your I Am Inupiaq profile. Once logged in, click “Forms” at the top of the page.
CONTINUING APPLICANTS:
- Most recent funded transcript
- Updated Financial Need Sheet/Budget Forecast
- If you changed schools since the last application, you will also need to provide an updated Letter of Acceptance from the new school
**Note on Changes: If you change schools, programs, drop or withdraw from any classes, please call or email to make our team aware of these changes. Failure to notify us may delay processing for your scholarship or impact your eligibility for future funding.
Application Deadlines
Scholarship applications must be received by 11:59 pm on or before the deadline date. Late or incomplete applications (missing documents) will not be accepted.
- January 15: Spring Semester/Quarter
- March 15: Spring Quarter
- May 15: Summer Semester/Quarter
- August 15: Fall Semester/Quarter
Award Amounts
Award amounts vary by program. These are maximum award amounts, but the actual scholarship awarded to each student is based on the applicant’s financial need.
2-Year Programs (Associates/Certificates)
- $3,833 per Quarter
- $5,750 per Semester
- Yearly Total $11,500
4-Year Programs (Bachelors Degree)
- $4500 per Quarter
- $6750 per Semester
- Yearly Total: $13,500
Graduate Programs (Masters, PhD)
- $7,167 per Quarter
- $10,750 per Semester
- Yearly Total: $21,500
Scholarships cover the following eligible education expenses:
- Tuition
- Fees
- Books/materials
- Room/board (full-time students only; see notes below)
Typically, the scholarship is applied to the costs in the order given above, starting with tuition first, then fees, then books. If any term funds remain after these have been covered, the rest may be awarded to assist with room and board costs.
** Notes on Room & Board **
To be eligible for room and board assistance, students must have a full-time-status course load and attending school outside of their area of residence. If living off-campus, students must submit a copy of their lease agreement. AEF does not provide room and board assistance for students who are paying mortgages, living with, or renting from their parents/family.
If the student’s term funds were completely expended for tuition, fees, and/or book costs, no room/board assistance will be awarded.
The IRS considers room/board awards taxable income. If you received room and board assistance, we advise you to check with your parents or a tax advisor to make sure you report this taxable income correctly.
–Other Scholarship Opportunities–
Competitive Awards
Arctic Education Foundation offers a handful of competitive awards for additional higher education or vocational training funding. These awards open for application April 30 and are open until 11:59 pm June 30.
The following are awarded to 1 student each, and funds them for 4 consecutive years:
- Aveogan Leadership Award: $28,000/year
- Anaġi Leadership Award: $24,000/year
- Ivalu Award: $15,000/year
The following are awarded to multiple applicants and provide additional funding for one year:
- High School At-Large Awards (6 available): $2,000 per student
- High School Nominated Awards. This award does not require an application. They are given based on nominations by school staff and teachers in each North Slope community.
For more information on the competitive awards, please visit the Competitive Awards page.
Short-Term Training Awards
Aside from higher education, AEF offers awards for those completing shorter training opportunities. Applications are accepted year-round, and may be used to cover training costs and materials needed to complete them. Applicants may use up to $4,500/year for short-term training opportunities.
For more information, please visit the short-term training page.