Healthcare Scholarship: Gates Millennium Scholarship
Every year, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awards 1,000 deserving high school seniors with scholarships. Bill and Melinda Gates believe that, if the U.S., as a country is to become more diverse, its students should have easier access to university educations. This foundation focuses more on students hailing from groups that traditionally have not had access to higher education.
Scholarship Overview
The Gates Millennium Scholars Program (GMS) stems from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which was founded in 1999. This program funds scholarships for academically deserving students from several minority groups, including African-American, Hispanic American, American Indian, Alaska Native and Asian-Pacific Islander Americans.
The GMS program works in partnership with the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund, the American Indian Graduate Center Scholars, the United Negro College Fund and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Students living and going to school in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and American Samoa are also eligible to apply for this scholarship.
Requirements of Scholarship
If you fall into one of these groups and you decide to apply for the GMS scholarship, you can major in any degree program of your choice. However, if you decide to continue your education as a graduate student and continue to request scholarship funding from the GMS program, you must major in library science, computer science, mathematics, education, public health, engineering or science to qualify.
To be considered eligible, you must meet the following requirements:
•Hold a cumulative high school GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 un-weighted scale.
•Be African-American, Hispanic-American, Asian & Pacific Islander-American or an American Indian/Alaska Native.
•Have earned your GED.
•You must be a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident of the U.S.
•Meet Federal Pell Grant eligibility requirements.
•Show leadership abilities in your extracurricular activities or community service activities.
•Completed and submitted a Nominee Personal Information form (your application), record of leadership activities (Recommender Form) and an evaluation of your academic record (Nominator Form).
Scholarship Deadline
To be considered for the upcoming academic year (2015-2016), you must submit your application online by no later than Wednesday, January 14, 2015, at 11:50 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Amount of Scholarship
Depending on your financial need, if you are selected to receive a scholarship from the GMS program, you may receive up to $12,000, which is intended to fund any unmet needs and self-help aid. Your GMS program scholarship is intended to be used only for the cost of your college or university education.
