Healthcare Scholarship: The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS)
Overview of the Gates Millennium Scholarship
The Gates Millennium Scholarship, created from a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is a scholarship program that is open to undergraduate students. 1,000 students receive the award each year, which is worth the full value of their remaining years to graduation. The scholarship is intended to cover unmet education costs, including tuition as well as books, feeds and living expenses throughout the time of study. The deadline for the application, must be filed online, is January 14th, 11:59 EST.
In order to qualify for the scholarship, applicants must submit an application form, a nominator form and a recommender form. These application forms should demonstrate your leadership abilities, community involvement, and academic excellence. The nominator form consists of an evaluation of the applicant’s academic record, and must be filled out by an educator, whether a principal, teacher, guidance counselor or other educational professional. The recommender form consists of an evaluation of the applicant’s community service or leadership-type activities. This form should be filled out by a relevant third-party, such as a group advisor or mentor. In some cases, the nominator and recommender may be the same person. One person may be the nominator for multiple applicants.
To be eligible as an applicant, you must have a minimum GPA of 3.3 on an un-weighted 4.0 scale. You must have either completed high school or have earned a GED. You must be planning to enroll for the first time at a U.S. located, accredited college or university in the coming fall semester, as a full-time student. You must also be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national or permanent resident. As the scholarship is need-based, all applicants must also submit at FAFSA and meet Federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria in order to apply. The scholarship aims to offer university education to underserved or minority populations. Therefore, applicants should self-identify as African American/Black, American Indian – Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American or Hispanic American.
The scholarship program is open to students pursuing any course of study from an accredited undergraduate program. Should award recipients decide to pursue further graduate work in computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science, they may apply for continued funding through their graduate school studies.
