Students who are interested in United Auto Workers or UAW scholarships will either need to be current members of the union organization or children of members. Following a long and strong history of supporting one another, UAW union scholarships are often paid for by money raised through individual chapters located around the United States. In some instances large companies, such as is the case the UAW-Ford Rouge Powerhouse Scholarship, operate in cooperation with the UAW to provide additional monetary aid where they can. This is of course not the case in every area, and many of these programs are operated locally as well.
A first stop for any student interested in a UAW scholarship is either their Local office or through their parents should they be dependents of current UAW members. Specifics for UAW scholarships will vary from one local office to another, so interested students will have to do some of the legwork themselves in order to secure financial aid through this route. In many cases the small amount of work which will need to be done is more than worth it – some UAW scholarships can cover up to as much as $2,000 and higher depending on the program. Of course without asking students will never know what they are missing out on, so at the very least every student in the right position should at least find out what they can about their local program.
Mentioned above, the UAW-Ford Rouge Powerhouse Memorial Scholarship Program is one of the few nationally available UAW scholarships to students who are children of not only UAW members but also Ford workers. All applicants will need to also be intending to enroll full time at either a two or four year institution and have at least a 3.0 grade point average. The program awards a variable number of $1,500 scholarships every year to students preparing for undergraduate education on a non-renewable basis. The deadline of this program is June 1, 2011.
A great example of a UAW scholarship offered through a local office comes from the Marine Draftsmen’s Association – UAW Local 571 which has offered the john F. Saffomilla and E. Roy Colville Scholarship since 1998. This UAW scholarship has an award of $2,000 given to six different students. While in 1998 the number of awards given out was greater, no year since then has gone above six different awards. Students will be eligible for this program if their parents are a member of the Local 571 organization in good standing, they are graduating from high school and they are currently enrolled or preparing to enroll in an institution of higher education. To make the deadline for this program students will need to have all of their application material turned in no later than April 29.
Another great resource for students interested in a UAW scholarship comes from the Union Plus program, another nationally available union scholarship. This particular UAW scholarship covers anywhere from $500 up to $4,000 to a relatively decent number of winners every year. In 2010, for example, over 100 different students won awards in varying amount depending on their financial need and relative achievement. Students will be able to consider their eligibility for this program by determining whether their local union is an active participant in the Union Plus program, whether they live in North America, Puerto Rico, Guam or the US. Virgin Islands and whether they have been accepted into any form of college or not. Generally the deadline for applications is at the end of January. Currently the 2011 applications are closed but students will be able to access the 2012 program in late spring or summer.
UAW scholarships are great sources for students to find money for college. The best way to start looking for these union scholarships, apart from applying to one of the above mentioned national programs, is to stop in by the local office their parents work through and simply ask whether or not they have a UAW scholarship program. If the answer is yes – great, get the necessary materials and apply!
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Dear Sir,
I am a Zambian citizen currently holding Unconditional offer of a study place on an MSc in Water Management Community water and sanitation in October, 2011 at Cranfield University, UK applying for a scholarship to enable me undertake this important study which will contribute to the attainment of the Millenium Development Goals in Zambia.
I will be very grateful if my application will be considered.
Thank you.
Joseph Kawele
Zambia
Joseph,
you have to apply to any scholarship we write about by going directly to the website of the scholarship sponsor. A link is normally provided at the end of the article. If there is no link then do a search from your favorite search engine to find it. Have you looked into college bursaries.
I am the spouse of a retired GM employee. I receive a small pension but our children are in college and need some help. My oldest is an engineer in her junior year at the UTSA San Antonio Texas. She is interested in a an internship for 2016. Please help us..
Harriette,
You must apply to scholarships to see if your children qualify for them. Start applying to them and see. Direct questions to the scholarship sponsor that are specific in nature. Read more at: car scholarships, auto scholarships, and Buick scholarships, that can be applied to and whcih may help