Students have until Oct. 31, 2018, to apply for these NESA Eagle Scout scholarships

By Bryan Wendell | August 2, 2018

Becoming an Eagle Scout is its own reward.

Earning a college scholarship because you’re an Eagle Scout? That’s like a reward on top of a reward.

The National Eagle Scout Association will award nearly $700,000 in scholarships to more than 150 Eagle Scouts based on their academic performance, Scouting background, college plans and financial need.

The window for the latest round of National Eagle Scout Association scholarships opens today — Aug. 1, 2018. It will close for good on Oct. 31, 2018.

Scholarship recipients will be notified by mail on July 15, 2019, and money will be disbursed to these deserving Eagle Scouts in fall 2019.

These scholarships reward the best of the best, and they are extremely competitive. About 3 percent of the expected 5,000 applicants will receive a scholarship.

If you’re an Eagle Scout between your senior year of high school and junior year of college, you’ll want to apply and give yourself a chance at earning some cash for college.

Read on for more details, and be sure to consult this list of FAQs if you still have questions.

How much does NESA award?

For the current window — 2018-2019 — NESA plans to award at least 150 scholarships with amounts ranging from $2,500 to $50,000 per recipient.

What are the requirements?

You must be a National Eagle Scout Association member to receive a scholarship. However, Eagle Scouts can apply for a NESA scholarship before registering to become members of NESA.

Academic scholarship applicants must apply during their senior year in high school unless the Eagle Scout board of review was held after Oct. 31, 2018. In those cases, the applicant must apply during the Aug. 1 to Oct. 31, 2019, scholarship cycle, even if he is already attending college.

Academic scholarship applicants must have a minimum 1800 SAT (or 1290 if taken after March 2016), or 28 ACT score to apply. A “super score” may be used to meet this requirement.

Eagle Scouts may apply for NESA merit scholarships beginning in their senior year of high school and may continue applying every year until their junior year in college.

Applicants may receive a NESA scholarship one time only.

In the past, NESA scholarships were available only to Scouts attending four-year universities. Now Scouts attending vocational trade schools and other approved programs may apply. NESA scholarships are not payable to any of the U.S. military academies.

How does an Eagle Scout apply?

All NESA scholarship applications must be submitted online. Paper copies from previous years are out of date and will not be accepted.

Applications must be submitted using the instructions found here.

In depth: Academic scholarships

Academic scholarships are based on school and Scouting participation, academic performance and financial need.
Applicants must apply during their senior year in high school unless the Eagle Scout board of review is held after Oct. 31, 2018. In those cases, the applicant must apply between Aug. 1, 2019, and Oct. 31, 2019, even if he is already attending college.
Eagle Scouts may apply for an academic scholarship one time only and must apply during the time frame defined above.
All academic scholarship applicants must have a minimum 1800 SAT (or 1290 if taken after March 2016), or 28 ACT score to apply. A “super score” may be used to meet this requirement.
All applicants must be members of the National Eagle Scout Association to receive a scholarship.
Types of academic scholarships:
- Cooke scholarships ($2,500 to $48,000): Awarded based on school and Scouting participation, academic performance, and financial need. Applicants must meet the minimum SAT or ACT score to apply.
- NESA STEM scholarship ($50,000): Awarded to one applicant annually who has chosen to pursue a career in a STEM-related field. Applicants for the STEM scholarship who are not selected will automatically be considered for a Cooke scholarship worth $2,500 to $48,000 each.

In depth: Merit scholarships

Merit scholarships are awarded based on school and Scouting participation and community service.
Eagle Scouts may apply for the NESA merit scholarships beginning in their senior year of high school and may continue applying every year up through their junior year in college.
Applicants may win a NESA scholarship one time only. Previous NESA scholarship winners are not eligible to apply again.
Types of merit scholarships:
- Hall/McElwain scholarships ($5,000): Awarded based on school and Scouting participation and community service.
- Robert and Rebecca Palmer scholarships ($2,500): Awarded based on school and Scouting participation and community service.
- Michael S. Malone/Windrush Publishing Journalism scholarship ($2,500): Awarded to one Scout who plans to pursue a degree in journalism.

Learn more

NESA has posted this list of helpful FAQs. Good luck!

Other scholarships for Eagle Scouts

Be sure to consider these scholarships: