With the average cost of attending college increasing 5.5 percent annually, according to The College Board, the prospect of paying for six or more years of college to earn a degree in pharmacy can be daunting. Fortunately, there are a variety of scholarships available to minority women in both undergraduate and graduate pharmacy programs.
Hispanic College Fund
The Hispanic College Fund awards annual scholarships worth anywhere between $500 and $5000 to full-time students majoring in a health-care-related field, including pharmacy. To be eligible for the scholarship, an applicant must be at least one-fourth Hispanic and a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident with a minimum 3.0 grade point average. Both undergraduate and graduate students may apply.
Hispanic College Fund 1301 K Street NW Suite 450-A West Washington, DC 20005 800-644-4223 hispanicfund.org
American Indian Science and Engineering Society
The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) offers two scholarships annually that students pursuing a degree in pharmacy are eligible to receive.
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Foundation awards five scholarships annually to current AISES members who are high school seniors. Applicants must be at least one-fourth American Indian or Alaskan Native, maintain at least a 2.0 GPA and reside in Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota or Washington. Each recipient receives $2,500 per year for four years.
The A.T. Anderson Memorial Scholarship awards $1,000 to undergraduate students and $2,000 to graduate students per academic year. Applicants for the BNSF Foundation Scholarship who are not selected as recipients are automatically considered for the A.T. Anderson Memorial Scholarship.
American Indian Science & Engineering Society P.O. Box 9828 Albuquerque, NM 87119-9828 505-765-1052 aises.org
Association for Women in Science Educational Awards
Established in 1971, the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) supports women planning careers in any technology, engineering, mathematics or science field, including pharmacy. AWIS grants about 25 awards of $500 or $1000 annually. Eligible recipients are female undergraduate or predoctoral students who are first-time applicants for the award.
Association for Women in Science 1442 Duke Street Alexandria, VA 22314 703-372-4380 awis.org
Gates Millenium Scholars Program
The Gates Millennium Scholars Program was established in 1999 in order to financially support low-income African-American, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Asian-American, Pacific Islander-American and Hispanic-American students in their pursuit of undergraduate and graduate degrees. Applicants should be U.S. citizens or legal residents, possess demonstrated leadership abilities and have a cumulative GPA of 3.3. Applicants are assessed in three areas: academic achievement, community service and leadership potential.
Gates Millennium Scholars P.O. Box 10500 Fairfax, VA 22031-8044 877-690-4677 gmsp.org
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Awards Program
Every year, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) awards $2,500 to twelve pharmacy students with demonstrated leadership ability--four applicants from each professional year of pharmacy school. In addition to the scholarship, recipients receive an ASHP drug information reference library.
ASHP Research and Education Foundation 7272 Wisconsin Avenue Bethesda, Maryland 20814 301-664-8612 ashpfoundation.org
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