As the land of elite liberal arts colleges – and one of the wealthiest states in the US – you might not think New Hampshire college students would be worried about scholarships. But with tuition costs continually rising, and more nontraditional students than ever going to school, there are many scholarships available to students in New Hampshire. New Hampshire college scholarships are like scholarships anywhere else in that there are a number of different but common ways to qualify. The different qualifications vary from one scholarship to another. They depend on who the scholarship is for, what it is intended to produce, and who is funding it.
College Consensus is helping Granite State students find the right scholarship for their needs with our top 5 New Hampshire scholarships. Programs are listed here in alphabetical order.
See Also: Best Scholarships for Online Students
1
Abbie Sargent Memorial Scholarship
The Abbie Sargent Memorial Scholarship is provided by the New Hampshire Farm Bureau Federation – New Hampshire’s Voice of Agriculture. Eligible applicants for these New Hampshire scholarships must be New Hampshire residents, a graduate of a public/private high school (with above-average GPAs), and successfully show a financial need. The Abbie Sargent Memorial Scholarship application deadline is April 15th; the scholarship award is valued at $3,000. The New Hampshire Farm Bureau Federation’s scholarships in New Hampshire prefer scholarship recipients to be enrolled in an agriculture-related degree from an institution of higher learning.
The New Hampshire Farm Bureau Federation was established in 1916 (celebrating its centennial only a few years ago) by a legislative act of the state government and is a professional organization that was created to educate the public (and advocate for) agriculture issues in the Granite State. The New Hampshire Farm Bureau Federation consists of more than 2,900 members in ten different county bureaus.
2
Department of New Hampshire Scholarship
The Department of New Hampshire Scholarship is offered by the American Legion of New Hampshire to eligible students entering their freshman year in a four-year institution of higher learning and has been a New Hampshire resident for a minimum of 3 years. Eligible recipients of these scholarships in New Hampshire must be approved for a bachelor’s degree program and have maintained a B-average in the junior and senior years of high school. These New Hampshire scholarships have an application deadline of May 1st and have a value of $2,000.
The American Legion began as a charter of the US Congress in 1919 – 100 years ago! The New Hampshire Chapter of the American Legion administers several scholarship programs. What began as a professional association of WW1 veterans has become one of the most influential nonprofit organizations in the United States, with more than 2,000,000 members from coast to coast. Since its humble beginnings, the American Legion has developed and implemented significant programs for youth and child development in every state.
3
New Hampshire Scholarships for Orphans of Veterans
The New Hampshire Scholarships for Orphans of Veterans are offered by the New Hampshire Department of Education to those New Hampshire resident students. These scholarships in New Hampshire have been available since 1943 and offer free tuition for eligible recipients of a parent who lost their lives serving their country in one of the member state schools of the University System of New Hampshire. The application deadline for the New Hampshire Scholarships for Orphans of Veterans is September 1st and offers a stipend valued at $2,500.
The New Hampshire Department of Education strives to provide quality leadership and academic opportunities for New Hampshire communities, educators, students, school administrators, and families. The New Hampshire Department of Education is tasked with the responsibility of managing the state’s public schools, charter schools, and the state’s nonpublic schools. Ultimately, the New Hampshire Department of Education seeks to provide an educational system that facilitates the education of all New Hampshire students.
4
Plan New Hampshire Scholarship and Fellowship Program
The New Hampshire Scholarships and Fellowship Program is offered by Plan NH (in partnership with the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation), an agency tasked with the responsibility for building sustainable communities throughout the Granite State. Eligible recipients of the Scholarship and Fellowship Program are those students who are studying for a degree that will positively impact the economic, environmental, and social communities in the state. The application for these scholarships in New Hampshire is April 12th. The Scholarship and Fellowship Program has a value of $5,000.
Plan New Hampshire (NH) is a professional charitable foundation that was established in 1989 with a mission to facilitate the establishment of vibrant & health-conscious communities. Plan NH is a member of the Center of Profits of New Hampshire, the state’s preservation alliance, and Smart Growth, to name a few. Plan NH administrators proudly serve on the state’s alliance for healthful aging.
5
Raymond K. Conley Scholarship
The Raymond K. Conley Scholarship is offered by the American Legion Department of New Hampshire (NH). Applicants become eligible when they are residents of NH for a minimum of 3 years and have been accepted by a college-level program that focuses on the areas of emotional, mental, or physical rehabilitation. Eligible applicants must submit their application on or before May 1st. The Raymond K. Conley Scholarship is valued at $2,000.
The American Legion Department of NH is a member of the American Legion, a countrywide organization that began as a US Congress after World War 1. The American Legion Department of New Hampshire provides more than 20 services to the residents of the Granite State. This nonprofit organization can be found in every state (and US territories) and holds an influential position in the development of child and youth programs.
How Do I Qualify for Scholarships in New Hampshire?
Common qualification considerations for New Hampshire scholarships for college students include, but are not limited to:
Maintain a requisite GPA: Grade Point Average requirements vary from one type of scholarship to another. Some require students to have a 2.5, while some expect the student to maintain a 3.0 or higher. A few have no GPA requirement at all, but rather focus on other areas of qualification such as extracurricular activity, community service, and so on.
Be in financial need: Many scholarship, grant, and other such programs are intended to provide financial aid in order to promote a given group and/or to promote income and education equality in general.
Submit a required piece of writing: Some scholarships will ask applicants to submit an essay explaining your background, motivations, what you intend to do with your education or some other topic. The idea is to prompt the applicant to display academic talent, positive intent, and inspiration.
Pass a given exam at a certain level: The applicant may be expected to obtain a certain score on the SAT or some other metric oriented test or entrance exam.
Be a member of a specific group: Some scholarships are intended to promote members of certain groups such as minorities, those who have experienced a specific type of hardship, veterans, the disabled, artists, writers, students of a given field of study, and so on.
Attend or commit to attend a specific school, group of schools, or type of school: Others are designed to encourage students to attend certain schools or schools in certain areas in order to promote a local economy, support a specific culture, or to preserve locations of specific historical relevance, or to promote a specific academic discipline.
In the state of New Hampshire and elsewhere, there are also NH scholarships for undergraduates and graduate students. It is rare for any one scholarship to ask for just one of any of these qualifications, but most programs place most of their focus on one or two of the aforementioned qualifications.
To qualify for a specific program, first find a program that suits you, and then seek to meet its requirements. If the requirements are beyond you, you may select a different program. The available options are many.
Does the State of New Hampshire Offer Scholarships and Grants?
Like most other states in the U.S., there is a wide selection of New Hampshire college grants and scholarship programs for students to choose from. New Hampshire students are lucky in that there are many different programs of different types. Some are merit-based, requiring applicants to meet certain requirements such as academic achievement, certain traits, interest, or by being a member of a specific group. Some scholarships will cover the entire cost of your tuition while others might just cover one year or one semester. Others expect applicants to reapply after given periods of time.
To find the right NH grants for college or NH scholarships for college that work best for you, you can visit an online scholarship aggregation service such as studentaid.ed.gov. These update their lists regularly and are fairly comprehensive.
Another good source is always the Financial Aid Office at the school you intend to sign up for.
Other options include:
- A high school or TRIO counselor
- The U.S. Dept. of Labor’s FREE scholarship search tool
- Your state grant agency
- A library reference section
- Foundations, churches, or community organizations, or local businesses
- Your employer
Do I Have to Be an NH Resident to Get a New Hampshire Scholarship?
The state of New Hampshire places great value on the education of its population. In fact, it was the first state to have its own public library. If you plan to attend school in the state of New Hampshire and hope to obtain college scholarships for NH residents, in most cases you will need to be a resident of the state.
Still, there are a number of options through which you can obtain a New Hampshire scholarship without necessarily being a resident of the state. If you are not currently a resident of the state of New Hampshire and you plan to attend a school within the state, such as; The University of New Hampshire (UNH), Dartmouth College, Plymouth State University, or Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), you may qualify for one of many available scholarships and grant programs for students who are new to NH schools.
Visit the financial aid office of the school you intend to attend to learn more.
In the meantime, it may be in your best interest to obtain permanent residency while you use your new student scholarship. Visit Moving.com to learn more about establishing residency in a new state.
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