Scholarships

Most Deadlines Extended to April 15, 2024!

Special Notice: Please note the above deadline extension for our General Named Endowed and UM Dollars for Scholars applications, which is in response to the unprecedented complications of the US FAFSA form and subsequent delays in financial aid and admissions processes. UMHEF remains committed to supporting both our students and United Methodist-related institutions.

Paying for college can be stressful. For many families, affording higher education is the number one factor when deciding which school a student will attend. UMHEF scholarships help make it financially possible for qualifying students to obtain higher education, especially those attending United Methodist-related institutions. In rare cases, awards are also given to students attending other schools.

Last year, UMHEF awarded more than $2 million to nearly 1,000 students!

UMHEF 2024-2025 Scholarship Programs

Eligibility

All students must meet the following criteria:

  • Applicants must be an active, full member of The United Methodist Church, African Methodist Episcopal Church, AME Zion Church, or Christian Methodist Episcopal Church for at least one year prior to applying. If your church has disaffiliated from The UMC, please contact us about options to apply.
  • Strong preference is given to students enrolled or planning to enroll in a full-time degree program (graduate or undergraduate) at a regionally accredited United Methodist-related college, university, or seminary in the United States. A list of these schools can be found here. In rare cases, students attending non-UM-related schools may also be awarded.
  • For those applying for the UM Dollars for Scholars program, you must be attending a school that participates in the program.
  • New in 2024! Doctor of Ministry students are eligible to apply. All other doctoral (including PhD and any other doctorate-level program) candidates are not eligible at this time.
  • Applications for international students studying outside the U.S. are now closed.

Other Important Notes:

  • Students may receive only ONE scholarship from UMHEF per academic year.
  • Students may apply for both of our main scholarships (General Named Endowed and UM Dollars for Scholars) and will receive the largest award for which they qualify.
  • Due to our extended deadline, award notifications may be delayed past mid-May this year. Please be sure to check the email address used on your application regularly.
  • All awards are currently made for the fall term each year.
  • UMHEF will transfer award funds to the recipient’s school in the fall after verification of full-time enrollment is received. It is the recipient’s responsibility to request and ensure that their registrar’s office sends verification of their enrollment to UMHEF no later than October 1. A reminder about this requirement is sent with award notifications.
  • Award checks are typically mailed to schools by mid-November.
  • Learn more on our FAQs page.
  • Scholarships offered by UMHEF are separate from those offered by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM). You are welcome to apply for both, but must apply by posted deadlines for ours using a UMHEF application. You can only receive one scholarship from UMHEF per year.
  • Read our Scholarships Privacy Policy.