Scholarships

The English department offers a variety of scholarships for students with unique backgrounds, educational paths, and career goals. For questions regarding scholarships and awards, please contact the English department or a program coordinator.

Other graduate and undergraduate scholarships and awards might be available through the College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of Financial Aid.

Undergraduate Scholarships and Awards

  • Irene Little Wallace Scholarship (Excellence, Need, Majors)

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    This scholarship comes with a minimum, one-time award of $500. Students applying for the award must be undergraduate majors in the Department of English Language & Literature, have a GPA of at least 3.0 and demonstrated financial need. Applications are due in either PDF or MS Word formats to the English Department in Pray-Harrold and should be directed to the email of Professor Lolita Cummings. Students who do not receive the award upon first application are encouraged to resubmit. To apply, a student must submit the following:

    • A coversheet, including your full name and email address, EID, local address, permanent address, local phone number and permanent phone number
    • A one-page summary of the following information: major, class level, cumulative GPA, GPA in major, current enrollment hours, and planned enrollment hours next semester
    • A short essay (500-700 words), describing academic and professional goals and achievements, including a statement showing evidence of financial need

     

    Deadline: March 15, 2024

  • Roberson Scholarship for Excellence in English Studies (Excellence, Outside Reach, Majors)

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    This scholarship is intended to support students who plan to disseminate their work in some significant way beyond the EMU classroom. Examples of this wider reach might include giving a presentation at an academic conference, using research in future teaching, or performing community service and/or service-learning that clearly links back to intellectual pursuits. This scholarship comes with an award no less than $1,000 and potentially as much as $2,000.

    Students applying for the award must be undergraduate students in the Department of English Language & Literature, with a GPA of at least 3.0. Applications are due in either PDF or MS Word formats to the English department in 612 Pray-Harrold and should be directed to the email of Lolita Cummings. Students who do not receive the award are encouraged to resubmit. To apply, a student must submit the following:

    • A coversheet, including your full name and email address, EID, local address, permanent address, local phone number, and permanent phone number
    • A one-page summary of the following information: major, class level, cumulative GPA, GPA in major, current enrollment hours, and planned enrollment hours next semester
    • A short essay (500–700 words), describing your academic and professional goals and achievements, including a statement explaining how the student plans to disseminate his/her work.

    Students who win this award will be expected to submit a follow-up report that explains how the scholarship helped the student to meet his/her goals. This should be submitted to Professor Jones within six months of the award's disbursement.

    Deadline: March 15, 2024

  • Mariam Turbin Scholarship (University or Community Service, Majors and Minors)

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    This scholarship comes with a one-time award of approximately $200. Students applying for the award must be declared undergraduate majors or minors in the Department of English Language & Literature, have a minimum GPA of 3.0, and must demonstrate leadership in University or community activities. Applications are due in either PDF or MS Word formats to the English Department in Pray-Harrold and should be directed to the email of Professor Lolita Cummings. Students who do not receive the award upon first application are encouraged to resubmit. To apply, a student must submit the following:

    • A coversheet, including your full name and email address, EID, local address, permanent address, local phone number and permanent phone number
    • A one-page summary of the following information: major, class level, cumulative GPA, GPA in major, current enrollment hours, and planned enrollment hours next semester
    • A short essay describing the student's leadership activities and the place of service in his or her life.

    Deadline: March 15, 2024

  • Madalene and Jack McClow Memorial End Scholarship (Teaching, Need, Majors or Minors)

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    This scholarship comes with a one-time award of approximately $1,000. Students applying for the award must be declared undergraduate majors or minors in the Department of English Language & Literature, have a minimum GPA of 3.0, must have demonstrated financial need, and must be seeking a teaching certificate. Preference will be given to students who are preparing to enter their final semester and will be doing their student teaching in the fall. Applications are due in either PDF or MS Word formats to the English Department in Pray-Harrold and should be directed to the email of Professor Lolita Cummings. Students who do not receive the award upon first application are encouraged to resubmit. To apply, a student must submit the following:

    • A coversheet, including your full name and email address, EID, local address, permanent address, local phone number, and permanent phone number
    • A one-page summary of the following information: major/minor, class level, cumulative GPA, GPA in your major, current enrollment hours, and planned enrollment hours next semester
    • A short statement describing your teaching goals and financial need (the latter can be a brief description of self-sufficiency, dependence on loans and work study, etc)

    Deadline: March 15, 2024

  • Paul Bruss Award in Creative Writing (Excellence, Majors or Minors)

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    This scholarship comes with two $900 awards for undergraduate students in the Creative Writing Program who display literary excellence. Eligible students will concentrate, major, or minor in Creative Writing.

    The student must demonstrate literary excellence in Creative Writing—poetic experimentation, aesthetic adventurousness, conceptual risk, and/or formal innovation—and be in good academic standing with the University.

    Applicants can direct emails to Robert Halpern with the subject heading: The Paul Bruss Award in Creative Writing 2024.

    To apply, please submit:

    • A 250-500 word artist's statement that addresses your literary work as a creative writer
    • A writing sample of no more than 5-10 pages

    Deadline: Jan. 14, 2024

  • Al Davey Creative Writing Scholarship (Need, Community Involvement, Majors or Minors)

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    This scholarship comes with a one-time award of $400 in honor of Al Davey — a transgender student, an active member of the LGBTQ community on campus, and a Creative Writing major at EMU. Eligible students for this scholarship will concentrate, major, or minor in Creative Writing; demonstrate financial need; and, show a minimum 3.0 GPA. Preference will be given to students with community involvement. Also, students will provide a statement on why they are interested in creative writing (250-500 words). Scholarships may be awarded to multiple students based on available funds. Applicants can direct emails to Robert Halpern with the subject heading: Al Davey Creative Writing Scholarship 2024

    To apply, please submit:

    • A 250-500 word statement that speaks to your eligibility for this award based on your interest in Creative Writing, community involvement, creative work, and financial need
    • A writing sample of no more than 5-10 pages

    Deadline: Jan. 14, 2024

Graduate Scholarships and Awards

University Scholarships

  • Barton Scholarship

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    The Barton Scholarship is a one-time competitive award that pays up to $4,000 to new graduate students. To be considered for the Barton Scholarship, students must have earned their baccalaureate from EMU with a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA. Applicants must enroll in and complete 16 credit hours for both the fall and winter semesters. A minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA must be maintained while receiving the scholarship.

    You can receive this scholarship even if your tuition and fees are covered by another source (e.g., a graduate assistantship or fellowship). Students interested in applying for this scholarship must submit their application through the Scholarship and Fellowship application portal on the Graduate School's website. Application deadlines are March 15 for the fall semester and October 15 for the winter semester. The scholarship section of the Graduate School website offers more information and an application for this award.

  • Brenner Scholarship

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    The Brenner Scholarship is also awarded based on academic achievement (minimum 3.5 GPA). This scholarship is a one-time award of $500, which is applied to the recipient's tuition and fees for the following fall semester. Applicants must have completed at least one full academic semester at EMU, earning a minimum of ten graduate credit hours prior to application.

    Applicants must have demonstrated academic achievement through endeavors such as publications, scholarly research projects, University service, artistic performances, or exhibitions. They must enroll in and complete at least one graduate course during the Fall semester. Applications should be submitted through the Scholarship and Fellowship application portal by March 15. The scholarship section of the Graduate School website offers more information and an application for this award.

  • King-Chavez-Parks Future Faculty Scholarship

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    The King-Chavez-Parks Future Faculty Scholarship is awarded to students who are pursuing a masters or doctoral degree in a Michigan post-secondary educational institution. Masters Fellows must pursue and attain a masters degree within four years of initially receiving this fellowship award. Doctoral Fellows must pursue and attain a doctoral degree within eight years of initially receiving this award. Applicants must either pursue a doctoral degree at a Michigan post-secondary educational institution within one year after attaining their Masters degree or begin a teaching or administrative career in a 2 or 4 year post-secondary institution and continue this employment for a minimum of three years.

    Recipients must maintain a 3.0 GPA to maintain the fellowship, which awards up to $20,000.00 over the course of study. The scholarship section of the Graduate School website offers more information about deadlines, and an application for this award.

Graduate Research & Writing Awards

  • Margaret L. Rossiter Award for Outstanding Graduate Paper and Donald Drummond Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Paper

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    These awards are given for the most outstanding papers on women and/or gender written by EMU students. Papers must be nominated by an EMU faculty member and written in the previous calendar year. Nominees must be enrolled at EMU at the time the paper was written but need not be majors, minors, nor in the Women's Studies graduate program. Visit the Women's & Gender Studies website for more information on these awards.
  • The Lloyd-Russell Prize for the Best Paper on Gender and Sexuality

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    This award is distributed annually during the Winter semester. Papers may be in any discipline, but the focus must be on gender or sexuality. The award is named in honor of Anna Lloyd, former President and Executive Director of The Committee of 200, an organization of top U.S. women entrepreneurs and corporate leaders, and Kathleen Russell, former Assistant Dean of Students, Coordinator of EMU's LGBT Resource Center and lecturer in the School of Social Work. The Women's & Gender Studies website contains further information on this award.
  • Journal of Narrative Theory Graduate Studies in Literature Scholarship

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    This scholarship awards up to $500 a year to graduate students in Literature. Beginning in the Fall 2009, one award will be granted with the possibility of renewing. The scholarship is designed to award students who demonstrate potential in literary criticism and theory, and who intend to go on in a PhD program in Literature and ultimately specialize in a field drawing on literary criticism and theory in some way. Applications are due in hard copy to the English Department in Pray-Harrold and should be directed to the attention of Craig Dionne and Abby Coykendall, Editors JNT: Journal of Narrative Theory. Students who do not receive the award upon first application are encouraged to resubmit. For general information, visit the scholarship section of the Journal of Narrative Theory website.
  • Distinguished Master's Thesis Award, Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools

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    The University may nominate one student for this regional award. The competition invites nominations from the Biological/Life Sciences and from the Humanities disciplines. Nomination materials include a copy of the thesis, the written endorsement of the Graduate Dean at Eastern Michigan University, the nomination form, and two copies of an abstract. The abstract, not to exceed 300 words, describes the student's research and its significance. It must contain the title of the thesis and the name of the author but not the name of the nominating institution. A letter from the faculty thesis director may accompany the nomination. All materials must be submitted electronically by October 30. The recipient of the award receives a $750 honorarium, plus $500 toward travel expenses to the Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools. Please visit the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools website for more information.

Other University Scholarships and Awards

Some of these awards may be open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

  • Adelson-NSDAR Scholarships

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    This award is up to $4,500, given to female Native-American students.

  • The Evans-Strand Scholarship

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    This award, modeled after the Nobel Peace Prize, annually recognizes an individual for significant contributions to advancing the understanding and furthering the acceptance of diversity at EMU. Visit the College of Arts and Sciences website for more information and an application to this scholarship.

  • The Stonewall Scholarship

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    This scholarship is available to EMU students who have demonstrated leadership or involvement in organizations, activities, or issues that promote a positive gay/lesbian environment. Applications are due in April for the following Fall term. Both undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to apply.

    Graduate students are eligible if they have completed 12 credit hours of graduate courses, have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and will be enrolled full-time. Visit the College of Arts and Sciences website for more information.

  • The National Scholars Program Scholarship

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    The National Scholars Program Scholarship is a renewable award available to international students that pays the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition—approximately $7,600 over two years.

    Incoming graduate students with a 3.6 undergraduate GPA or higher from the equivalent of a US bachelor's degree are automatically considered for the award. The scholarship section of the Financial Aid website offers general information on this award.

  • The EMU Success Scholarship

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    The EMU Student Success Scholarship is open to incoming international graduate students with a GPA of 3.2 or higher with the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree.

    The award totals $6,200 over two years, and applicants to the graduate school are automatically considered. The scholarship section of the Admissions website offers more information and an application for this award.

  • The Graduate Dean's Award for Research Excellence

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    This award is intended to reward graduate students for excellence for a particular research project, culminating in the submission of a completed thesis, germane to their program of study.

    Two $250 cash awards will be made by the Graduate School. One award will be made at the end of the fall semester, and one at the end of the winter semester.

  • English Department's Award of Academic Excellence

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    The English Department's Award of Academic Excellence is given each year in each area of concentration within the department. The award includes a letter of recognition and a gift. Students are nominated for this award by the graduate faculty in the department. A committee reviews the nominations each April.

    The Graduate Dean's Award for Research Excellence recognizes currently enrolled graduate students for excellence on a particular original research project, whether ongoing or completed. Students must have a minimum of 15 graduate credit hours completed toward the degree and be in good academic standing. The award is $250 in cash, and winners receive a plaque of recognition.

  • Department of English Distinguished Graduate Research Award

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    This $200 scholarship will be awarded each semester and is intended to recognize excellent work done in the graduate program. Each semester, an essay or research project in a different program area will be recognized. To be considered for the award, a student's work must be nominated in writing by an EMU professor; students are encouraged to solicit nominations if they wish to be considered.

  • Presidential Difference Maker Scholarship

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    The Presidential Difference Maker Scholarship is a $2,500 award provided to an undergraduate or graduate student who has made a significant contribution on-campus and/or off-campus that enriches the lives of others. Candidates must demonstrate a deep commitment to community enhancement and should embody Eastern Michigan University's core values of academic excellence, respect for others, inclusiveness, responsibility, and high integrity. This distinguished scholarship is awarded by President James M. Smith during the annual Student Gold Medallion Awards.

    To qualify, a student must be a junior, senior, or graduate student (recipient year), enrolled in at least 12 credit hours as an undergraduate student or 9 credit hours as a graduate student, and have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher or Graduate GPA of 3.5 or higher.

    To apply, a student must submit the following:

    • Resume, including a list of work experiences and/or community involvement
    • At least two letters of recommendation
    • A 500 to 750 word essay describing how you have made a significant impact on-campus or in the community to enrich the lives of others

    Deadline: March 14, 2020

  • The Eastern Michigan University Commission on Women Scholarship

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    The Eastern Michigan University Commission on Women Scholarship is intended for women who have had an interruption in their education for at least five (5) cumulative years or must be planning on a career that is generally non-traditional for your gender.

    To qualify, a student must (along with the above), be an admitted student at EMU, have a minimum EMU or transfer cumulative grade point average of 2.50 for undergraduate students or 3.00 for graduate students, have financial need determined by the Office of Financial Aid, be enrolled at least half-time (6 credit hours for undergraduate students and 4 credit hours for graduate students, and have a Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FASFA) processed by the federal processor by February 15, 2018 (Please note: processing time for the FASFA is approximately two weeks. Complete the financial aid application online.

    To apply, a student must submit the following:

    • The completed application
    • Personal statement.
    • Two letters of recommendation, preferably from a current or former teacher and/or work supervisor (not relatives). Forms are included, but you are not required to use them.

    Deadline: March 14, 2020

  • Presidential Difference Maker Scholarship

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    The Presidential Difference Maker Scholarship is a $2,500 award provided to an undergraduate or graduate student who has made a significant contribution on-campus and/or off-campus that enriches the lives of others. Candidates must demonstrate a deep commitment to community enhancement and should embody Eastern Michigan University’s core values of academic excellence, respect for others, inclusiveness, responsibility, and high integrity. This distinguished scholarship is awarded by President James M. Smith during the annual Student Gold Medallion Awards.

    To qualify, a student must be a junior, senior, or graduate student (recipient year), enrolled in at least 12 credit hours as an undergraduate student or 9 credit hours as a graduate student, and have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher or Graduate GPA of 3.5 or higher.

    To apply, a student must submit the following:

    • Resume, including a list of work experiences and/or community involvement
    • At least two letters of recommendation
    • A 500 to 750 word essay describing how you have made a significant impact on-campus or in the community to enrich the lives of others

    Deadline: March 14, 2020

  • The Eastern Michigan University Commission on Women Scholarship

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    The Eastern Michigan University Commission on Women Scholarship is intended for women who have had an interruption in their education for at least five (5) cumulative years or must be planning on a career that is generally non-traditional for your gender.

    To qualify, a student must (along with the above), be an admitted student at EMU, have a minimum EMU or transfer cumulative grade point average of 2.50 for undergraduate students or 3.00 for graduate students, have financial need determined by the Office of Financial Aid, be enrolled at least half-time (6 credit hours for undergraduate students and 4 credit hours for graduate students, and have a Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FASFA) processed by the federal processor by February 15, 2018 (Please note: processing time for the FASFA is approximately two weeks. Complete the financial aid application online.)
    To apply, a student must submit the following:

    • Completed application
    • Personal statement
    • Two letters of recommendation, preferably from a current or former teacher and/or work supervisor (not relatives). Forms are included, but you are not required to use them.

    Deadline: March 14, 2020

 

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