Undergraduate Scholarships

Apply now for 2025-2026 scholarships

  • Application and Instructions Expand dropdown

    This application is for all History Section endowed undergraduate scholarships. Awards will be applied to EMU tuition and fees. Typically, over $21,000 of the endowed scholarships are awarded to deserving students within the range of $1,000-$5,000 per student for the academic year. The Student Affairs Committee will announce recipients over email and celebrate all awardees at the History Section Honors Reception in April 2025.

    Eligibility and award criteria

    To apply you must:

    • Be a major or minor in a History Section program: History BA, Social Studies Secondary Education BA, History/Geography Secondary Education BA, Religious Studies BA, African Studies minor, Area Studies-Latin America minor, Area Studies-Middle East and North Africa minor, Asian Studies minor, Continental European Studies minor, Religious Studies minor, and Social Studies minor.
    • Have an overall GPA of at least 3.0 including Fall 2024 classes.
    • Have completed at least three History courses, two of which must be from EMU. (The two EMU History classes must be completed by the time you apply.)
    • Be a junior or senior next year (2025-2026), registered for at least 12 semester hours at EMU during either Fall 2025 or Winter 2026. Students working toward a second Bachelor degree or post-Bachelor certification are eligible to apply, but preference will be given to those working on their first Bachelor’s degree.

    Applications will be judged on academic merit, as determined from grades (overall and in History coursework), faculty recommendations, and your essay. For the York Scholarship, you must have demonstrated financial need, as determined by the Office of Financial Aid; you must have a FAFSA on file to be considered for a York Scholarship. If you qualify for more than one major scholarship, you will be awarded the largest one. 

    Directions for completing the application

    The three parts of the application are:

    1. Two Letters of Recommendation sent directly by faculty members. Allow reasonable time for faculty to write letters for you. At least one letter should be from a History faculty member. Any others may be from either History or another academic department. Ask your referees to send the letters to Ms. Carissa Blount.
    2. The Application for History Section Scholarships (Google Form). 
    3. The Essay (Upload in the Google Form)
      Write your essay carefully. It must be between 400-500 words. Content and style are important in judging your application. Include references to your interest in historical studies now and for the future. In your essay, you should address the following questions:
      1. Why are you applying for a History Section scholarship?
      2. Why are you interested in the discipline of history?
      3. What are your future career plans?

    Directions for submitting your application

    • Ask your recommenders to send their letters to Ms. Carissa Blount.
    • Complete the Google Form to submit your application information and essay.
    • All materials are due on Friday, March 7, 2025 by 5:00 p.m. If you have any questions, contact Dr. Jesse Kauffman.

Enter the JoEllen Vinyard Essay Prize competition

  •  Guidelines and Rules Expand dropdown

    Essay Guidelines

    The JoEllen Vinyard Essay Prize is awarded annually for the best undergraduate essay in history.

    Entries must deal with a historical topic or theme. A good history essay is one that asks an interesting question and supports its answer in an effective and persuasive manner. Essays should focus on a specific topic, theme, or historiographical problem and present a thesis. An essay that is narrowly focused and is based on a thesis is likely to be more effective and persuasive than an essay that ranges far and wide, is essentially descriptive, or is largely a narrative. Entries must be accurate in grammar and spelling and must be clear in their organization and presentation. While an essay may have received a good grade for a class, there are always opportunities for its improvement. It is strongly recommended that students consult with their instructor before submitting an essay to consider how it can be improved.

    Prizes

    1st $150. 2nd $50.

    Rules

    • Eligibility: essays written by current EMU undergraduate students for undergraduate credit at EMU during 2024 (i.e. during the winter 2024, summer 2024, or fall 2024 terms).
    • One essay per person can be submitted.
    • Essays are to be 10-12 pages (about 2,500-3,000 words) including the bibliography.
    • Entries must be word-processed with standard-sized pages, double-spaced, have numbered pages, and use 12-point font (preferably Times New Roman).
    • Entries must also include footnotes and a bibliography of sources used. All citations must be formatted according to the Chicago style.
    • On the first page of the essay state the title of the essay.
    • In a separate document or in the accompanying email, provide the following details: title, author's name and E#, permanent address, course and instructor’s name for which the paper was written, and semester in which the paper was written.
    • Submit essays by email as an attachment to [email protected]
    • Deadline for submissions is March 7, 2024 at 5pm. 

    Committee of Judges

    A committee of at least three EMU history faculty will anonymously review entries (i.e. the judges will not know the identity of essay authors). The judges reserve the right not to make an award if there are no satisfactory entries. The decisions of the judges are final. Judges reserve the right to verify the authenticity of any essays. Any example of plagiarism will be disqualified and reported to the Office of Wellness and Community Responsibility.

    The Student Affairs Committee will announce recipients over email and celebrate all
    awardees at the History Section Honors Reception in April 2025. If you have any questions, contact Dr. Jesse Kauffman

     

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