Scholarships
Applications Open January 1 – April 1
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 $2 million to nearly 1,000 students!
2025-2026 Scholarship Programs
- United Methodist Dollars for Scholars Program – worth up to $4,000
- General Named Endowed Scholarships – from 130+ endowed funds
- United Methodist-related HBCU Scholarships – worth up to $5,000
- Specialty Scholarships – including ones for ethnically diverse students, seminarians, and others
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 the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church for at least one year prior to applying. If your church has disaffiliated from The UMC you may also apply.
- Applicants of the UM Dollars for Scholars program must be attending a UM-related school that participates in the program.
- For the General Named Endowed awards, a 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.
- Undergraduate, graduate, and 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.)
- Students living and studying outside of the United States are also eligible for select awards. Information on these and instructions are posted separately when applications open.
How to Apply
Find applications HERE January 1 – April 1 with complete instructions.
New Deadline: April 1, 2025
This later than usual deadline considers expected FAFSA delays; UMHEF will not grant additional deadline extensions as in previous years. Exceptions may apply for specialty awards.
Other Important Notes:
- Students may receive only 1 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.
- Award notifications are sent via USPS letter or email using information you provide on your application; international applicants will be notified by email only.
- 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 the form to UMHEF no later than October 1. Details 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.