Scholarships

Statute VII of the Phi Eta Sigma Constitution provides that all income from the Founders Scholarship Fund shall be used to grant scholarships and awards to Phi Eta Sigma members. The Founder’s Fund currently provides the following scholarships and awards: 
 

• The Thomas Arkle Clark Scholar-Leader of the Year Endowed Scholarship,named in honor of the founder and first Grand President of Phi Eta Sigma. Awarded for the first time in the 2006-07 academic year, this scholarship, valued at $10,000, is presented each year to the member who, in the judgment of the Scholarship Committee, best exemplifies the ideals of Phi Eta Sigma. The Clark Scholar-Leader is selected each year from among the entire pool of scholarship applicants, both graduate and undergraduate. 
   

• Six Distinguished Member Scholarships of $7,000 each for the first year of full-time graduate or professional study. 
   

• Thirty-seven Distinguished Member Scholarships of $5,000 each for full-time undergraduate study. 
   

• Additional $1,000 awards for full-time study.

Fund income available for the 2017-2018 scholarships was nearly $300,000. 

Many local chapters also award scholarships. Check with your chapter adviser for details on how to apply for local scholarships.

Thomas Arkle Clark Scholar-Leader of the Year
 

Delegates attending the 2004 National Convention and Leadership Workshops in Savannah, Georgia, approved the Thomas Arkle Clark Scholar-Leader of-the-Year Endowed Scholarship, named in honor of the founder and first Grand President of Phi Eta Sigma. This scholarship was presented for the first time for use in the 2006-2007 academic year. 

The $10,000 Clark Award is presented annually to the member who, in the judgment of our Scholarship Committee, best exemplifies the ideals of Phi Eta Sigma and is selected from among the entire pool of scholarship applicants, both graduate and undergraduate. 

See How to Apply for information about the scholarship selection process and the selection criteria. 

Each $10,000 Clark Award will be disbursed in a single payment to the recipient on or about August 15.

Phi Eta Sigma Graduate Scholarships

​

The deadline for all scholarship applications is May 1 each year.

Each year, six Distinguished Member Scholarships of $7,000 each are granted for the first year of full-time graduate or professional study. Any Phi Eta Sigma member preparing to enter full-time graduate study during the upcoming academic year may apply for a graduate scholarship. Chapters may submit as many graduate applications as they deem appropriate, as there is no limit on the number of graduate applications submitted from each chapter. Graduate applications may be submitted online. 

Candidates applying for graduate scholarships will also be considered for the $10,000 Thomas Arkle Clark Scholar-Leader of the Year Award. 

Each graduate scholarship will be payable disbursed in a single payment to the recipient on or about August 15. 
 

The deadline for all scholarship applications is May 1 each year.
 

Phi Eta Sigma Undergraduate Scholarships

Candidates applying for scholarships on either the graduate or undergraduate level will also be considered for the $10,000 Thomas Arkle Clark Scholar-Leader of the Year Award.

​

Each year, thirty-seven or more Distinguished Member Scholarships of $5,000 each are granted to outstanding Society members for full-time undergraduate study. 

All applications for undergraduate scholarships should be submitted online by the deadline of May 1. If you chapter has a local deadline, be sure to submit by that date so that your adviser may review your application. Each chapter of Phi Eta Sigma may submit at least two undergraduate applications. Chapters that inducted 300 or more members during the previous academic year may submit undergraduate applications according to the following scale: 

​

300 - 599 inductees: 3 undergraduate applications

600 - 899 inductees: 4 undergraduate applications

900 - 1199 inductees: 5 undergraduate applications

​

Chapters inducting 1200 or more new members may nominate one additional candidate for each increment of 300 new members above 1199.
 

Chapter advisers must approve the selected applications no later than May 1 each year for submission to the national office.

Each undergraduate scholarship will be disbursed in a single payment to the recipient on or about August 15. 

In addition, one or more awards of $1,000 are also granted to Phi Eta Sigma members each year. Awards of $1,000 each are disbursed in a single payment to the recipient on or about August 15. 

How to Apply for 

Phi Eta Sigma Scholarships

The application period closed May 1. Recipients will be notified by the end of June.

​

All applicants for Phi Eta Sigma scholarships and awards must be members of the honor society. Members applying for undergraduate scholarships may obtain application details from the chapter adviser. Members applying for graduate scholarships may also contact the chapter adviser, or they may proceed with the application form from the link above in February.

The application form is the same for all Phi Eta Sigma scholarships and awards. The application asks for:

The student is also asked to respond in essay form to six additional items, including:

Members of the national Executive Committee serve on the Scholarship Selection Committee. Current members of the committee are: 

• Mr. Tim Lemper (Indiana University), Chairperson

• Ms. Mary Jo Custer (Syracuse University)

• Mr. Tony Kemp (Mercer University)

The criteria for selecting scholarship recipients include a high scholastic record with a recommended minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA. Other selection criteria are listed in the Constitution and Laws, Statute VII, Section 5. 

The Thomas Arkle Clark Scholar-Leader of the Year is selected from among the pool of applicants. This $10,000 annual award is presented each year to the member who, in the judgment of the Scholarship Committee, best exemplifies the ideals of Phi Eta Sigma. See Clark Scholar-Leader for more details. 

Applications for graduate scholarships may be completed and submitted online. See Graduate Scholarships for more details. 

All applications for undergraduate scholarships must be approved by the chapter adviser for consideration in the national competition. See Undergraduate Scholarships for more details. 

All scholarship applications being submitted to the Phi Eta Sigma national office must be submitted no later than May 1.

Current Recipients