by Bright Ewuru | Mar 25, 2024 | Article
As a scholarship manager, you work tirelessly to unlock the door of opportunity for as many applicants as possible. But, with finite resources and the need to ensure fairness, consistency and alignment with the scholarship’s mission, it’s necessary to have an evaluation roadmap to help identify the most deserving applicants.
Here, we offer ideas and criteria for your rubric to evaluate scholarship applications and run an impactful scholarship program.
If your scholarship is merit-based, you will likely have minimum academic performance requirements. Evaluating the applicants’ academic performance ensures that applicants demonstrate excellence in the academic field and meet the criteria.
It can also be a reliable indicator of an applicant’s potential. It speaks to their work ethic, adaptability and responsibility. Additionally, assessing applicants’ academic achievements guarantees fairness and equity in the selection process by ensuring applicants are not favored by other factors out of their control
A holistic approach is crucial to effectively gauge an applicant’s academic merit. To do this:
Of course, there’s more to a person than their academic interests. Appraising the extra-curricular triumphs of your scholarship applicants paints a more detailed picture of the applicant and can give insight into their passions, personal interests and skillsets. Also, it sheds light on their sense of social responsibility and leadership skills by gauging their interest in community service and leadership initiatives.
What’s more, interest-based scholarships are targeted at supporting those who excel in certain extra-curricular pursuits. For instance, the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, the SAIC, NAIA and the ASCAP Foundation scholarships are awarded to those who shine in community service, arts, sports and music respectively. Gauging applicants’ involvement in these areas ensures that the applicants align with the scholarships’ objectives.
When assessing applicants’ extra-curricular achievements, examine the extent of their involvement in the list of extracurricular activities they provide. Consider their personal growth as well as the duration and the impact made in leadership roles.
Applicants’ financial needs and background information are often a critical consideration in scholarship evaluation. This is because it ensures that scholarships are awarded to those who genuinely need financial assistance to pursue their education. Creating opportunities for those facing financial hardships or from underrepresented communities to have access to education fosters social mobility, addresses systemic inequities and embeds equity and diversity in scholarships.
Ensure that applicants provide authentic documentation that verifies their financial need. This could include their statements of income and expenses, financial aid forms and tax returns. Request information about the applicants’ socio-economic background, educational history and any previous financial aid received previously.
Assess your applicants’ educational and career goals to ensure they’re aligned with the mission of the scholarship program. Such alignment helps scholarship programs maximise their impact and invest in future leaders. It also guarantees sustainability while promoting both academic and professional excellence.
Follow up with questions to understand the applicant’s educational and career plans in detail. Ensure that their expectations and plans are realistic.
For proper evaluation of a scholarship application, it’s important to check the applicant’s personal statement and essay. Personal statements and essays demonstrate an applicant’s written communication skills; they also give insight into the applicant’s unique identity, experiences and clarity of purpose.
When evaluating their personal statements and essays, gauge the applicant’s originality, creativity, clarity and coherence. Check for evidence of development but maintain an objective approach.
Consider providing an option of mediums to share their personal story or essay. Offer the option to submit video and photo attachments to help round out any essay requirements. This can give a more complete picture of the applicant and their background and story.
Letters of recommendation is often a criterion in the rubric for scholarship evaluations. It’s a validation of an applicant’s achievements, character, skills and potential by a third party who interacted closely with the applicant.
Such confirmations from a trusted source can speak volumes about the applicant’s credibility and authenticity. Recommendation letters also highlight specific situations that provide context to the applicant’s abilities and victories.
Assess the authority and credibility of the source of the letter. Pay equal attention to the contents of the letter to determine professionalism, objectivity, comprehensive insight and corroboration of the applicant’s account.
Ask for contact information for each recommendation so you can follow up as needed if you have questions or want further background on a candidate.
If your scholarship is funded by a specific donor or organisation, they will likely have their own additional criteria to include in your scholarship rubric.
Review the donor’s guidelines for the scholarship for a clear understanding of their motivations and objectives for the scholarship. Consult donor representatives and relevant stakeholders to ensure an accurate interpretation of the donor’s criteria. Be clear and transparent, when possible, about these criteria to scholarship applicants. And then, include this criteria assessment in your scoring of each application.
There is so much to consider when assessing scholarship applications. With so many deserving candidates, it’s critical to use clear, meaningful criteria to decide which applicants will move forward. These criteria can help in choosing the most deserving applicants, the ones who best align with the objectives of your scholarship program.
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