SAEOPP Scholarship Competition 2026-2027

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

The SAEOPP Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce that the 2026-2027 Scholarship Competition (to be awarded in the 2027 fall semester) will open on Thursday, October 15, 2026 and will close on Monday November 16 at 11:55 pm.

Sponsors of applications MUST BE CURRENT MEMBERS OF THEIR STATE ASSOCIATION AND SAEOPP (State Association and SAEOPP membership dues must be paid by October 31st annually). 

Only ONE application may be submitted per category, per TRIO Project (per individual project, for institutions with more than one project). NOTE: Projects that send more than one application for the same category AND/OR project will be disqualified.

PRE-COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP

SAEOPP will award scholarships to pre-college students who display outstanding academic success, community service, and leadership within their community. Students in Talent Search, Upward Bound, and Upward Bound Math Science are eligible for this scholarship. See links and information below:

• Pre-College Scholarship Rubric

• Pre-College Essay Prompts

• Leadership Profile Instructions

• Nominate a Student for the SAEOPP Pre-College Scholarship

Style Guidelines for Essay:

• In the right header, type the student's first initial and last name

• In the left header, type the name of the award (SAEOPP Pre-College Scholarship)

• Essay should be between 400-500 words. All essays should have a title. Titles and information in the header do not contribute to the word count for the essay.

• Essay should be in Arial or Calibri fonts only, with a 12 point size, and double (2.0) spacing with 1 inch margins (top, bottom, left, right)

ADULT LEARNER SCHOLARSHIP

SAEOPP will award scholarships to adult learners who exemplify academic excellence, leadership qualities, and service to their community. Students in Student Support Services, Ronald E. McNair, Veterans Upward Bound, and Educational Opportunity Centers are eligible for this scholarship. See links and information below:

• Adult Learner Scholarship Rubric

• Adult Learner Essay Prompts

• Leadership Profile Instructions

• Nominate a Student for the SAEOPP Adult Learner Scholarship

Style Guidelines for Essay:

• In the right header, type the student's first initial and last name

• In the left header, type the name of the award (SAEOPP Adult Learner Scholarship)

• Essay should be between 400-500 words. All essays should have a title. Titles and information in the header do not contribute to the word count for the essay.

• Essay should be in Arial or Calibri fonts only, with a 12 point size, and double (2.0) spacing with 1 inch margins (top, bottom, left, right)

SURVIVOR SCHOLARSHIP

The SAEOPP Survivor Scholarship is designed for students who have overcome major challenges and obstacles to persevere academically. Students in ALL TRIO programs are eligible for this scholarship.  See links and information below:

• Survivor Scholarship Rubric

• Survivor Essay Prompt

• Nominate a Student for the SAEOPP Survivor Scholarship

Style Guidelines for Essay:

• In the right header, type the student's first initial and last name

• In the left header, type the name of the award (SAEOPP Survivor Scholarship)

• Essay should be between 400-500 words. All essays should have a title. Titles and information in the header do not contribute to the word count for the essay.

• Essay should be in Arial or Calibri fonts only, with a 12 point size, and double (2.0) spacing with 1 inch margins (top, bottom, left, right)

WILLIAM MATTHEW JACKSON PROFESSIONAL SCHOLARSHIP

For TRIO Professionals we have a $1000 scholarship that can be used for academic or professional development. The applicant will complete his or her own application, and must submit all pieces at the same time.

• WMJ Professional Scholarship Rubric

• WMJ Professional Scholarship Essay Prompt

• Apply for a TRIO Professional Scholarship

Any award is to be used for educational expenses or to attend professional development.

Applicants MUST BE CURRENT MEMBERS OF THEIR STATE ASSOCIATION AND SAEOPP (State Association and SAEOPP membership dues must be paid by October 31st annually)

Style Guidelines for Essay:

• In the right header, type the student's first initial and last name

• In the left header, type the name of the award (SAEOPP Professional Scholarship)

• Essay should be between 400-500 words. All essays should have a title. Titles and information in the header do not contribute to the word count for the essay.

• Essay should be in Arial or Calibri fonts only, with a 12 point size, and double (2.0) spacing with 1 inch margins (top, bottom, left, right)

POST APPLICATION PERIOD

Applications will be independently reviewed and ranked by two (2) outside readers. Scholarship applications with a raw score of less than 80 will not be considered.

SAEOPP 2026-2027 Scholarship Award Winners will be announced at the SAEOPP Annual Conference in Louisville, KY!

Awards will be disbursed after the start of the fall semester 2027 (no earlier than September 1, 2027). Documentation to claim an award includes:

• Proof that the student is enrolled/attending classes for the Fall 2027 (official verification from school). (not applicable for WMJ Professional Scholarship)

• An address to mail the scholarship.

• A letter of gratitude from the student for the award.

Any questions or concerns regarding Scholarship Competitions should be emailed to the SAEOPP Scholarship Committee at scholarships@saeopp.org.

The SAEOPP Scholarship Committee is happy to serve TRIO Participants and TRIO Professionals and is excited to award so many well-deserved scholarships for the 2026-2027 academic year!

Best,

President Elaine Tilley (TN)
Lamar Swint (MS)