Scholarship

2023 Scholarship Information

The Central NJ Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association is pleased to announce that our chapter will be offering scholarships to incoming Penn State Freshmen during the 2023-2024 school year.

The first place award total is TBD (awaiting confirmation from Penn State).

We will also award a $100 Amazon gift card to the second place winner and $50 Amazon gift card for the third place winner.

To apply for the scholarships, please draft a 500-word essay on the following topic:

Option 1 – What does a degree from Penn State mean to you?

Option 2 – Which line or lines from the Penn State Alma Mater hold the most personal significance to you?

Please use the following guidelines when submitting your scholarship application:

1. Your application must include a cover sheet stating the following information: your full name, address, current e-mail, street address, city, zip code and phone number in the body of your submission email. The cover sheet information must also appear on the first page of your essay.

2. The subject line of your email application must state: LAST NAME – 2023 PSUCNJ Scholarship. For example, SMITH – 2023 PSUCNJ Scholarship.

3. You must live in the Central NJ area to qualify for the scholarship. This includes residents of Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and portions of Somerset and Hunterdon counties. Applications received from residents outside our region will be disqualified. Please check this list to confirm you are in an eligible zip code: Zip codes

4. The Scholarship Committee must be able to open and read your application. Application attachments must be in one of the following file formats: .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf. Scholarship essays must be typed in 12-point font and double-spaced. Scholarship essays must be 500-words or less.

5. Academic honesty standards apply to your application. Scholarship essays must be both written and edited only by the applicant. Any evidence of plagiarism will automatically disqualify your entry.

6. Scholarship applications will be judged upon creativity, originality, grammar, and spelling. Please be sure to proofread your submissions. Scholarship applications must be sent via email to communications@pennstatecnj.com by July 1, 2023!

The Central NJ Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association serves 10,000 alumni in Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and portions of Somerset and Hunterdon counties. We strive to connect with alumni, students, family, and friends; support the University’s mission; and celebrate the glory of old state.