College is unreasonably expensive, something which is more apparent each year, with both public and private colleges raising their tuition each year. This has led many students to look for scholarships, particularly merit scholarships. We often help students with this, and that’s what we’re going to do in this article, introducing you to one such merit scholarship: the .
In this article, we’re going to explain what this scholarship is, who it’s for, and how you can apply for it. We’ll also look at some of the nuances of Stamps Scholarships compared to other scholarship programs on offer at top universities. Let’s jump right in!
Understanding the Stamps Scholars Program
Founded in 2006, the Stamps Program partners with universities to offer annual awards that recur for all four years of an undergraduate education. They partner with universities in both the US and UK. Award amounts vary by university, from $20,000 to $98,000 per year.
In addition to tuition support, Stamps Scholars are also given access to funds for enrichment and summer programs. This too is disbursed through the universities students attend, rather than through the program directly. This is how the STamps Scholars Program works; while they provide the funding, the scholarships are applied to through and awarded by the universities they partner with.
Stamps Scholars has a number of throughout both the US and the UK. You can see the full list on their website, but it is remarkable in large part because they work with both large public universities and elite private institutions, small schools and large ones, top rated institutions and ones which, while still excellent, are more pedestrian.
The size of the award you get is determined by the college you are attending, as awards are processed through individual colleges, rather than centrally. Most, but not all, Stamps Scholarships are full tuition awards; this too is determined by partner universities.
How to Apply for a Stamps Scholarship
The Stamps Scholarship is one of the easiest merit scholarships to apply to, since at most partner schools there is no additional application requirement. You do not apply to the scholarship organization, instead applications and decisions are all handled at the partner school.
What this looks like, and how it’s handled, depends on the school in question. Some schools include Stamp Scholarships in another of their programs; includes Stamps in the Carolina Scholars scholarships. They are also notable in that only students who are residents of Carolina are eligible for the award. Some schools do have these requirements; these are set by individual schools, not by the scholarship itself.
The scholarship itself is looking to develop future leaders, and to give leadership development to students. The scholarship has no limits on who can apply, but certain colleges do. To help break this down, here’s a table of every partner college which offers a Stamps Scholarship, and what they require from applicants, both in terms of materials to apply, and eligibility.
| College Partner | Eligibility | Application |
| 3.5 GPA | Done through the school account, requires rec letter, resume, and intro video, due Dec 15 | |
| No set criteria | Scholarship is folded into the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program. No separate application, must apply by Nov 1 | |
| Only for current Dartmouth students | Students must apply in their sophomore year. Unlike most, this si a two-year program that provides additional funding for specific student research or projects | |
| No set eligibility requirements | No separate application; students receiving the scholarship are automatically admitted to the honors program | |
| No set requirements | The program is part of the Presidential Scholars program, and shares an application. This requires an additional essay, and your application to be complete by Dec 1 | |
| No set requirements | No separate application, you must apply by the Early Action deadline | |
| Must be a Georgia resident | This is offered through the Honors college, and interested students must apply to the Honors college | |
| No explicit requirements | You apply for scholarships by applying to LSU | |
| Demonstrated history of leadership | You must apply by Nov 1, finalist candidates will be invited for an interview | |
| No set requirements | No additional application | |
| US Citizen, 3.8 GPA | Part of the Park Scholars program. Must apply by Nov 1, separate application requiring two rec letters and two essays | |
| No set requirements | Part of the Martinson Honors Program. No separate application for either. | |
| Be a US citizen or permanent resident | Part of the Martinson Honors College. You must complete the additional honors college application by Nov 1 | |
| US citizens and permanent residents only. | Part of the honors program. You must apply by Nov 1 and indicate interest in the honors program; there is an additional essay and video interview for the Stamps program. | |
| No set requirements | No requirements for initial consideration, finalists will be asked to complete an additional supplement | |
| US citizen and Arizona resident, 3.75 GPA | Select eligible students are invited to apply after submitting a university application. Must apply by January 21. | |
| Current students only | Current sophomores may apply for Stamp scholarships to serve as enrichment funds over their last two years to fund research projects or other programs. | |
| 1420 SAT or 32 ACT, 3.8 GPA, top 10% class rank | There is a supplemental application available once you apply, this requires three essays, two rec letters, and a resume; you must submit the Common App by Nov 1, and the supplement by Nov 8 | |
| No set requirements | Part of the Honors program, students admitted to UF and the Honors program EA may apply to the Stamps scholarship. | |
| No set requirements | Part of the Foundation Fellowship program. You must apply to UGA, then Morehead Honors College, then the Foundation program; Foundation app is due Nov 1. | |
| Illinois residents only | No separate application | |
| Must apply ED or EA | No separate application, finalists will be invited to interview | |
| Mississippi residents only | No additional application required | |
| 32 ACT or 1420 SAT, 3.5 GPA | You must apply to the college and honors college, then complete an additional scholarship application. This requires an essay and two rec letters, due Dec 1 | |
| No set requirements | No additional application, EA and RD students considered | |
| 3.85 GPA | You must apply to the university by Nov 1, and then complete a supplemental application by Nov 15 | |
| Must be a Pennsylvania resident, US citizen or permanent resident | Must complete the general scholarship application, finalists will be interviewed | |
| Must be a South Carolina resident | Must complete an honors college application | |
| No set requirements | All EA applicants are considered, semi-finalists will be asked for additional information in mid-January | |
| Must be a current Wake Forest student | Eligible students are nominated, and must complete two interviews | |
| Top 5% or their class, 1500 SAT or 33 ACT, leadership experience | Part of the 1693 Scholars program. All applicants are reviewed, semi-finalists are invited to submit an additional application. |
Should You Apply for the Stamps Scholarship?
An important thing to note about all of these schools is that Stamps Scholarships are rare and selective. Two to five students per school receive one; some schools which combine Stamps funding with other sources offer more; University of Oregon offers up to twenty; ten for Oregon residents and ten for all other students. Even that, however, is a very small number compared to how many students attend the school.
At many of these schools (though certainly not all of them) these are the most generous scholarships available, a full ride; tuition, fees, housing, plus supplemental funding for extracurricular expenses. Thus only the very best students who apply to these schools meaningfully compete for these scholarships, regardless of what eligibility requirements exist (or don’t, as is more often the case).
For many of these schools, there is little to no barrier to apply for the scholarship; sometimes there is, but much of the time you simply have to apply to the school itself, and whichever honors program the Stamps scholarship has been siloed under. A better question to ask is what a good applicant for the Stamps scholarship looks like.
What Colleges Are Looking for From Stamps Scholars
Each college sets their own criteria for these students, with some general guidance from the Stamps Scholars Program. While each has their own evaluation criteria and methods, they are generally quite consistent in what they want from students, even if some schools are more explicit about it than others. This is what they want to see:
- Academic excellence. You should have very high grades, and high test scores for those schools which require them. They want to see that you have succeeded academically, and that you have a high potential to continue to do so.
- Leadership potential. A significant portion of what the STamps Scholarship is looking to do is to nurture future leaders. Thus when awarding the scholarship, schools are looking for students with significant leadership experience, who have worked to do something meaningful, with the potential to do even more.
- Community involvement. The Stamps Scholarship is an investment in the future, finding and supporting students who will do great things for their communities. As part of that, they look for students who have meaningfully contributed tot ehir communities in the past.
Each school evaluates students differently for this, but generally, students who are competitive for the Stamps Scholarship are top applicants to the school. After all, if only five students get it each year at a college, it’s likely to go to the five best students. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t apply, we think you should in many cases; just that this is a very competitive scholarship.
Finally, this is usually a conditional merit scholarship. Once you receive it, you need to maintain good academic standing and a minimum GPA in order to continue receiving the scholarship. This is not so high nor as competitive as receiving it in the first place, but another check to make sure that their investment in you is on track.
Final Thoughts
With the cost of college rising each year, even at state schools which have until recently been affordable, scholarships which offer to cover the full cost of attendance are incredibly valuable. The Stamps Scholarship is doing an amazing thing, and while not every student can benefit from it, hundreds do each year. We hope that this article has given you a good sense of what this scholarship is, and how you can benefit from it.
If you are looking for help finding colleges with scholarships that you can qualify for, or are earlier in high school and want to shape your experiences to set you up for scholarships like this, then ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø can help. Our mentors our experts at college admissions, and helping students like you make the most of their time in high school when preparing for college. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, we’re always happy to hear from you.
