Who Can Apply: The bachelor’s program is open to students ages 16 to 24 who are permanent residents of Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, and Washington D.C.*. Fidelity Scholars MUST attend a college or university as a full-time student in their permanent state of residence.
Other key requirements include:
- Having an unweighted GPA between a 2.5 – 3.59 or GED certificate
- Being Pell eligible and/or demonstrating financial need
- Planning to enroll full-time at a 4-year accredited, non-profit college or university in the state you reside next school year.
- If attending a public institution, you must also qualify for in-state tuition.
- Being a U.S Citizen or U.S. national or permanent resident
- Pursuing a bachelor’s degree
Submission:
- An essay that responds to the prompt: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a deeper understanding of yourself or others. Your essay cannot exceed 3,000 characters.
- A digital vision board (PDF) that tells the story of your journey – where you’ve been, where you are, and where you hope to go – while showing how graduating with little to no debt connects to that path.
- A current academic transcript of all recorded grades or GED certificate. The Fidelity Scholarship will evaluate your application based on your cumulative, unweighted GPA.
- A recommendation letter highlighting your strengths and why you should be selected for the Fidelity Scholars Program. The letter must come from a non-relative such as a teacher, guidance counselor, school administrator, club organizer, or coach. The letter must be on a letterhead, signed by the recommender, and include the recommender’s contact information. Relatives cannot serve as a reference.
- A summary of your leadership and work experience, honors and awards, and community service in the accomplishments section of the application.
- (Optional) An official school profile from your high school’s professional counseling department that shows the school’s name, address, CEEB code and grading structure.
Deadline: January 29, 2026
Amount: Varies
Learn More: https://opportunities.uncf.org/s/program-landing-page?id=a2iVJ00000e9gQnYAI
