Mary Gates Leadership Scholarships
Purpose
Mary Gates Leadership Scholarships encourage students to develop their leadership abilities through practical experience, personal reflection and in community with mentors and peers. With the support of a Leadership Scholarship, you can devote more time to pursuing an activity or project that interests you and that will allow you to expand your leadership capacity. In the application process, we ask you to articulate your own understandings of leadership, what you want to learn, and how you think the activity you have chosen will support your learning goals. Additionally, you must identify a mentor to provide you guidance and encouragement throughout your application process and award period.
We offer two-quarter ($4,000) and three-quarter ($6,000) scholarships, depending on the duration of your involvement in your leadership initiative. Awards are made quarterly in $2,000 installments.
Eligibility Requirements
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Candidates must be UW undergraduate students, enrolled full time (at least 12 credits), pursuing a bachelor’s degree, and must be planning or involved in a project of their own design starting the quarter they apply or before.
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Scholarship recipients must continue to be actively engaged with their leadership project and remain full-time students (except summer quarter—students need only be enrolled for one credit to receive funds).
Applications are accepted from UW Bothell, Seattle, and Tacoma students. Candidates do not need to be U.S. citizens.
If you receive need-based financial aid, please click here to learn more about how receiving a Mary Gates scholarship may affect your financial aid package.
How to Apply
To apply for a Mary Gates Leadership Scholarship, please begin by perusing all the materials on the website pertaining to the Leadership Scholarship. Information is available to help you think about your leadership and learning goals and developing your relationship with your mentor. You may also find the profiles of past Mary Gates scholarship recipients informative.
When you are ready to prepare your application for submission, begin with the Application Instructions to find out what you will need in order to apply. Applications are accepted using our online form.
At the same time, you will need to identify a mentor who will write you a letter supporting your leadership application. Read more about Finding & Developing a Strong Mentor Relationship.
Review Process
All complete applications are reviewed and discussed by the reading committee and candidates are evaluated based, in part, on their articulation of leadership, learning and project goals and their plans for achieving them. Compelling candidates are selected to meet with the interview committee for further consideration.
You may check on the status of your application by logging in to your online application. We will also send you regular email messages as your application status changes. The whole review process takes between 3 and 6 weeks. All students and mentors are sent notification of the final award decision.
Scholar Obligations
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For the duration of your scholarship period, you must continue to be actively engaged with your leadership project and your mentor, and remain a full-time student. (During summer quarter students need only be enrolled for one credit.);
- You will be asked to complete one or two brief surveys during your award period;
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You must present your work at the annual Spring Celebration of Service and Leadership during spring quarter.
You are also encouraged to participate in activities and events planned by the program staff and the Community of Mary Gates Scholars.