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What is the President’s Earn & Learn Scholarship Program?

President's Earn and Learn Scholarship Program

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Funded by the Opportunity Plan, Inc.

 

 

 

The Opportunity Plan provides scholarships to WT students interested in internship or research experience opportunities but who have financial barriers to doing so. Barriers might include:

  • An unpaid or underpaid internship
  • An unpaid or underpaid research opportunity
  • Prohibitive housing or transportation costs

The amount awarded will vary based on student needs, but will not exceed $3,000.

Deadline to apply for Fall 2024 funding is Friday, August 30.

Scholarships are competitively awarded by the funding selection committee, and the program is administered by the WTAMU Office Career and Professional Development. Career and Professional Development is responsible for announcing opportunities to students, managing the receipt of applications, and working with institutional sponsors to support the selection and end-of-experience reporting requirements.

Types of Internships or Research Opportunities Eligible for an Internship Scholarship

  1. Experiences must be unpaid, underpaid or present other financial barriers for student involvement.   
  2. Preference is given to internships with organizations in the top 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle, and those that fall fall within one of the following WT 125 categories

    To learn more about these categories, see WT’s generational plan, WT 125

    - Community Life
    - Schools in Rural Settings
    - Enriched Enterprise
    - Beef
    - Rural Healthcare
    - Water and Energy
3. Research opportunities must address at least 4 learning outcomes outlined by The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). CUR defines undergraduate research as,

Undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry is fundamentally a pedagogical approach to teaching and learning. With an emphasis on process, CUR defines undergraduate research as:

A mentored investigation or creative inquiry conducted by undergraduates that seeks to make a scholarly or artistic contribution to knowledge. (www.cur.org).

Characteristics of quality learning outcomes are outlined in the FAQ section.

Scholarship program details are subject to change.

General FAQs

What qualifies as an internship?  
Paid or unpaid? Underpaid?  
Can I receive funding for an experience outside the Texas Panhandle?  
Can I receive funding for a past experience?  
Can I receive funding for an internship or research experience I'm already working in?  
Are international students eligible for funding?  
Can I apply for funding if I've already graduated?  
What qualifies as an appropriate research experience?  
What is the commitment from a student selected to receive funding?  
Are there other WTAMU funding sources available to students?  
When will I hear about funding? When are the scholarships awarded?  

Application FAQs

Components of a complete application  
Forms needed to apply  
Selection criteria  
Selection process  
Requirements and restrictions for applicants