In order to qualify for a CEW+ Scholarship, an applicant must meet the following criteria:

1) CEW+ Scholarship applicants must be enrolled at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Flint, or Dearborn campuses) during the year for which the scholarship is awarded, and

2) Applicants must meet at least one (1) of the criteria listed below:

Undergraduates

• A minimum two-year (24 month) consecutive interruption in education anytime since high school OR
• Primary Caregiver* OR
• Working to complete a STEM degree and actively engaged in a Sponsored Student Organization (SSO) that supports gender diversity in STEM.**

Graduate Students

• A minimum five-year (60 month) consecutive interruption in education anytime since high school OR
• Primary Caregiver* OR
• Working to complete a STEM degree and actively engaged in a Sponsored Student Organization (SSO) that supports gender diversity in STEM.**

*Primary Caregiver definition:

• Lives in the same residence at least 50% of the time and consistently assumes major responsibility for housing, health, and safety of a minor, older adult, or disabled adult; anticipates this responsibility will continue during the upcoming academic year.
• Lives in a separate residence and provides care for a minor, older adult, or disabled adult for a minimum of 20 hours per week without monetary compensation for at least the past 6 months; anticipates this responsibility will continue during the upcoming academic year.

**Working towards a STEM degree:

• In order to qualify under this criterion, one of your letters of recommendation must be written by an executive board, staff, or faculty leader from the SSO that supports gender diversity in STEM to which you belong.
• For a list of approved fields for STEM degree eligibility, please review this document.

In addition to these criteria, preference will be given to students who are underrepresented at the University of Michigan; for example, students coming from a single-parent home, veterans, undergraduate students who currently qualify for a federal PELL grant, and first-generation students (no parent has completed a bachelor’s degree).  To be considered for more than the minimum award ($1,000), both graduate and undergraduate applicants must submit a complete Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) to the Office of Financial Aid by March 31, 2023.

Notes:

• Students who are ineligible to complete a FAFSA can indicate this in the application and will be notified of an alternate process to gather comparable information.
• Students can only be identified as a CEW+ Scholarship recipient one time. If you have received a CEW+ Scholarship in a previous year, you may be eligible to apply for a fellowship (note: fellowships have their own specific eligibility requirements, listed here).

Questions? Contact cew-scholarships@umich.edu or (734) 764-6360.

The full application materials are listed below so that you can begin preparing your application at your own pace.

Summary of required information needed to complete a CEW+ Scholarship application:

Demographic information, including a copy of your current U-M transcript (up to Fall 2021 if enrolled)

Two Letters of Recommendation (3rd Letter Optional):
It is best to secure recommenders early and let them know the general timeline required for their letter (deadline, May 2, 2023). You will be asked to provide recommenders’ names and contact information and complete an electronic recommendation request form that will prompt an automated email to your recommenders. They will receive an email inviting them to follow a link to upload their letter of recommendation. References who are familiar with your academic record and career aspirations are in the best position to write on your behalf. Letters of recommendation can come from a variety of sources; the CEW+ Scholarship team strongly encourages including at least one letter from an academic recommender. Strong reference letters typically include:

• The length and capacity in which the recommender has known you, the applicant.
• Comments about the applicant’s strengths; academic and professional accomplishments; the ability to persevere and succeed in coursework, research and other endeavors at the university; and, the potential for impact in the applicant’s chosen field. 
• Insights that the selection committee may not otherwise learn. Strong letters of support should complement and add to the biographical information and academic information in other sections of the application – letters of recommendation should focus on what the committee might not already know.

Explanation for your Basis of Eligibility

In 100-250 words, tell us more about your eligibity for a CEW+ Scholarship.

If you are applying as a primary caregiver, share the nature of the relationship with the individual(s) you provide care for and briefly list your caregiving responsibilities.

If you are applying on the basis of an interruption in your education, tell us what led to the time away from school, how many consecutive months you were not enrolled or earning academic credit, and what you did during that time.  Note: if you are applying based on the interruption in your education criterion you will need to specify the months and years your education was interrupted and provide copies of transcripts that verify the interruption (e.g. 01/2013-09/2018).

If you are applying on the basis that you are working to complete a STEM degree and actively engaged in a Sponsored Student Organization (SSO) that supports gender diversity in STEM, please comment on your involvement in the SSO and course of study.  **In order to qualify under this criterion, one of your letters of recommendation must be written by an executive board, staff, or faculty leader from the SSO that supports gender diversity in STEM to which you belong.

Essay Prompts:
The following prompts correspond exactly to the long-answer questions on the scholarship application. By preparing early, you can copy and paste these essays into the application once it opens. Personal Statements are the lengthiest part of the application and provide the best opportunity to address CEW+ Scholarship selection criteria.

• Personal Statement – Determination
  How have your life circumstances, experiences, and/or challenges shaped your education and career paths? Describe how you have exemplified persistence in pursuing your goals. (200-500 words)
• Personal Statement – Potential Impact
  What is your vision for success and plan for achieving your goals? How will you make an impact with the degree that you are pursuing at the personal, community, and/or global levels? (200-500 words)

CEW+ Scholarships are awarded in two phases:

Phase 1

Scholarship applications are reviewed by selection committees and applicants are recommended on the basis of merit. Committee members consider the following criteria in phase one of the review process:

1. Academic capacity and demonstrated scholarship
2. Impact – clarity of goals and relation to career/life experiences; the potential impact of achieving them on a personal/community/global scale
3. Strength of motivation – evidence of sustained commitment, persistence

Phase 2

The specific amount for a CEW+ Scholarship is determined based on financial need and coordinated with each scholar’s individual aid package. Financial information will be requested from scholars and alternates in Summer 2023 once their status is determined by the selection committee. To ensure that you are considered for the most possible aid from CEW+, all applicants who are eligible to submit a FAFSA must do so to your office of financial aid by March 31, 2023. Failure to complete the FAFSA by this deadline means that you will only be considered for the minimum award ($1,000) in the second phase of the awarding process.

Over 70 scholarships are awarded annually ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, with some larger scholarship awards given. The average award for the 2021-22 academic year was over $6,300. Click here to view scholarship books from previous years.

Scholarships Offered

Gail Allen Scholarship
AAUW-Ann Arbor Branch Used Book Sale Scholarship
AAUW: Mary Elizabeth Bittman Memorial Scholarship
Christine Kahan Black Scholarship
Jane and Bill Bloom Scholarship
Grace A. and James D. Bruce Community Engagement Fund
Margaret Dusseau Brevoort Scholarship
Ruth Jeanette Buttrey Scholarship
Jean W. Campbell Scholarship
CEW+ Graduate Scholarship
Collegiate Sorosis Foundation Scholarship
Lucile B. Conger Alumnae Group Scholarship
Molly H. Dobson Scholarships
Robert Bruce Dunlap Memorial Scholarship
Elizabeth Dusseau Scholarship
Margaret E. Gnegy Scholarship
Beth Halloran Scholarship
Joan Ireland Scholarship
Beatrice Kahn Scholarship
Elsie Choy Lee Scholarship
Mary Malcomson Raphael Scholarship
Sarah Winans Newman Scholarship
Potential Made Possible Scholarship
Susan Quackenbush Scholarship
Aline Underhill Orten Foundation Scholarship
Mary Lucille Randolph and Lea King Dean Memorial Scholarship
Linda J. Rider Scholarship
Helen Huff Shell Scholarship
Janice F. Stephens Memorial Scholarship
Margaret Dow Towsley Scholarships
Irma M. Wyman Scholarships
Petar and Zdravka Zdravkovski Scholarship

* Dunlap scholarships are eligible for renewal after the first year of funding.

Click here for the CEW+ Scholarship Program FAQ

Preparing a Strong CEW+ Scholarship Application
Presenter: Erin Lane, Program Manager

CEW+ Scholarship applicants had the chance to ask questions about eligibility criteria and heard more about what the review committee is looking for in a competitive application. The workshop covered the full scholarship timeline, with tips on crafting each section of the application to address the selection criteria used during the review process. The workshop also clarified the different stages of scholarship review – from the recommendations of applicants based on merit to the final awarding based on financial need. The CEW+ Scholarship application is open now and will close on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, for funding available during the 2023-24 academic year. Click to view the full presentation.