2013 Graduate Student Scholarship Competition

Application Deadline: May 20, 2013

Begin the online application process.

Nature of the Competition

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (ASHFoundation) invites full-time students who will be or who are currently enrolled in a graduate program in communication sciences and disorders to submit applications in competition for graduate scholarship awards. Scholarships are available to students who are undergraduate seniors or students who are currently pursuing master's or doctoral degrees. Both research and clinical doctorate candidates are eligible. Funding opportunities include:

General Scholarships

Up to twenty general graduate student scholarships for master's and doctoral study at $5,000 per award, for students entering or enrolled in graduate study.

Endowed Scholarships

Up to four master's or doctoral student scholarships will be awarded for special purposes. Funding levels are $5,000 per award for the following categories, and applicants who wish to be considered for any of these endowed scholarships must indicate this during the application process.

Scholarship for Students with a Disability
One graduate student scholarship, underwritten by the Leslie Londer Fund, gives priority to a student with a disability.

Scholarship for Minority Students
One graduate student scholarship, underwritten by the ASHFoundation's Minority Fund, gives priority to a student who is a member of a racial or ethnic minority group and a U.S. citizen.

Scholarship for International Students
One graduate student scholarship, underwritten by the Kala Singh Memorial Fund, gives priority to an international student studying in the United States.

Scholarship for NSSLHA Members
One graduate student scholarship, underwritten by the NSSLHA Scholarship Fund, for an undergraduate senior student with an active national NSSLHA membership and who will begin graduate study in the fall of 2013.

All scholarship recipients will be announced and recognized at the November 2013 ASHA Convention in Chicago, Illinois. Interested students should carefully read the section on eligibility and, after determining that all criteria are met, follow the Application Requirements.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible to receive one of the graduate scholarships, students must meet the following criteria:

Graduate Study

1. The student must be accepted for, or enrolled in, graduate study in a communication sciences and disorders program in the United States. Master's programs in speech-language pathology or clinical doctoral programs in audiology must be accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA); this does not apply to research doctoral programs.
   
   
2. The student must be enrolled in full-time study for the full academic year.

Academic and Personal Merit

3. The student must submit official university transcripts of academic coursework, credits, grades, and grade point average (G.P.A.).
   
   
4. The student must be recommended by a committee of two or more persons of the following status:
   1. faculty at the student's current college or university program;
   2. faculty at the student's past college or university program, for persons just completing undergraduate work; or
   3. colleagues (at least one supervisor) at the applicant's current place of employment, for persons returning to school after being in the workforce.

Prior Funding

5. The student must not have received a prior scholarship from the ASHFoundation.

Application Requirements

Providing all eligibility requirements are met, complete the online Student Information Form and upload the following required materials through the online application system. If any of the requested information is not provided, the application will not be eligible for consideration.

1. Student Information Form (online)
   Eligible applicants who wish to be considered for any of the four endowed scholarships must indicate this in the appropriate question on the Student Information Form.
   
   
2. Application Materials (one PDF file)
   The application materials must be submitted as one PDF document containing all required sections in the order indicated below. Please follow the page limits and format specified for each section.
   
   
1. Letter of Application (limit to 2 pages, 12-point font, single-spaced)
   In the letter of application (addressed to the Scholarship Review Committee), the applicant should describe his/her goals after completing his/her academic program. Explain why these goals have been chosen.
   
   
2. Letter of Acceptance or Statement of Good Standing
   For applicants who will begin their graduate studies in the fall of 2013, include a copy of the graduate school acceptance letter. For applicants who have completed one or more semesters or quarters in their graduate program, include a statement of good standing from the department for the 2012–2013 academic year.
   
   
3. Student/Unofficial Transcript
   Applicants must provide an unofficial transcript (such as a student copy). If available, applicants may print an unofficial transcript from their university’s website for this section. If not part of the transcript, the applicant's G.P.A. must be provided via official department or university documentation such as a letter.
   
   
4. Essay (limit to 5 pages, 12-point font, single-spaced)
   Applicants must prepare an essay responding to the question below. Include this essay question as a header for the essay response.
   
   The areas of professional practice available to qualified audiologists and speech-language pathologists, and corresponding roles, are varied within a broad scope. Discuss your vision of “specialists” vs. “generalists” in the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology. Place this in the context of the current climate of healthcare and education reform, framing how you anticipate service delivery developing in the future.
   
   Use your creativity to discuss this perspective. Library references may be used to support your opinions and innovative ideas. 
   
   
3. Official Transcript
   In addition to the unofficial/student transcript submitted as part of the Applicant Materials (section 2), applicants must submit one official university transcript. Official transcripts must be in sealed envelopes as issued by the school attended. Applicants must mail their official transcript to the ASHFoundation. When requesting an official transcript, applicants can instruct university representatives to mail the official transcript directly to the ASHFoundation. All official transcripts must be received at the following address by the May 20 deadline.
   
   American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation
   2013 Graduate Student Scholarship
   Attn: Program Administrator
   2200 Research Blvd, #105
   Rockville, MD 20850-3289
   
   Note: Applicants should request this information as soon as possible to allow time for universities to process paperwork before the required deadline.
   
   
4. Confidential Reference Form [PDF]
   Applicants must be recommended by a committee of two or more persons, who will complete one comprehensive Confidential Reference Form on the applicant's behalf. See eligibility requirements for a list of acceptable references. At some colleges and university programs, an evaluation panel will have been established. In those instances, the department chairperson can identify the chair of that panel. If no such committee exists at the applicant's college/university, the applicant may request the assistance of the department chair in selecting members to serve on his/her recommendation committee or may select the members themselves. For those applicants returning to school after being in the workforce, the recommendation committee should be composed of colleagues and/or previous college or university faculty.
   
   It is essential that those individuals serving as references function as a consensus committee and submit one comprehensive reference form, not two or more separate recommendations. The applicant should identify ONE member of the committee who will serve as the committee leader and who will submit the completed form through the online submission system.
   
   Designate a Committee Leader: Through the online application system, the applicant can designate a committee leader by providing the leader’s name and e-mail address. Once this contact information is provided by the applicant, the committee leader will receive an e-mail message from foundationprograms@asha.org. This message will include the instructions for uploading the completed Confidential Reference Form to the online application system.
   
   Failure to complete this requirement and to provide recommendations by the May 20 deadline will disqualify the applicant from the competition.

Funding Note

Scholarship funding is to be directed toward educational support (such as tuition, books, school living expenses, etc.) and not for personal or conference travel.

Submission Procedures

Providing that all eligibility requirements are met, students should follow the Application Requirements to prepare an application for submission to the online application system.

The online application system will close at 11:59 p.m. EDT on May 20, 2013.

No extensions will be granted beyond the deadline and confirmation that your application has been received will be sent by e-mail after the competition closes. All applicants will be notified of competition results in November 2013.

Questions

If you have any questions regarding this application, contact the ASHFoundation office at 800-498-2071, ext. 8703 or foundationprograms@asha.org.