The Student Foundation Scholarship

Applications for the 2025-2026 Student Foundation Scholarship will open on February 2.

Fundamental to Student Foundation’s work each year is the awarding of scholarships to deserving Baylor students. Our Student Foundation members work throughout the year to raise funds from generous Baylor alumni and friends, whose support makes these scholarships possible. The funds used for scholarship awards is determined each spring semester and come from both annual gifts and our 90 endowed Student Foundation scholarships.

The Student Foundation scholarship is $3,000 ($1,500 in each of the fall and spring semesters) and will be awarded for the 2025-2026 academic year. December graduates are eligible only to receive half a scholarship ($1,500 in the fall semester).

Eligibility

The Student Foundation scholarships are awarded based on both merit and need and are evaluated blindly (without reviewing the student's name or identifying information) by the committee. For the 2024-2025 academic year, 131 Baylor students were awarded $1,500 or $3,000 scholarships. Incoming first-year students, graduate students, and student-athletes that receive an athletic scholarship are not eligible for the Student Foundation scholarships.

Requirements

If selected for a Student Foundation scholarship, receipt of the financial aid funds will be contingent upon the following requirements. Student Foundation will be tracking the progress of recipients in completing their requirements, and will notify recipients periodically if they have any remaining requirements to complete:

Achieve and maintain at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA.
Attend a Student Foundation Scholarship Reception, held early in the Fall 2025 semester.
Write thank you notes to Student Foundation donors and Bearathon participants as facilitated by Student Foundation. More information on writing thank you notes will be provided at a later date.
Complete a brief online questionnaire about the impact of the Student Foundation Scholarship. Click here to complete the brief questionnaire.
Participate in a philanthropic activity. Philanthropic activities may include, but are not limited to, serving as philanthropy chair for an organization, planning a philanthropy event, raising funds for the Student Foundation Scholarship Fund, volunteering at a Student Foundation philanthropy event, or raising awareness about a philanthropic cause on campus. Student Foundation will have opportunities available to you throughout the year and many opportunities are already listed below under "Philanthropic Activities." If you have a proposal for a different experience, you may share that with the Student Foundation Director at StudentFoundation@baylor.edu.

For any further questions regarding the Student Foundation Scholarship, please contact us at (254) 710-3497 or at studentfoundation@baylor.edu.

For current (2024-2025) recipients of the Student Foundation Scholarship, the following opportunities are available to you to complete the philanthropic activity requirements.

Philanthropic Activities

As a requirement of the Student Foundation Scholarship, you must participate in a philanthropic activity. Student Foundation is happy to share several opportunities to fulfill this requirement (see below). If you have a proposal for a different philanthropic educational experience, you may share that with the Student Foundation Director at StudentFoundation@baylor.edu.

1. Take Part in Video Testimonials for Student Foundation Scholarship – Dates TBD

Provide a video testimonial on the impact of the Student Foundation Scholarship on your Baylor experience so that we can share your stories with the donors that made it possible.
These videos may be used throughout the next few years in different fundraising or donor relations projects for Student Foundation.
These testimonials will be recorded during a professional video shoot with one of our community partners. Dates and times will be announced during the academic year.

2. Be an Ambassador for Baylor Giving Day

Baylor Giving Day will occur this spring and is an opportunity for Baylor alumni and friends to give to small projects throughout campus through a crowd-funding type giving page and Student Foundation will have a fundraising page for Student Foundation Scholarships.
As an ambassador, you would post on social media about the Giving Day opportunity to give to Student Foundation Scholarships and the impact it has on you and your Baylor experience. A brief orientation or description will be available to you prior to Giving Day.
Email us (StudentFoundation@baylor.edu) along with your Instagram or Twitter handle if you wish to be a Baylor Giving Day ambassador.

3. Run In or Volunteer For The Bearathon (Half Marathon or 6K) - March 29, 2025

The Bearathon is Student Foundation’s largest event and we hope to help our runners understand that all proceeds of the Bearathon benefit Student Foundation Scholarships and YOU! You can help us share that message during the Bearathon by helping with pre-race activities and during-race support of our runners.
If you wish to run, you can register to run the Bearathon when registration opens in the fall.
Information on volunteering for the Bearathon can be found here.

4. Active Membership in Student Foundation

If you apply for and are accepted into membership in Student Foundation, ample opportunities await to learn more about generosity and how to put generosity into action.

5. Community Service (5+ Hours)

You must serve at least five (5) hours with a non-profit organization and answer a series of reflection questions after the experience.
We suggest you serve in the Waco community through one of the organizations who works with Baylor's Department of Missions & Public Life. You can see the most current list of service partners on their website here. If you wish to serve with an organization not on this list, and you are not sure if the organization's values align with those of Baylor University, you may want to check with the Student Foundation Director to determine whether your volunteer service will count toward this requirement. Otherwise, your service will be subject to further scrutiny prior to accepting your reflection.
You can see more about the requirements and begin your service reflection using this form on Baylor Connect.