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Scholarship Opportunities

A variety of scholarship opportunities are available to English students with outstanding academic achievement or financial need. EWU offers scholarships for both undergraduate and graduate students.

The deadline for 2024-25 scholarships is February 1, 2024.

For More information contact:

Beth Torgerson
Scholarship Committee Chair
Department of English and Philosophy
btorgerson@ewu.edu
Patterson Hall 211-R

UndergraduateGraduateDegree-Specific

Undergraduate Scholarships

This scholarship is for upcoming seniors and is open to all English majors (English Studies, English Secondary Education, Creative Writing, Technical Communication). Awards range from $1350 to $1500

Required Materials

  • An application letter
  • An updated résumé
  • A statement of 1000 words (maximum) that explains your interest in English
  • Two (no more, no less) confidential letters of recommendation from EWU faculty members

This scholarship is for upcoming seniors and is open to all English majors (English Studies, English Secondary Education, Creative Writing, Technical Communication). In addition to academic merit, the Kleiner Scholarship considers financial need. Awards range from $500 to $700

Required Materials

  • A letter of application
  • An updated résumé
  • A statement of 1000 words (maximum) that explains your interest in English
  • A completed copy of your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file at EWU’s Financial Aid Office
  • Two (no more, no less) confidential letters of recommendation from EWU faculty members

This scholarship is awarded specifically to an upcoming senior who is a female English major in either English Studies or English Secondary Education. In addition to academic merit, the Colton-Huston Scholarship considers financial need.

The scholarship is based upon current tuition rates. Based on tuition, the scholarship is awarded per quarter. Once awarded, this scholarship can be renewed for a total of three consecutive quarters. Award has varied from $1,400 to $4,400.

Required Materials

  • An application letter that identifies and discusses the following items:
    • The applicant’s area of interest and reasons for interest
    • The courses to be taken
    • Why the degree is desired
    • The role of the degree in the applicant’s future
    • Why the scholarship is needed
  • A 2,000- to 3,000-word critical essay written for one of the applicant’s junior-level literature classes that provides clear evidence that the applicant is both a good writer and a thoughtful and critical reader
  • A completed copy of your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file at EWU’s Financial Aid and Scholarship Office by Feb. 1.
  • A minimum of two recent letters of recommendation from English professors that address the applicant’s reasoning, writing, and reading abilities and the candidate’s ability to successfully complete the degree.

If no applicant meets the criteria, no award will be granted.

This scholarship is awarded either to an upcoming junior or senior minoring in Journalism. Awards have ranged from $400 to $900.

Required Materials

  • An application letter
  • An updated résumé
  • A statement of 1000 words (maximum) that explains your interest in journalism

This scholarship shall be awarded to a full-time undergraduate or graduate student, in good standing, with a GPA higher than 3.0, who is pursuing a degree in literature or creative writing. Undergraduates can be sophomores, juniors, or seniors.

To facilitate awarding this scholarship, the two qualifying groups of students will be rotated from year to year:

For AY 2024-2025, English Studies undergraduate majors and MA Literature and Writing graduate students will be the recipients of this literature-based scholarship. Consequently, please send the required materials below to Beth Torgerson at btorgerson@ewu.edu.

Next year, for AY 2025-2026, creative writing undergraduate majors and MFA graduate students will be the recipients of this creative writing-based scholarship. Consequently, please send the required materials below to Lisa Denker at ldenker@ewu.edu.

Unless there are no qualified applicants, and barring other pressing financial issues, the committee will alternate between awarding this scholarship to a graduate or undergraduate student every other year.

REQUIRED MATERIALS*

  • A letter of application.
  • An essay (1000-2000 words) in which the student expresses their passion and experience in and for creative writing and literature, shares how they came to be a student at EWU, and provides a personal commentary and reflection about the role, or value, of
  • A completed copy of your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file at EWU’s Financial Aid office.

*For graduate students in either the MFA or the MA in Literature and Writing program, your application to the program, including your writing sample and personal essay, will be used to evaluate your eligibility for this award. No other initial steps are required; however, if selected for this scholarship, to complete the requirements above, you will need to write a short essay (250-500 words) on kindness as well as the acknowledgement of appreciation.

The Department of English and Philosophy offers five scholarships specifically for majors. These awards are typically for upcoming juniors or seniors (depending on the scholarship) with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher. One condition of the scholarships is that the student recipient will remain enrolled at EWU full-time as an English major during the period of the award.

To apply,

  1. Complete the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) if you’d like your financial need to be considered.
  2. Fill out the EWU General Scholarship Application.
  3. Send your additional Department of English and Philosophy scholarship application materials (listed under each scholarship) to Beth Torgerson, Patterson Hall 211-R, Cheney WA 99004.
    Please identify clearly within your letter of application which scholarship(s) you are applying for. As long as all of the criteria for each respective scholarship is met, you may apply for more than one.

The deadline for all materials is February 1.

Please be aware that if you wish your financial need to be considered, you will need to complete the FAFSA, available at EWU’s Financial Aid Office, two weeks prior to this deadline to allow time for the form to be processed.

Graduate Scholarship

The Colton-Huston Graduate scholarship is a needs-based scholarship for female graduate students intent on pursuing the MA in English with emphasis in Literature and Writing at EWU; both need and scholarly accomplishment are required, but need is primary. The scholarship will only be awarded if both the need and scholarship criteria are met. One award will be granted per year. The Colton-Huston Graduate Scholarship covers EWU’s in-state tuition rate for full-time graduate students. Depending upon availability of funds, the scholarship covers EWU’s in-state tuition rate for full-time graduate students, $4,350 per quarter, $13,050 per year.

Initial Qualifications
  1. A senior pursuing an undergraduate English degree, or a recent graduate with an English degree.
  2. A grade point average of 3.5 to 4.0.
  3. A letter of application that identifies and discusses the following items:
    1. The applicant’s literary area of interest (author, period. movement) and reasons for interest. Please specify American or British literature as focus.
    2. The courses to be taken.
    3. Why the MA degree in English with emphasis in Literature and Writing is desired.
    4. The degree’s role in the applicant’s future.
    5. Why the scholarship is needed.
  4. A 2,000-3,000 word critical essay analyzing a work of, or a theme used by, a major figure in British literature (from Chaucer to the present) or American literature (19th and 20th centuries). The essay can, and probably should, be a revised work from an earlier course. The essay needs to provide clear evidence that the applicant is both a good writer and a thoughtful and critical reader.
  5. A demonstration of need, using EWU’s criteria for identifying need: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). A completed FAFSA will need to be on file at EWU’s Financial Aid and Scholarship Office by Feb. 1.
  6. A minimum of two recent letters of recommendation from English professors from any higher education institution. If a recent graduate, letters can be provided by a professional who worked with the applicant, and should contain information about applicant’s writing, reading, and analytic abilities, as well as applicant’s ability to complete the degree successfully.

Continuing Qualifications

Once awarded, this scholarship can be renewed for a total of three consecutive quarters. This renewal is dependent upon successful completion of the following criteria:

  • Current enrollment in the MA in English with emphasis in Literature and Writing Program
  • Grades between 3.5 and 4.0 in the previous quarter
  • Letters from current professors to the chair of the English Scholarship Committee stating that the candidate is making progress towards the degree.

This scholarship shall be awarded to a full-time undergraduate or graduate student, in good standing, with a GPA higher than 3.0, who is pursuing a degree in Literature or Creative Writing. Undergraduates can be sophomores, juniors, or seniors.

To facilitate awarding this scholarship, the two qualifying groups of students will be rotated from year to year:

For AY 2024-2025, English Studies undergraduate majors and MA Literature and Writing graduate students will be the recipients of this literature-based scholarship. Consequently, please send the required materials below to Beth Torgerson at btorgerson@ewu.edu.

Next year, for AY 2025-2026, creative writing undergraduate majors and MFA graduate students will be the recipients of this creative writing-based scholarship. Consequently, please send the required materials below to Lisa Denker at ldenker@ewu.edu.

Unless there are no qualified applicants, and barring other pressing financial issues, the committee will alternate between awarding this scholarship to a graduate or undergraduate student every other year.

REQUIRED MATERIALS*

  • A letter of application.
  • An essay (1000-2000 words) in which the student expresses their passion and experience in and for creative writing and literature, shares how they came to be a student at EWU, and provides a personal commentary and reflection about the role, or value, of
  • A completed copy of your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file at EWU’s Financial Aid office.

*For graduate students in either the MFA or the MA in Literature and Writing program, your application to the program, including your writing sample and personal essay, will be used to evaluate your eligibility for this award. No other initial steps are required; however, if selected for this scholarship, to complete the requirements above, you will need to write a short essay (250-500 words) on kindness as well as the acknowledgement of appreciation.

The Department of English and Philosophy offers two graduate scholarships. One condition of the scholarships is that the student recipient will remain enrolled at EWU full-time as a graduate student during the period of the award. Please read each scholarship’s specific requirements to see if you qualify.

To apply,

  1. Complete the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) if you’d like your financial need to be considered.
  2. Fill out the EWU General Scholarship Application.
  3. Send your additional Department of English and Philosophy scholarship application materials, listed under each scholarship, to
    Beth Torgerson, Patterson Hall 211-R, Cheney, WA or email the material to btorgerson@ewu.edu.

    • If you are a MFA student applying for the Mark Mays scholarship, please send materials to Lisa Denker, ldenker@ewu.edu.
  4. Please identify clearly within your letter of application which scholarship you are applying for. As long as all of the criteria for each respective scholarship is met, you may apply for more than one.

The deadline for all materials is February 1.

Please be aware that if you wish your financial need to be considered, you will need to complete the FAFSA, available at EWU’s Financial Aid Office, two weeks prior to this deadline to allow time for the form to be processed.

Questions concerning the scholarship application process can be emailed to Beth Torgerson at btorgerson@ewu.edu.

Degree Specific Scholarships

The Poetry Foundation offers multiple scholarships. To see current offerings, visit the Poetry Foundation Awards website.

The Helen McCloy/MWA Scholarship for Mystery Writing seeks to nurture talent in mystery writing—in fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, and screenwriting. MWA presents two scholarships for up to $500 each. To apply, visit the scholarship website.

Creative writing students in either the undergraduate or graduate program may also apply for outside scholarships, such as the Poetry Foundation scholarships and the Helen McCloy scholarship.

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