There is plenty of great value offered through Union Plus Scholarships, so don’t let them go unclaimed if you are part of a union. This organization is dedicated to helping with funding for college due to the fact that it can help people towards a more secure future. The funds are offered for union members so that they can further pursue their education. The funds are also offered to the children of union members.
This little known scholarship fund has been in place for more than 20 years. They have dispersed more than $3.4 million in funds. Here are the unknown scholarships that they currently offer.
Union Plus Scholarship
This is one of the Union Plus Scholarships that has been offered since 1992. The number of awards varies annually based on available funds and the number of applicants. In 2012, there were 129 winners with the prize amounts ranging from $500 to $4,000 with a total of close to $150,000 dispersed. Winners can re-apply for a renewal scholarship up to a period of 4 years.
Each applicant is evaluated based on their work history, their educational goals, academic achievements, and their community involvement. There is a personal essay that can account for more than half of the score. There are usually at least 5,000 applications annually so it is a very competitive scholarship fund. All applications must be complete and they must be submitted by January 31st annually. Winners will be announced on May 31st.
Union Plus National Labor College Scholarship
This is a great offer through Union Plus Scholarships with more than $25,000 being dispersed to students annually. The number of winners and the amount of each award varies based on the volume of applications and the amount of funding that is available. Financial need also affects the amount a winner will receive from this organization.
All funds are offered to only students that will be attending the National Labor College. This includes both campus programs and online programs. All applicants must be enrolled in an undergraduate program. Students must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, good standing in the community, and write a powerful essay about why their education is so important to them.
There are three deadlines each year – in the winter, fall, and summer. These deadline dates will vary so you need to check their website for details. Notifications will be mailed out to winners and those dates vary as well.
College Savings Grants
This is a funding source open to those that plan on opening up a new 529 Savings or pre-paid tuition plan after July 1st of 2011. This grant can be up to $500 per household, and it is a one-time grant. The beneficiary of the account must be under the age of 12 at the time when it is opened up to qualify. It is important to note that once the account is open, you have to contribute at least $1,000 to it by the time that beneficiary is ready to go to college.
In most states, you can open the 529 account with about $100 to start it. The $500 won’t be deposited into that account until the $1,000 threshold has been successfully deposited. Once that occurs, verification of the account balance has to be faxed to the program. It can take up to 5 weeks for the request to be completed and the grant money to be deposited into that account.
Services Offered from Union Plus Scholarships
In addition to the Union Plus Scholarships, they also offer plenty of valuable resources for students. Navigating the process of getting enrolled in school and paying for it can be stressful on your own. These services allow students to explore colleges, to get their questions answered, and even help with filling out applications for classes and for financial aid. There is also information offered on testing strategies for the ACT and SAT.
There is plenty to benefit from with these services through Union Plus Scholarships and their organization as a whole. If you need any assistance or you have suggestions they would like to hear from you.
Unclaimed scholarships are the unknown awards that don’t get applied to because they are so nameless or undisclosed. This could very easily become one. If you fit into their criteria apply to it because it may be easy scholarship money for you!