To qualify for a CEW+ Scholarship, an applicant must meet the following criteria:

1) The applicant will be enrolled at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Flint, or Dearborn campus) during the year for which the scholarship is awarded and

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

• The applicant has experienced a continuous and consecutive interruption in their education at any time since high school. Eligible undergraduate applicants have experienced an interruption in education of at least 24 months (2-years), and eligible graduate applicants have experienced an interruption in education of at least 60 months (5-years); * OR
• The applicant is a primary caregiver for a minor, elderly adult, or disabled adult, and caregiving responsibilities will continue into the 2025-26 school year,** OR
• The applicant is working to complete a STEM degree and is actively engaged in a Sponsored Student Organization (SSO) that supports gender diversity in STEM.***

* Interruption in Education 

For undergraduate applicants, the interruption in education should reflect a period of at least 24 consecutive months of non-enrollment in any program where they were earning academic credit. For graduate applicants,  the interruption in education should reflect a period of at least 60 consecutive months of non-enrollment in any program where they were earning academic credit.

*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 and active in a qualifying Sponsored Student Organization (SSO):

• 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.
• To verify a student organization’s status with the Center for Campus Involvement, check maizepages.umich.edu. 

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, or first-generation students (no parent has completed a bachelor’s degree). To be considered for more than a minimum scholarship offer, graduate and undergraduate applicants must submit a complete Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) to the Office of Financial Aid if they are eligible. The U-M preferred date to submit a FAFSA for 2025-26 is March 31, 2025.

Notes:

• Students ineligible to complete a FAFSA can indicate this in the application to be notified of an alternate process to share comparable information and be considered for a larger scholarship offer.

Students can only be identified as a CEW+ Scholarship recipient one time. If you received a CEW+ Scholarship in a previous year, you may be eligible to apply for a fellowship (note: fellowships have specific eligibility requirements listed here).

Questions? Contact [email protected] or (734) 764-4355.

Application components are listed below so 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 2024 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 9, 2025). You will be asked to provide recommenders’ names and emails. The application system will prompt an automated email to your recommenders which will invite 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+ Funding 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 eligibility 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 essay questions on the scholarship application. Personal Statements are the lengthiest part of the application and provide the best opportunity to address CEW+ Scholarship selection criteria and tell your story in your own words.

• 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)

The application deadline is May, 9 2025, 11:59 PM (EDT).

CEW+ Scholarships are awarded in two phases:

Phase 1

Selection committees review scholarship applications and make recommendations 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. Clarity of goals in relation to career and life experiences
3. The potential impact of completing the applicant’s U-M degree on a personal, community, or global scale
4. Strength of motivation – evidence of sustained commitment, persistence

Phase 2

The specific amount of a CEW+ Scholarship is determined based on financial need and coordinated with each scholar’s individual aid package. Once the selection committee determines the application outcome, financial information will be requested from successful applicants in the Summer of 2025. 

To ensure that you are considered for the largest possible scholarship from CEW+, all applicants eligible to submit a FAFSA must do so. The preferred U-M deadline to submit a FAFSA to your campus office of financial aid is March 31, 2025. Failure to submit a FAFSA if you are eligible means that you will only be considered for the minimum award ($1,000) in the second phase of the awarding process. Note that there is an alternate process for international and undocumented students to be considered for a larger award.

Over 70 scholarships are awarded annually, ranging from $2,000 to $12,000, with some larger scholarship awards given. The average award for the 2024-25 academic year was over $8,000. Click here to view scholarship books from previous years.

Scholarships Offered

Gail Allen Scholarship
AAUW: Mary Elizabeth Bittman Memorial Scholarship
AAUW-Ann Arbor Branch Used Book Sale Scholarship
Christine Kahan Black Scholarship
Jane and Bill Bloom Scholarship
Grace A. and James D. Bruce Community Engagement Scholarship
Ruth Jeanette Buttrey Scholarship
Jean W. Campbell Scholarship
CEW+ Graduate Scholarship
Amy Mecozzi Cho and Lawrence Cho Family Scholarship
Collegiate Sorosis Foundation Scholarship
Lucile B. Conger Alumnae Group Scholarship
Paula K. Cooper (Meyers) Scholarship*
Molly H. Dobson Scholarships
Robert Bruce Dunlap Memorial Scholarship*
Elizabeth Dusseau Scholarship & Margaret Dusseau Brevoort Scholarship
The Christine DiFalco Euritt Scholarship
Everett B. Ireland Scholarship
Margaret E. Gnegy Scholarship
Hall-McCannell Scholarship
Beth Halloran Scholarship
Deodge Hill Scholarship
Joan P. Ireland Scholarship
Beatrice Kahn Scholarship
Caroline M. Lee Scholarship
Elsie Choy Lee Scholarship
Luera-Apgar Sustainability Scholarship
The Virginia Simson Nelson Scholarship
Sarah Winans Newman Scholarship
Potential Made Possible Scholarship
Susan E. Quackenbush Scholarship
Mary Malcomson Raphael Scholarship
Mary Lucille Randolph and Lea King Dean Memorial Scholarship
Linda J. Rider Scholarship
Helen Huff Shell Scholarship
Terry L. and Patricia A. Stanley Scholarship
The Janice F. Stephens Memorial Scholarship
Margaret Dow Towsley Scholarships
Irma M. Wyman Scholarships*
Petar and Zdravka Zdravkovski Scholarship

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

Click here for the CEW+ Scholarship Program FAQ

Additional questions? Contact [email protected] or (734) 764-4355.