The Union Plus Scholarship Program

How to Access Member Benefits:

This benefit is only available to members of AFGE. If you are a member of AFGE, please login to the Members Only section. If you are not a member, but would like to find out how to become one, please visit the Join AFGE section.

The AFGE Union Plus Scholarship Program

Since 1991, the AFGE Union Plus Scholarship Program has awarded more than $4.8 million to students of working families who want to begin or continue their post-secondary education.

Over 3,200 families have benefited from our commitment to higher education, many of them from the AFGE family. The Union Plus Scholarship Program is offered through the Union Plus Education Foundation, supported in part by contributions from the provider of the Union Plus Credit Card. (You do not need to be a Union Plus Credit Card holder to apply for this scholarship.) See eligibility in the tab below.

Eligibility

Current and retired members of AFGE, their spouses and their dependent children (as defined by IRS regulations). Note, grandchildren are not eligible unless the grandchild is a legal dependent (as defined by IRS regulations) of the union member.
At least one year of continuous AFGE membership by the applicant, applicant's spouse or parent (if applicant is a dependent). The one year membership minimum must be satisfied by May 31, 2021.
Participating AFGE members from the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada are eligible.
AFGE members do not have to purchase any Union Plus program product or participate in any Union Plus programs to apply for the scholarships and scholarship awards are not based upon participation in a Union Plus program.
The applicant must be accepted into a U.S. accredited college or university, community college or technical or trade school at the time the award is issued. Awards must be used for the 2021 — 2022 school year.
Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible.
Your application must be complete and received by 12 p.m. (Eastern Time) on Thursday, January 31, 2021.

Evaluation Criteria

This is a competitive scholarship. Applicants are evaluated according to academic ability, social awareness, financial need and appreciation of labor. A GPA of 3.0 or higher is recommended. The required essays can account for up to half your total score. Scholarship applicants are judged by a committee of impartial post-secondary educators

Application Timeline

Applications are available starting in mid-June, and a complete application must be received on or before 12:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on January 31, 2021. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered.

Scholarship Award Amounts

Amounts range from $500 to $4,000. These one-time cash awards are for study beginning in the Fall of 2021. Students may re-apply each year.

Award Date

The Scholarship Committee will determine recipients of scholarship awards by May 31 each year. During the first week of June award recipients will be individually notified by mail, and all applicants will be sent an email with notification that the award list is posted. Please note that due to the volume of applications we cannot provide any information on the status of an application before award announcements are made.

Outstanding Scholarship Recipients

The students selected for university, college, trade or technical school scholarships represent a wide sampling of backgrounds, union affiliations, goals and accomplishments. The selection process is very competitive since we receive thousands of applications each year.