Nick Begich Alaskan Scholarships

The 2024-2025 application round is now open.  To apply, please review and follow all guidelines carefully, and apply using the link to our online application form.

If you are unable to use the online form, you may download the PDF application document (also below). Once you print, fill out and review your paper application, you may submit it by either email or USPS mail. USPS Mail must be postmarked no later than February 27, 2024. Mailed or emailed applications dated/postmarked after that date will not be considered. Award winners will be announced in June 2024.

Our Scholarship fund was created in 1977 to carry on the ideals of the late Alaskan Congressman Nicholas J. Begich, who came to the state in 1956 as a teacher and believed that education was both a right and a privilege, one that must be available to all.

The application form is online. Please read and follow these instructions to apply. Your application may include additional materials such as a list of extracurricular activities (volunteer efforts, work experience, sports, clubs, etc.) you have engaged in and any organizations in which you are currently active. No more than three pages of additional materials will be considered.

Letters of Recommendation: With your application packet,please include two current letters of recommendation: one from a teacher, counselor, employer, or community activist; and one from a peer, friend, or colleague.

Your Essay: Each applicant must include a 500-word statement on a separate sheet detailing your goals, the reasons you are applying, and any other information that would assist the Board of Directors in making its selections. Specifically, if you are applying for an education scholarship, please elaborate on why you want a career in education OR how a teacher made a difference in your life and how that experience has shaped your 
decision to go into education. If applying for a political science, government or public service scholarship, outline who in the current or historical political arena (city, state, or nation) would you most like to emulate and why, OR if you were a candidate for public office today, what would be your platform, OR if you were providing a public service today, what would be your motivation for providing that service?

Please Note:

1. Only Alaska residents are eligible for these awards;
2. The Board will only consider applications of students interested in careers in education, government, and public service. Medical, Nursing, or Aviation applications will not be considered;
3. Transcripts for student applicants (high school for college freshmen; college transcript for sophomores, juniors, and seniors) must be included or sent directly to us from the school. If included, transcript must be an official sealed copy from the college registrar’s office. A minimum of “C” average for the previous school year is required.