SOAR Scholarship

SOAR Texas, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit, seeks to mentor and support ‘first females,’ those young women who are the first in their family to pursue higher education or who have had to overcome significant challenges. Our goal is to provide scholarships opportunities and ongoing mentorship and relationship building.

It is not enough for us to celebrate current successes. We have to reach out to the next generation to help more women reach their potential because we believe that First Females will go on to do great things, and they will pay that forward to others who are reaching up.

The Scholarship and Mentoring Groups

Twenty students will be selected each year to receive a scholarship totaling $5,000. SOAR Scholars are eligible to reapply each year they meet all of the eligibility requirements. The recipient will also be invited to participate in our mentorship group, which includes office hours held three times a semester (for which attendance is encouraged, but not required), and several optional meetings throughout the year either in person or virtually, depending on location of the members. Our goal is that as new scholarship recipients are chosen each year, previous recipients will continue with the group. They will provide mentorship to the new recipients and continue to benefit from the ongoing relationships these circles will build.

Eligibility Requirements

• Women who are first-generation college or graduate students or have overcome significant challenges/obstacles on their educational journey.
• Enrolled full-time or accepted to begin full-time in the fall of 2026 at an accredited 4-year university or graduate program in the United States.
• Current cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
• Demonstrate leadership abilities.
• Demonstrate good moral character in all aspects of your life, including personal, professional, educational, in your community, and online presence.
• Applications are then reviewed by our scholarship committee, who consider family background, academic achievement, involvement in extracurricular activities, community volunteer work, church service or work-employment; and strength of essays. The committee will pick finalists to present to the Board, and the Board will vote to pick the winners.

Application

• The application opens December 15, 2025 and closes March 13, 2026 12:00 p.m. (Noon) CST. All applications and required documents (proof of acceptance or enrollment for the fall 2026, school transcript, and a recommendation letter) must be submitted online or received in our Austin office (6101 W Courtyard Dr., 1-150, Austin, TX 78730) before March 13, 2026 12:00 p.m. (Noon) CST. Scholarship recipients will be notified by April 17, 2025, and invited to an event to recognize their achievement (in person or virtually) at Summer Celebration in June 2026.
• The online link is to last year’s application and can be viewed as an example. The new application will be uploaded before December 15, 2025.
• The scholarship funds will be made payable to the accredited university of the recipient’s choice and can be applied for tuition, room and board, or other educational expense through the university.