Hope Scholarship

Bank of Hope takes great pride in supporting education in the communities where we operate and have distributed millions in scholarships to date through the Hope Scholarship Foundation. We hope that the 2024 Hope Scholarship can act as a 'small but great hope' for the selected students to advance their futures.

Award Amount $2,500 per student.

Each winner is eligible for only one award. Awards are intended for the student only; no provision is made for spouses or dependents. No substitution of the award is permitted. The check will be issued to the university on behalf of the student, either by paper check or wire transfer.

How to Apply

Click on the APPLY NOW button online when you are ready to submit your application. Please be mindful that this is a one-time submission. You CANNOT go back and edit/save your changes. Please refer to the list below and have your documents ready for submission.

Supporting Documents

To complete your application, please be ready to submit the following supporting documents.

Please remember to have these documents ready prior to clicking the APPLY NOW button.

• Parent(s)/Guardian(s) 2023 Income Tax Return Form: The applicant must be listed as a dependent. The foundation will use the submitted Form 1040 to verify the AGI listed.
• Recommendation Letter: Must be completed and sent by the recommender directly to hope_scholarship@bankofhope.com. Recommender must clearly indicate who the letter is for by titling the email "Scholarship_Student's First & Last Name" (i.e. "Scholarship_John Doe").
• Transcript: Scan and attach the most recent unofficial/official transcript issued by your school in PDF form. *For those who have earned a GED, attach your transcript/certification in the Attachment Page of the application under “Transcripts.”
• Essay: Must be in PDF form.

Essay

Please select ONE essay topic below and write approximately 500 words in length and submit it along with your application in PDF form. Please prepare your essay PRIOR to starting your application process. Keep in mind that once you begin your application process, you cannot   edit/save changes. Your essay will be evaluated on how relevant your answer is to the content of the question, grammar, and spelling.

Topic 1: Please explain a personal hardship or catastrophic life event that you have experienced. How did you manage to overcome this obstacle? What did you learn and how did you grow from it?

Topic 2: Write a short essay that describes areas in your life where you have demonstrated leadership and impact on yourself and others.

Requirements

Please be informed that if you do not meet these requirements, your application will be forfeited.

• Must be a citizen, national or legal permanent resident of the United States. Citizens of the Freely Associated States may apply
• Must be enrolled in either a 4-year institution or 2-year institution as an incoming freshman (2024 high school graduate)
• Must have minimum unweighted cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or have earned a GED
• Must demonstrate financial need and qualify based on income restrictions and limitations

Please see Bank of Hope Scholarship Income Restriction for more information