WVHTAEF Scholarship

The primary goal of the WVHTA Education Foundation’s scholarship endowment fund and career mentoring program is to complete the educational pathway already underway in West Virginia.

Scholarships are awarded to high school students across the state. WVHTAEF awards scholarships to students seeking post-secondary education in the hospitality and tourism industry.  Applicants must be West Virginia residents to apply, but may be planning to attend out-of-state schools.

Scholarship Eligibility Guidelines

The WVHTAEF Scholarship is open to students who are graduating seniors in a West Virginia high school who meet the following criteria:

• Have a minimum grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale.
• Have performed a minimum of 250 hours of Hospitality and Travel industry related work experience
• Have applied to a hospitality, travel, or recreation management program in a post-secondary institution, either full-time or substantial part-time, with the intent to enroll in a minimum of 2 terms.
• Students must submit the following materials in order to have a completed application considered:
  • Completed Application
  • Transcript(s)
  • Essay (details in Section 4 of this application)
  • Proof of minimum 250 hours of Hospitality and Travel and Recreation-related work experience.
  • Letter of recommendation(s) on letterhead
  • Copy of college acceptance letter (if available) or copy of college application
• Applications must be postmarked no later than March 31, of each year. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. To be eligible after the first year, the recipients must maintain a 2.75 GPA and be majoring in an appropriate field of study.
• Previous scholarship award recipients are eligible to reapply after their first year and thereafter. Those recipients must maintain a 2.75 GPA and be majoring in an appropriate field of study.