Equitable Excellence Scholarship

The Equitable Excellence Scholarship® supports students from across the country who strive to be a force for good in their communities. By pursuing a postsecondary degree, these students show fortitude and resilience, and plan to inspire others in their community to pursue higher education. Please click here to be taken to the application page and to learn more about our 2025 Equitable Excellence Scholarship® program. The 2025 application cycle is now closed. Please check back in the spring of 2025 when we announce our scholarship winners.

In alignment with Equitable’s own mission of helping people achieve financial security so that they can face the future with confidence, the Equitable Excellence Scholarship® places an emphasis on empowering students’ future plans so that they can continue to have positive impacts in their community.

To support students throughout their academic journeys, Equitable will provide 100 $5,000 annual scholarships that will be renewed to award recipients each academic year for four years, for a total of $20,000 per recipient.

As the largest 403(b) provider for educators across the country, we realize it’s important to our mission that we help support the educators that are empowering today’s students. To make an even bigger impact directly to educators, we ask each recipient to identify a teacher who made a significant difference in his or her academic career. To express our gratitude, Equitable will provide a $500 gift card to each identified educator to ensure their classrooms and students are set up for success.  

In addition to providing monetary scholarships, Equitable will offer award recipients with development opportunities and engagement programs to support their onboarding to and through their college endeavors. Programs will include topics such as mental health and financial wellness as well as other workshop opportunities that focus on mentoring, networking, and professional skill-building programs with Equitable’s own workforce and executive leadership teams.

The Equitable Excellence Scholarship® is supported through strategic partnerships between Equitable and Scholarship America that includes, CommonApp, National College Attainment Network (NCAN) and college access community-based organizations to assist students who apply for the scholarship and are seeking resources to support the college application process.

Eligibility

We’re committed to students who show potential. Those with the courage to pursue what’s possible; display strength in managing challenges; share wisdom with others. The Equitable Excellence Scholarship® is our promise to those individuals dedicated to achieving their dreams.

• Be a current high school senior that resides in one of the 50 U.S. states, District of Columbia or Puerto Rico, who plan to enroll full-time in an accredited two- or four-year college or university in the United States for the entire upcoming academic year.
• Demonstrate ambition and self-drive to be a force for good in their communities by encouraging others to pursue higher education.
• Be willing to provide a release to publicize their identities and information about their plans or achievements along with photographs for use in Program promotion/information.
• Have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent).

Employees, associates, financial professionals, or immediate family members of employees, associates, or financial professionals of Equitable, Equitable Advisors and all Equitable affiliated companies or Scholarship America, or their affiliates, subsidiaries, or advertising and promotion agencies, are not eligible to apply to this program.

Awards

• The authorized distribution for new awards is up to $500,000. Up to 100 renewable awards of $5,000 each will be granted.
• $5,000 awards are renewable up to four years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first, on the basis of satisfactory academic performance and continued enrollment, and
• $500 gift card will be provided to each recipients’ teacher of choice who has had an impact on their school journey.
• Sponsor will require recipients to attend at least 4 professional development workshops during their 4 years in college/during their renewable scholarship timeline (1 session per year).
• Awards are for undergraduate study only. Enrollment at an accredited postsecondary institution outside of the United States may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Selection of Recipients

Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:

• Demonstrate ambition and self-drive to be a force for good in your community by encouraging others to pursue higher education
• Work experience
• Unusual personal or family circumstances
• A custom essay
• Financial need will be required. Applicants must have financial need.
• Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of Equitable Foundation play a part in the selection. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.