Stephen Phillips Memorial Scholarship

Phillips Scholarship Applications for the 2026-2027 school year are open.  Please read below for more information and links to start an application.

Applying from Lynn or Marblehead, MA? Click here for the Gordon Hall III Family Foundation Scholarship.

Both new applicants and returning scholars should gather the following in preparation for applying:

1. FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) from FAFSA

2. The most recent Financial Aid Award letter from your college

3. Student and Parent Earnings Information

4. The charges for tuition, fees, food and housing, if your college is not included on our Cost of College List

New Applicants

(Never Previously Awarded by Phillips)

• The 2026-2027 New High School and New College Application is now open. To begin an application start online. Applications are due by 12 noon, May 1, 2026. There is an early response option, available to new high school applicants only, for applicants who submit by 12 noon, April 2, 2026.
• New applicants should visit the New Applicants Page to carefully review all criteria and required application materials before beginning an application.

New applicants will also need:

• Contact information for at least one recommender (for high school applicants, the first recommender must be your school/guidance counselor)
• A formal personal essay such as the Common Application or Coalition Application essay (up to 650 words) and a short essay (up to 250 words) about what you do in school, at home, or in the community to serve others.
• For applicants already in college, your college transcript/grades (this can be an unofficial version) with grades through the Fall 2025 semester and a copy of your high school transcript if you have completed fewer than three semesters of college

New Applicants

Thank you for your interest in applying for the Stephen Phillips Memorial Scholarship, and/or one of the Named Scholarships we administer.

Our scholarships are only awarded to students in bachelor's degree programs, and are based on location, need, and merit.

We appreciate the time and care that you are investing in applying for scholarships. Applicants report spending over 4 hours on average to complete our application. To ensure that your time is well-spent, please carefully review the following before deciding to submit a Phillips application:

• Criteria
• Financial Eligibility
• Steps to Apply
• Named Scholarships Administered by Phillips

And if you still have questions:

• FAQs
• Contact Us

If you have made the considered decision to apply:

• The 2026-2027 New High School and New College Application is now open. To begin an application check online.
• View our How to Apply 2026-2027 document for more information about our application. How to Apply 2026-2027 in other languages: Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Spanish
• High School applicants are welcome to apply using our Early Response deadline of 12pm, noon on April 2, 2026. These applicants complete the high school application and receive a response in late April, which may impact their college choice. (Applicants using the Early Response deadline are either awarded, deferred to the regular applicant pool, or not awarded. Students are only able to complete one application per year.) For any applicant who misses the early deadline, they can continue to work on the application and submit by 12pm, noon on May 1st.

Criteria

A scholarship for permanent residents of New England states, with financial need, who display academic achievement, a commitment to serving others, a strong work ethic and leadership qualities.

Qualifications

Applicants must be:

• An entering or returning student at an accredited undergraduate institution in the United States and must be enrolled full-time (at least 12 hours).
• Pursuing a bachelor’s degree (BA, BS, BFA, BSN for example) for the first time. Students in one-year or two-year certificate or associate’s degree programs do not qualify. Students in five-plus year programs ending in a master’s degree or beyond may apply for the first four (undergraduate) years of their programs.
• A United States citizen OR noncitizen who EITHER a) has a current lawful presence in the United States and employment authorization OR b) files (or is the dependent of a parent who files) a US income tax return.
• A permanent resident of a New England state: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, or Vermont.

Academic Achievement

Applicants should:

• Have a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale
• Be enrolled in a demanding course of study
• Demonstrate skilled writing

Financial Need

Qualifying applicants will demonstrate the following:

• A SAI (Student Aid Index) from the FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) that is 13,000 or less (contact staff@spscholars.org if your SAI is greater than 13,000 but you believe there are extenuating financial circumstances)
• Financial unmet need of $7,000 or more at the college of their choice as determined by the Financial Eligibility Calculator
• A low to moderate parent Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)

It may help to know that, in 2025, 91% of newly awarded students had federal SAIs of less than 10,000, and 90% had family AGIs of $100,000 or less.

Citizenship, Character and Serious-Mindedness

Strong applicants would:

• Demonstrate a desire to make a meaningful contribution to society both present and future
• Be involved in a balance of community, school and work activities
• Pursue goals and aspirations with integrity, resolution, self-discipline and judgment
• Work part-time