Stephen Phillips Memorial Scholarship

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

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