Union Plus Scholarship Program for Union Members’ Children

The Union Plus Scholarship Program has awarded more than $5 million to students from working families who want to begin or continue their post-secondary education since 1991. To apply for this scholarship, you do not need to have a Union Plus credit card. In fact, the award is accessible to anyone.

The scholarship is also available for students who demonstrate exceptional financial need. If you can prove it and have the academic aptitude, social awareness, and respect for the union and labor movement, you may be the one the foundation is looking for! Learn more about the program through the following handy guide.

Without further ado, let’s dive into it.

Union Plus Scholarship
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About the Union Plus Scholarship

Since 1991, the Union Plus Scholarship Program has awarded more than $5 million to students from working families who aspire to start or continue their post-secondary education. This laudable devotion to higher education has benefited almost 3,400 families.

The Union Plus Scholarship is provided by the Union Plus Education Foundation, which is funded in part by contributions from the Union Plus credit card issuer. You do not need to be a Union Plus credit card holder to apply for this scholarship. It is, in reality, open to everyone.

The Union Plus Scholarship, on the other hand, has a long history of being a competitive scholarship. Academic aptitude, social awareness, financial need, and work respect are all factors considered while evaluating applicants. In addition, applicants will be expected to produce an essay worth up to half of their total score. All incoming scholarship applications will be judged by a committee of neutral post-secondary educators.

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If these sound like you, sign up for the extremely valuable opportunity and continue reading to see whether you’re qualified.

Program Benefits

The Union Plus Scholarship Program offers awards ranging from $500 to $4,000. These one-time monetary incentives are intended for studies beginning in the fall of the award year. The good news is that if you are chosen as the winner, you can reapply each year! Despite the fact that it is not a renewable scholarship, you are likely to be chosen for another grant.

The grant is available for any year of study, from freshman year to last year of graduate school. Law school and medical school are included. To be eligible for the prize, you must be accepted into a U.S. accredited post-secondary school at the time it is given out.

Union Plus Scholarship Eligibility Requirements

At this point, you might be asking: Who is eligible to apply for the Union Plus Scholarship Program?

Good question!

Union Plus Scholarships are available to current and retired members of unions that engage in any Union Plus program, as well as their wives and dependent children (as defined by IRS regulations). On the other hand, grandchildren are not eligible unless they are a legal dependent (as defined by IRS regulations).

Furthermore, you, your spouse, or your parent must have been a member of the union for at least one year. The Union Plus Foundation has set a deadline for completing the one-year membership requirement.

You may be unsure whether your union is eligible in some circumstances. Then, in the Union Information portion of the scholarship application, you can choose from a list of qualified unions in a drop-down menu. You can also check with your local union representative or go to the website of your local or national union to see if they provide Union Plus perks.

To be eligible, you do not need to buy any Union Plus products or engage in any Union Plus programs, as previously stated. Only union members (and their families) from the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, and Canada are eligible for the scholarship. Moreover, awards are only available to students enrolled in a U.S. approved college, university, trade school, or technical school.

If you are confident that you can satisfy these criteria, move on to the next section where you can learn about the right way to apply to the Union Plus Scholarship.

The Union Plus Scholarship Application

You will need to include the following information and requirements to complete the scholarship application:

A letter of recommendation

You will need a letter of recommendation from a teacher or other adult who knows your accomplishments and abilities. You are responsible for obtaining and submitting these letters of recommendation. If your reference requests that the letter be kept confidential, you can designate your reference so that the letter can be sent anonymously. The application will ask you to send an email to your reference, who will be briefed on how to attach their letter in a confidential manner.

Two 350-word essays

Each of the essays must answer the following questions:

  1. How has the COVID-19 epidemic posed obstacles for you and your family? What did you learn about yourself as a result of overcoming these obstacles?
  2. Explain your connection to the labor movement and the union. In what ways has it impacted your life and that of your family?

Don’t just recite a standard labor history. Write about your own unique experiences and stories. You may not be a union member, but you are a union member’s child or spouse. Ask members of the union’s family (parents, grandparents, etc.) about their experiences in the union. Finally, share personal anecdotes and experiences about how belonging to a union has impacted their and your lives.

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Need a guide to nail a scholarship essay? Learn how to write a good scholarship essay that will help you win any scholarship in this extensive guide!

Union information

The name of the national or worldwide union, the local union number, the local union’s address, phone number, and the name of the local union President or Business Manager are all included in the union information. This information is required for your union, the union of your spouse, or the union of your parents (if you are a dependent). If you or a family member is a member of multiple unions, you must list this information for each one.

It is important to note that you may only apply for the Union Plus Scholarship online. The foundation will never ask for a paper copy of your application. To fill out the form, go to the website listed at the bottom of this page.

Closing Date

Complete and submit your application before January 31 at 12:00 p.m. When you submit your application successfully, you will receive a screen message verifying that it was received.

By May 31 of each year, the scholarship committee will have determined the recipients of the Union Plus Scholarship grants. Then, by mid-June, you will receive an email notification when the award list is posted on the Union Plus website.

Contact Details

If you have questions about the Union Plus Scholarship program, send an email to  scholarships@unionplus.org or call at 800-472-2005.

The Union Plus Scholarship

Lastly, apply to or find more information about this program at www.unionplus.org. Need more scholarships like this? You may want to check our guide on scholarships for low-income college students.

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