2025 National Scholarship Program

The Kolping Society of America is proud to announce its 2025 Scholarship Program. Below is an overview of the program. Please review it to see if you and/or an immediate family member is qualified to apply. We welcome applicants and wish you good luck.

Program Overview and Qualifications:

Qualifications:

1. Candidates must be in or entering:
   1. senior year of high school in the Fall of 2025;
   2. an accredited college or university;
   3. an accredited trade school
2. Candidates must be active Kolping members or an immediate family member of an active Kolping member.
   1. Immediate family will be defined as spouse, child, grandchild or great-grandchild.
   2. “Active” is defined as a member who is current with their dues for at least two years.
3. There is no age requirement.
4. College students who were awarded a scholarship in 2024 will not be eligible until 2026. High school seniors who were awarded a scholarship in 2024 can apply for the college-level scholarship.

Scholarship details:

Seven (7) scholarships of $3,000 will be available for qualified college, university and/or trade school candidates andfour (4) $1,000 scholarships will be available for high school applicants.

Timeline:

March 31, 2025 — Scholarship program posted and applications are available
April 30, 2025 — Scholarship applications due
By May 30, 2025 — Scholarship reviewed and winners selected
By June 30, 2025 — Recipients contacted and money awarded

Instructions:

1. Essays must be submitted in either Calibri, Times New Roman or Helvetica, 12pt font.
2. Essays will be rated as follows: Question 1 = 5 points, Question 2 and 3 = 10 points each.
3. No word count, but keep each answer at no more than one-page. Shorter is better.
4. Essays should be in a format that you can upload to the application site.

Essay Questions:

Question 1:

What factors influenced your decision to attend your chosen university, college, or trade school? How do you envision using your education in the future?
For High School Students: Where would you like to continue your education next year, and how do you hope to apply your learning in the future?

Question 2:

After reading The Life and Work of Fr. Kolping, how do you think his idea that “the needs of the time will teach you what to do” applies to your field of study and goals?

Question 3:

Fr. Kolping valued self-sufficiency through furthering one’s education and continued skill-building. Considering your own goals for education and skill-building, do you think that one will be more important for you than the other? Please explain why.