Sleep-Related Scholarships

Name: I Have a Dream Scholarship

Sponsor: Unigo.com

Amount: $1,500

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be 13 years of age or older at the time of application.
• You must be a legal resident of the United States or the District of Columbia.
• You must currently be enrolled (or enroll no later than Fall 2024) in an accredited postsecondary institution of higher education.

Application details:

• In 250 words or fewer, answer the following prompt: “What do you dream about? Whether it’s some bizarre dream you had last week, or your hopes for the future, share your dreams with us for a chance to win $1,500 for college”.

Renewable? N

Enrollment Level: Undergraduate students and higher

Application Deadline: January 31, 2018

 

Name: The Jack & Julie Narcolepsy Scholarship

Sponsor: Project Sleep

Amount: $1,000

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be a high-school senior diagnosed with narcolepsy who will attend a four-year university starting in Fall 2018.
• You must “exemplify courage and hope while living with narcolepsy”.

Application details:

• You must include a note from a sleep doctor or a neurologist that includes a narcolepsy diagnosis.
• A written essay (500 to 1,000 words) is also required. Past prompts include this one from the 2017 application: “If you could go “back in time” and speak to yourself on the day you were diagnosed with narcolepsy, what would you say? What advice or perspective would you share with your younger self? Please write a letter to yourself on your diagnosis day.”

Renewable? N

Enrollment Level: Incoming college freshmen

Application Deadline: April 1, 2018

Name: BestMattressReviews.Com Sleep Scholarship

Sponsor: BestMattressReviews.com

Amount: $1,000

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be either a high school senior currently attending school in the U.S. OR a current college student currently enrolled at an accredited U.S. postsecondary institution.
• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• You must be anticipating completion of your high school diploma at time of application or already in possession of your high school diploma or GED.
• You must be planning to or are already pursuing a degree at an accredited U.S. postsecondary institution.
• You must carry a minimum 3.0 GPA currently or at the end of your senior year.

Application details:

• You must shoot a video (four minutes in length or less) that addresses both of the following prompts, and then upload the clip to YouTube with the heading ‘Best Mattress Reviews — Sleep Scholarship Application’.
  • “How important is sleep as a public health issue? Sleep has gotten a lot of coverage in the last few years and we’d like to know how you think it stacks up and why you feel that way. Please use research and statistics to back up your opinions”.
  • “Describe your current relationship with sleep and assess the quality of that relationship. Research and cover at least two to three ways you think you should change your lifestyle/sleep hygiene habits to improve your sleep health and how you plan to implement them over the next year of your life”.
•  Compose a single page document in Google Drive that addresses the following questions:
  • What time do you usually wake up during the weekdays (on a typical week of school)?
  • What time do you usually wake up during the weekends?
  • Do you ever feel like you could fall asleep in class? If so, what time(s) of day do you get sleepy?
  • On average, how many hours a night did you sleep during finals week? Do you feel like it was enough, too much or too little?
  • Where do you keep your phone while you sleep? Is the ringer on or is it set to silent or vibrate?
  • Do you usually go to bed at the same time every night? If so, what time is that on the weekdays and what time is that on the weekends?
  • What’s typically the last activity you participate in before you go to bed each night?
  • Have you been diagnosed with a sleep disorder?
  • Do you feel like you have trouble sleeping? If yes, how has that affected you?
•  Email a link to the video, an attachment of the completed questionnaire, your personal contact information and the name of the college/university you are attending (with proof of enrollment) to applications@bestmattressreviews.com.

Renewable? N

Enrollment level: High school seniors or undergraduate students

Application Deadline: May 19, 2018

 

Name: Repshop Scholarship

Sponsor: Repshop.com

Amount: $1,500 for first place; $500 for four additional recipients

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be currently enrolled full-time as an undergraduate or graduate student, or attending high school as a senior and planning to attend a college or university within the next seven months.
• You must have a GPA of 2.0 or higher.

Application details:

• Your 500- to 750-word essay must discuss the way “sleep disorders, sleep apnea, or CPAP therapy affect your life or the lives of those around you”. According to the scholarship’s website, your essay should “succinctly demonstrate the pervasiveness of sleep disorders or the benefits of CPAP therapy”.

Renewable? N

Enrollment Level: Full-time undergraduate or graduate students, or high school seniors

Application Deadline: January 31, 2018

One thing to note: since the study of sleep disorders is mostly done in specialized fields, people who study it tend to be professional researchers. For example, the American Thoracic Society offers a wide selection of sleep-focused grants and scholarships. These include awards sponsored by organizations like the National Institutes of Health and The National Center on Sleep Disorder Research, and foundations such as The Francis Family Foundation and the American Sleep Medicine Foundation. However, the scholarships and grants listed by the ATS are for career scientists, doctors and other professionals who are asked to submit research proposals. In our effort to provide scholarships for the broadest pool of student candidates, we have only included awards that are reserved for people who are currently attending or planning to attend a postsecondary institution.

The next three sections will feature scholarships for students pursuing an education in fields like psychology, mental health, and health and wellness. Although these awards are not specifically reserved for students in sleep-related degree programs, the scholarships may be used toward coursework and research involving sleep science, disorders and other related subjects.

Psychology Scholarships

Name: AAC’s 2017 Behavioral Health Academic Scholarship Program

Sponsor: American Addiction Centers

Amount: $5000 for first place; $2,500 for second and third place

Eligibility requirements: 

• You must be a student who will have graduated high school by the summer of 2017 and enrolled part-time or full-time in an undergraduate or a graduate program.
• Your area of academic study must be in one of the following fields: “nursing, counseling, psychology, social work, marriage/family therapy, or other curriculum that focuses on treating mental health and substance use disorders”.

Application details: 

• You must submit a 500-word essay that addresses the following prompt: “In your chosen area of Behavioral Science study, what do you see as current challenges for getting individuals into addiction treatment? What are your suggestions for how to fix this problem?”

Renewable? N

Enrollment Level: High school seniors or part-/full-time undergraduate or graduate students

Application Deadline: May 31, 2017

Name: Fontana Transport Inc. Scholars Program

Sponsor: Fontana Transport Inc.

Amount: Up to $5000

Eligibility requirements: 

• You must be pursuing a full-time undergraduate degree at any four-year university beginning in Fall 2018 (proof of enrollment is required).
• Your area of academic study must be one of the following: transportation, math, science, engineering, architecture, environmental design, pre-med, psychology, or Spanish language/literature.
• U.S. citizenship is not required.
• You must have a weighted G.P.A. of at least 3.5.

Application details: 

• You must register with the linked website and wait for the application package.
• A letter of recommendation from a faculty member is strongly encouraged.

Renewable? Y

Enrollment Level: Full-time undergraduate students

Application Deadline: March 15, 2018

Name: Undergraduate Scholarship Program 

Sponsor: National Institutes of Health

Amount: Up to $20,000 per year

Eligibility requirements: 

• You must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a full-time student at an accredited, four-year undergraduate institution.
• You must plan to go into a career related to “biomedical, behavioral, and social science health-related research”.
• You must demonstrate exceptional financial need.
• You should be a U.S. citizen or a qualified non-citizen.
• You must have a G.P.A. of at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of your class.

Application details: 

• You must commit to two NIH service obligations:
  • A 10-week ‘Summer Laboratory Experience’ at an NIH research lab.
  • Employment for at least one year after graduation as a full-time employee for the NIH.

Renewable? Y

Enrollment Level: Full-time undergraduate students

Application Deadline: March 2018

Name: Gallagher Student Health Careers Scholarship Program

Sponsor: Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Amount: $5,000

Eligibility requirements: 

• You must be a junior or senior at a four-year university and pursuing an undergraduate degree in a health-related field.
• You must be enrolled as a full-time student for the two semesters leading up to your graduation date.
• You must be on track to complete your degree program between Spring 2018 and Spring 2019.
• You must carry a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Application details: 

• You must compose an essay (500 words or less) describing your interests, your reasons for pursuing a career in the health field, and how the scholarship would help you to achieve your goals.

Renewable? Y

Enrollment Level: Full-time college juniors or seniors

Application Deadline: May 5, 2017

Name: Division 53 Student Achievement Award

Sponsor: Student Advisory Board of Div. 53 (Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology), American Psychological Association (APA)

Amount: Awards of $1,000 are given to one undergraduate student, one early-stage graduate student and two advanced graduate students

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be pursuing a degree in child or adolescent psychology at the undergraduate or graduate level.
• You must be involved in a research project in the field of child/adolescent psychology that is either in progress or has been completed.
• All undergraduate students may apply, but graduate students must be enrolled in APA- or CPA-accredited master’s or doctoral programs.
• You must demonstrate “contributions to the field of clinical child and adolescent psychology, primarily through a research project but also through teaching, mentoring, clinical work and other forms of community engagement”.
• Membership in Division 53 is not required, but preferred.
• Previous recipients of APA awards for the same research project are not eligible to apply.

Application details:

• Your application must include a description of your contributions to the field of child/adolescent psychology that is one to two pages in length, double-spaced and typed in a 12-point font.
• You also need to include a sample of your research project (abstract, poster, or summary) that is no longer than two pages in length.
• One letter of recommendation from a faculty member is required.

Renewable? N

Enrollment Level: Full-time enrollment in an undergraduate or graduate-level child psychology program

Application Deadline: May 30, 2017

Name: AP-LS Award for Best Undergraduate Paper

Sponsor: Division 41: American Psychology-Law Society, American Psychological Association (APA)

Amount: $500 for first place; $300 for second place; $150 for third place

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be “the major contributor to a project on a topic relevant to psychology and law (i.e., the student had primary responsibility for initiating and conducting the project even though the project will usually be conducted under the supervision of a mentor)”.
• The data collection phase of this project must be complete.

Application details:

• You need to submit an “APA style manuscript or thesis detailing the research to be considered for an award in less than 20 pages of text”.
• A letter of support from your student faculty advisor is required.

Renewable? N

Enrollment Level: Undergraduate students

Application Deadline: June 30, 2017

Name: Benton-Meier Scholarships

Sponsor: American Psychological Foundation

Amount: Awards of $2,500 given to two recipients

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be a student who has completed doctoral candidacy.
• You must have “demonstrated competence and area commitment” in the field of neuropsychology.

Application details:

• Your faculty mentor or director of training must approve the content of your application, and then co-sign it.

Renewable? N

Enrollment Level: Full-time graduate students who have qualified for doctoral candidacy

Application Deadline: June 1, 2017

Mental Health and Wellness Scholarships

Name: Montem Health and Wellness Scholarship

Sponsor: Montem Outdoor Gear

Amount: $1,500

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be enrolled in a high school, college, university, or trade school.
• You must demonstrate detailed knowledge of health and wellness. According to the website, “passion for a healthy lifestyle is a must”.
• You must be enrolled full-time in an undergraduate program at a U.S. postsecondary institution.
• You must have a G.P.A. of 3.4 or higher.

Application details:

• You must write an essay of 500 to 1,000 words must “promote a practical approach to a healthy lifestyle during high school, college, or university years (whichever is relevant to you) and how these habits can be sustained over a lifetime”.

Renewable? N

Enrollment Level: Full-time high school or undergraduate students

Application Deadline: March 31, 2018

Name: The Promises Scholarship

Sponsor: Promises Treatment Centers

Amount: $6,000 for first place; $3,000 for second place; $1,000 for third place

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be at least 18 years old.
• You must be enrolled or accepted in an undergraduate degree  program at any four-year university or college in the U.S. beginning in Fall 2017.
• You must be a legal resident of the U.S.

Application details:

• Applicants must write a 500-word essay addressing this prompt: “How has addiction or mental illness affected you or someone you love?”

Renewable? Y

Enrollment Level: Undergraduate students

Application Deadline: December 31, 2017

Name: iVein Health & Wellness Scholarship

Sponsor: Intermountain Vein Center

Amount: $2,500 awarded to two recipients

Eligibility requirements:

• You must demonstrate detailed knowledge of health and wellness, and discuss why healthy living is a lifetime commitment.
• You must be enrolled full-time in an undergraduate program at a U.S. postsecondary institution.
• You must have a G.P.A. of at least 3.4.

Application details:

• Write an essay of 800 to 1,000 words that promotes “a practical approach to healthy lifestyle during college years and how these habits can be sustained over a lifetime”.

Renewable? N

Enrollment Level: Full-time undergraduate students

Application Deadline: August 31, 2017 for fall enrollment; December 31, 2017 for spring enrollment

Name: Bill Kane Undergraduate Scholarship

Sponsor: Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE)

Amount: $1,000

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be an undergraduate health education major at an accredited college/university in the U.S. or a U.S. territory.
• You must be currently enrolled full-time, and plan to be enrolled full-time for both the fall and spring semesters of the academic year during which you are applying.
• You must be a sophomore, junior, or senior at the time of application.
• You must have a minimum overall G.P.A. of 3.25 at time of the scholarship deadline (October 15, 2017).
• Prior SHAPE America undergraduate scholarship recipients are not eligible.

Application details:

• You must write an essay (400 to 450 words in length) that addresses what you hope to accomplish in the field of health education, including personal strengths and career aspirations.

Renewable? Y

Enrollment Level: Full-time undergraduate students

Application Deadline: October 15, 2017

Name: Ruth Abernathy Presidential Scholarship

Sponsor: Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE)

Amount: $1,250 for undergraduate students and $1,750 for graduate students; recipients also receive a free three-year membership to SHAPE

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be a full-time undergraduate or graduate student majoring in the field of health, physical education, recreation, or dance. Students enrolled in Doctor of Medicine (MD), nursing, pharmacology, physical therapy, occupational therapy and acupuncture/Oriental medicine programs are not eligible to apply.
• You must be a current member of SHAPE America. Undergraduate students may join at the time of application.
• You must be a junior, senior, or graduate student at the time of application.
• You must have a minimum overall G.P.A. of 3.5 at the time of the application deadline (October 15, 2017).
• You must be a first time Ruth Abernathy Presidential Scholarship recipient.

Application details:

• Three signed and titled letters of recommendation are required.
• Essays will differ by educational attainment level. Please review the application forms available on the scholarship website for specific criteria. Only Microsoft Word documents or PDF files are accepted.

Renewable? N

Enrollment Level: Full-time junior, senior or graduate students

Application Deadline: October 15, 2017

Name: Violet and Cyril Franks Scholarship

Sponsor: The American Psychological Foundation

Amount: $5,000

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be enrolled in good standing in a graduate degree program at an accredited university.
• You must be seeking financial support for “graduate-level scholarly projects that use a psychological perspective to help understand and reduce stigma associated with mental illness”.
• You have “demonstrated commitment to stigma issues”.
• The study must receive approval from an institutional review board (IRB) if it involves human participants.

Application details:

• Your proposal must include the following details:
  • “Goal, relevant background, target population, methods, and anticipated outcomes” of the study.
  • A budget estimate.
  • Curriculum vitae (CV)
  • Letter of recommendation from a faculty advisor.

Renewable? Y

Enrollment Level: Full-time master’s degree students

Application Deadline: May 15, 2017

Name: Ed Dunkelblau Scholarship Award

Sponsor: Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH)

Amount: $1,000

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be a counseling graduate student who shows a sincere interest in the cultural and/or scientific applications of therapeutic humor to boost mental health.
• You must be a student of color.
• You must attend an accredited master’s or doctoral program at a U.S. postsecondary institution.
• You must be a current AATH member.
• You must maintain good academic standing.

Application details:

• Your application must include a personal essay describing how you perceive humor to be therapeutic and beneficial for patients, families, and staff.

Renewable? Y

Enrollment Level: Full-time graduate students

Application Deadline: November 15, 2017

Scholarships Focused on Underrepresented Groups and Fields

Name: The Gates Millennium Scholars Award

Sponsor: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Amount: Varies depending on the applicant’s financial need, cost of attendance at their current college or university, and other financial aid opportunities available at the school

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be an undergraduate and graduate majoring in certain academic fields, include public health and science.
• You must be an incoming freshman who had completed the application process and been selected as Gates Scholar prior to entering college.

Application details:

• Visit the Gates Foundation for current details about essay requirements and other application criteria.

Renewable? N

Enrollment Level: High school seniors or incoming full-time freshmen

Application Deadline: Contact the foundation for this year’s deadline

Name: Filipino-American Psychology Scholarship

Sponsor: Asian American Psychological Association, Division on Filipino Americans

Amount: $500

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be a U.S. citizen of Filipino heritage.
• You must be an undergraduate in your senior year who plans to enter a master’s or doctoral program in psychology, or a graduate student in your first or second year of an advanced psychology degree program.
• You must be pursuing education in clinical, counseling, social, organizational, industrial, community, health or other fields of psychology.

Application details:

• Your personal statement (500 to 1,000 words) must address your reasons for entering the psychology field, your research interests, your involvement in the local Filipino-American community, and your career plans as they relate to the Filipino-American community.

Renewable? N

Enrollment Level: Full-time college seniors or graduate students in their first or second year

Application Deadline: February 1, 2018

Name: AMWA Haffizulla Family Scholarship

Sponsor: American Medical Women’s Association

Amount: $1,000

Eligibility requirements:

• You must have been actively involved in the student division of AMWA for at least two years, be a premedical student member, and remain a member in good standing with AMWA.
• You have a professional, academic, or personal background in the fields of health, fitness, and wellness.

Application details:

• A letter of recommendation from a AMWA leader is required.
• You must write a 500-word essay that outlines an original model to “promote nationwide health, fitness, and wellness”.

Renewable? N

Enrollment Level: Full-time pre-medical students

Application Deadline: December 31, 2017

Name: The Minority Scholars Award

Sponsor: American Medical Association (AMA)

Amount: $5,000 per year for two years

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be a first- or second-year student enrolled full-time in an accredited medical school.
• You must be a permanent resident or citizen of the United States.
• You must come from an underrepresented group in the medical profession.

Application details:

• Provide a personal statement and letters of recommendation from both the dean of your medical school or dean’s designate and a medical school faculty member.

Renewable? Y (for two years)

Enrollment Level: Full-time medical school students

Application Deadline: March 2018

Name: Wayne F. Placek Grants

Sponsor: American Psychological Foundation

Amount: Up to $10,000

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• You must be either a doctoral-level researcher or graduate student affiliated with an educational institution or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization. Graduate students and early career researchers are encouraged to apply.
• Your research must aim to “increase the general public’s understanding of homosexuality and sexual orientation, and to alleviate the stress that lesbian women, gay men, bisexual women, bisexual men and transgender individuals experience in this and future civilizations”.

Application details:

• You must submit a research proposal that matches the eligibility outlines.

Renewable? N

Enrollment Level: Full-time graduate students

Application Deadline: March 1, 2018

Name: SASP Diversity Scholarship

Sponsor: American Psychological Association

Amount: $1,000 for one advanced master’s or doctoral student; awards of $500 for two incoming master’s or doctoral students

Eligibility requirements:

• You must be studying psychology at the master’s/specialist or doctoral level.
• You must be a master’s/specialist or doctoral student entering your third, fourth or fifth year in order to qualify for the advanced award. You must be a master’s/specialist or doctoral student entering your first or second year in order to qualify for the incoming award.
• Most recipients belong to minority groups that are underrepresented in the psychology profession.

Application details:

• Your personal statement should summarize your professional goals in 1,000 words or less.
• Two letters of recommendation printed on official letterhead are required. Students applying for the incoming student scholarship may include one letter from an undergraduate faculty member; those applying for the advanced award must include two letters from graduate school faculty members.

Renewable? N

Enrollment Level: Full-time enrollment in a master’s/specialist or doctoral program

Application Deadline: April 28,2017

Additional Financial Aid Resources