Academic Scholarships

At the Foundation, we not only help pay for school -- we help build your career. Scholarship recipients can join a community that helps them network, advance, and gain visibility in the industry. Recipients also gain a free student membership with the American Hotel & Lodging Association, which puts you at the center of the industry, with all the info, events, and contacts you need to build a fast-track career in hospitality.

Don't think it's worth your time to apply? It only takes a few minutes to apply, and you could help fund your education and jump-start your career.

How are AH&LEF scholarships evaluated? We don’t judge applications solely based on GPA or financial need. We also review academics, hospitality work experience, extracurricular/professional activities and honors, as well as personal attributes.

The deadline date for consideration of a 2013 academic scholarship has passed. It was May 1, 2013. Winners will be announced in mid-July. Applications for 2014 scholarships will be accepted from January 1 through May 1, 2014. Applications submitted between May 2 and December 31 will not be reviewed.

How it works

Our scholarship fall into two categories:

School-Nominated
The school selects the recipient for the AH&LEF Annual Scholarship Grant Program, the Rama Scholarship, Hymans Extended Stay, the Pepsi Scholarship, and the Packard Scholarship.

Self-Nominated
You can apply directly for the Ecolab, American Express, Hyatt Minority, AH&LEF Incoming Freshman, and AH&LEF Graduate scholarships. Your school does not have to be affiliated with AH&LEF and you do not need to be nominated.

Application Process

AH&LEF has developed one consolidated application form for all scholarships. Applicants can check the scholarships for which they wish to be considered. All academic scholarship applications, both printed and electronic, are accepted from January through May 1. Applicants will be notified of their award status by July 15. Please note that any application received from May 2 through December 31 will not be reviewed because the information provided will be outdated for the next school year.

Click here to view the PDF of the 2013 scholarship application. The 2014 application along with the link to the online scholarship form will be posted after January 1, 2014.

Which scholarship is right for you?

The following is a list of the ten scholarships AH&LEF offers, with the minimum eligibility criteria noted – click on the individual scholarships for additional information:

School Nominated Scholarships:

1. AH&LEF Annual Scholarship Grant Program

Enrolled in at least 12 credit hours for the upcoming fall and spring semesters, or just the fall semester if graduating in December.
A junior or senior in a baccalaureate program (although sophomores can be nominated to receive a scholarship in their junior year) and in the case of Associate programs the nominee must have completed one full year.
A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 with the exception of Conrad Hilton awards which have a minimum 2.0 GPA.
A U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident.

2. The Rama Scholarship for the American Dream

Enrolled in at least 9 credit hours for the upcoming fall and spring semesters, or just the fall semester if graduating in December.
Majoring in an undergraduate or graduate hospitality management program.
Have a minimum GPA of 2.5.
A U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident.
Schools must give preference to students of Asian-Indian descent and other minority groups as well as JHM employees and their dependents.

3. Arthur J. Packard Memorial Scholarship

Enrolled in at least 12 credit hours for the upcoming fall and spring semesters, or just the fall semester if graduating in December.
A junior or senior in a baccalaureate program (although sophomores can be nominated to receive a scholarship in their junior year).
Have a minimum overall GPA of 3.5.
A U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident.

4. Pepsi Scholarship

Graduate of Hospitality High School in Washington, D.C.
Enrolled in at least 12 credit hours for the upcoming fall and spring semesters.
Worked at least 250 hours in the hotel/hospitality industry.
Have a minimum GPA of 3.0.

5. Steve Hymans Extended Stay Scholarship

Enrolled full- or part-time.
A minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0.
A U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident.
At least some experience either working or interning (paid or unpaid) at a lodging property. Preference will be given to those applicants with experience at an extended stay property.

Self-nominated Scholarships:

6. Hyatt Hotels Fund for Minority Lodging Management Students

Enrolled in at least 12 credit hours for the upcoming fall and spring semesters, or just the fall semester if graduating in December.
At least a junior in a four-year program for the 2013 fall semester.
The competition is open to minority students: African-American, Hispanic, American Indian, or Alaskan Native, and Asian or Pacific Islander.
A U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident.

7. Ecolab Scholarship

Enrolled a minimum of 12 credit hours for both the upcoming fall and spring semesters.

8. American Express Scholarship

Enrolled full- or part-time.
Actively employed (at least 20 hours per week) at a hotel or lodging property that is a member of AH&LA at the time of application and have a minimum of 12 months’ employment in a hotel. OR
A dependent of an employee who meets the previous requirement and has past employment in some capacity in the hospitality industry.

9. AH&LEF Incoming Freshman Scholarship

Must be an incoming freshman for the 2013 fall semester.
Enrolled in at least 12 credit hours for the upcoming fall and spring semesters.
Have a minimum overall GPA of 2.0.
Be a U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident.
Preference will be given to high school graduates of the Lodging Management Program (LMP).
If applicant is not certain which college or university he/she will be attending at the time of application, confirmation of acceptance and enrollment must be forwarded to AH&LEF by July 1st.

10. AH&LEF Graduate Scholarship

If the applicant has an undergraduate degree in hospitality or four years employment in the lodging industry after graduation then he/she can be enrolled in any graduate program related to his/her career within the industry (i.e. hospitality, business, accounting, human resources, etc.) If the applicant does not have an undergraduate degree in hospitality management or the four years post graduate lodging work experience, then he/she must be enrolled in a graduate hospitality management program.
Enrollment can be full or part-time.
Have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0.
Be a U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident.

AH&LEF Academic Scholarship Application Instructions and Policies

All scholarships require enrollment in a U.S., undergraduate, hospitality-related degree granting program, with the exception of the Rama and Graduate Scholarship Programs.
Full-time enrollment for all scholarships is defined as enrollment of 12 or more hours for both the upcoming fall and spring semesters. Part-time is considered less than 12 hours for one or both semesters, or full-time enrollment for fall semester only.

Open scholarship competitions do not require school nomination in order to be considered. School selected/nominated programs do require school nomination for consideration.

It's important that applicants complete all required sections of the application because they are scored on a combination of academic performance, hospitality work experience, financial need, extracurricular/professional attributes, and honors, as well as personal attributes as defined in their career goal statement.
Students who receive an award are paid in two equal installments per academic year. The first check is mailed in September and the second in December. Checks are issued jointly to the student and the institution and must be endorsed by both. The scholarship checks and certificates or plaques are sent directly to the university. Scholarships must be used exclusively for the payment of tuition, fees, and books. Any remaining funds must be returned to AH&LEF. Any recipient who fails to enroll or cancels his/her enrollment must notify AH&LEF immediately.

Application Deadline: May 1. Winners announced by July 15.

Congratulations to our 2012 Scholarship Winners!

Our Scholarships do make a difference! Take a look at some of our 2012 scholarship recipients testimonials.

PSA Scholarships

In addition to AH&LEF's programs, some of the AH&LA's Partner State Associations offer scholarship programs. The following are links to their sites: