All-USA Scholarship

All-USA Scholarship

The All-USA Scholarship Competition will be open to EMCC students who will be transferring on to a 4-year institution of higher education in 2022. Awards take effect for Fall 2022 transfer enrollment.

Please read below to learn more about the All-USA Scholarship in addition, please contact ptk@estrellamountain.edu for any questions.

This is a merit-based scholarship competition that opens every fall semester. Students enrolled at EMCC in Fall 2021 and who also meet all eligibility criteria listed below may compete for the 2022 All-USA Scholarship Competition.

The All-USA Academic Team seeks to honor outstanding students from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines to hold up as representatives of all outstanding students enrolled in associate degree/certificate programs. Because each school is limited to nominating a total of four students per campus (two transferring by Fall 2022 and two entering the workforce prior to Fall 2022), the work students put into their application will determine how competitive they will be in the national competition.

Weaving their story in a coherent fashion is critical in letting nominators and judges know who the student is, what they are doing, and why they feel qualified to receive this recognition. All‐USA Academic Team nominees may also be considered for the Coca‐Cola Academic Team, New Century Pathway Scholarship programs, and All‐State Academic Teams where applicable. To be considered for these scholarships, students must be nominated by the designated nominator on their college’s campus.

The All-USA Academic Team recognizes high achieving college students who demonstrate academic excellence and intellectual rigor combined with leadership and service that extends their education beyond the classroom to benefit society. Twenty team members are named annually with each receiving a $5,000 scholarship, a total of $100,000 in scholarship awards.

Note that scholarships in Arizona are slightly different than other states in the U.S., cash awards are not always given, but a full tuition waiver is provided for the two nominees. In addition to scholarships, team members are presented at the annual President’s Breakfast held during the American Association of Community Colleges Annual Convention. The program is sponsored by Follett Higher Education Group with additional support provided by the American Association of Community Colleges and Phi Theta Kappa. Nominees to the All-USA Academic Team may also be considered for the Coca-Cola Academic Team, New Century Scholars Programs, and All-State Academic Teams when applicable.

In Fall 2021, Estrella Mountain Community College will nominate two students for the 2022 All-USA Academic Team Scholarship sponsored by Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. The scholarship pays two full years of tuition to one of our three Arizona public universities (ASU, NAU, or U of A) with money awarded for transfer in Fall 2022.

In addition to transfer scholarships, there are two scholarships available for students entering the workforce before Fall 2022.

Eligibility

Students MUST:

  • Be enrolled through December 2021 in a minimum of six (6) semester credit hours [or nine (9) quarter credit hours] of associate degree, college-level coursework at the time of application.
  • Hold a minimum of a 3.50 cumulative grade point average out of a possible 4.0 on all college-level coursework completed in the past five years.
    • Include all transcripts, Fall 2015 – present.
    • GPA is evaluated at the time of application, and no courses can be marked as incomplete. Student must maintain a 3.50 or higher GPA through the fall 2021 semester to remain eligible.
  • Be on track to earn an associate or a bachelor's degree (or the equivalent of a U.S. associate or bachelor's degree).
  • Have a minimum of 36 semester (or 54 quarter) college‐level credit hours completed at or transferred into an associate degree or certificate program by December 31, 2021, and 48 semester (or 72 quarter) college‐level credit hours by August 31, 2022.
  • Not have previously been nominated for the All‐USA Academic Team or the Coca‐Cola Academic Team.
  • Hold permanent or temporary residency in the country of the college the student is attending or possess a visa considered appropriate by the college. Please see the help article or application for acceptable documents verifying proof of citizenship.
  • Students who attend college in the United States do not need to be a member of Phi Theta Kappa.
  • Students attending colleges outside of the United States need to be members of Phi Theta Kappa and may only apply for the New Century Pathway Scholarship programs.
  • Have a college record free of suspension, probation or other disciplinary action.
  • Not have a criminal record, or if a convicted felon, must have all conditions of sentencing, including parole/probation, completed.

[1] Workforce Pathway applicants should be on track to earn an associate degree, career or technical certificate prior to Fall 2022.

[2] Workforce Pathway applicants must have a minimum of 6 semester (or 9 quarter) college-level credits of associate degree coursework completed by December 31, 2021, with an established GPA at the time of application.

[3] Having a criminal record does not disqualify applicants; however, they will not be considered for Coca-Cola-related scholarships.

Additionally (if you’re interested in other scholarships on top of the ALL USA scholarship):

  • To be considered for the Coca‐Cola Academic Team, the student must be enrolled at least part‐time at a college for the Fall 2022 semester. Proof of enrollment will be requested.
  • To be considered for the New Century Transfer Pathway Scholarship, the student must be enrolled at least part-time at a college for the Fall 2022 semester. Proof of enrollment will be requested.
  • To be considered for the New Century Workforce Pathway Scholarship, the student must be entering the workforce prior to Fall 2022 after completing a certificate or associate degree.
  • The scholarship amount is $1,250, and it is disbursed in the form of a check. The full amount is sent directly to the student via mail.
     

Selection Process

Round One

Submission of an essay on the following topic: A Significant Endeavor
In 500 words or less, describe your most significant endeavor since attending community college in which you applied your academic or intellectual skills learned during your college experience to benefit your school, community or society. This endeavor may be in community/service learning, in research, in the arts, journalism, advocacy, public affairs, etc. Consider using measurable terms, steps taken and quantifying the outcome using impact data and numbers. Limit your essay to ONE specific endeavor. Do not include web links or photos in your essay.
Essays will be submitted to a committee of EMCC judges, who will consider originality, initiative, degree of difficulty, results and benefit to society.

Round Two

The top-scoring essays from Round One will advance to Round Two, which are several sections of questions and short essays completed online on the ptk.org website. Applicants who are not PTK members will be able to register as a guest in order to complete their application. We encourage people interested in applying to start the application process NOW as it is available, first you must do the eligibility quiz to make sure you’re eligible for the scholarship you’re interested in and then you can begin the essay process. Only the significant endeavor essay (prompt above) will be scored in the first round, whereas all questions and sections of the application will be scored in the second round if you become a semi-finalist. Essays are scored blindly (meaning the judges will not be made aware of your name and we ask that you do not say your name in your essay).

Here’s a general breakdown of deadlines for this year (2021-2022):

1. Round One: Submit your significant endeavor essay to EMCC PTK email by 11:59pm on October 15th– please submit via pdf file with your full name and student id in the email that you send

  • If you are selected as a semi-finalist you will be notified by October 26th (but you can begin other parts of the scholarship before this if you wish)

2. Round Two (for semi-finalists only): submit your completed application profile (found at the ptk.org website) by 11:59pm on November 9th– all semi-finalists are encouraged to find a mentor that can help you - Note that a large part of the second round of questions is about volunteerism

  • If you are selected as one of the two official nominees of EMCC you will be notified by the last week in November

Further details on essay submission instructions and deadlines can be found at https://support.ptk.org/hc/en-us/categories/115000219674-Scholarships.