2026 Scholarship

Scholarship Eligibility and Selection Criteria:

1. The applicant must fulfill high school graduation requirements as part of the graduating class of 2026.
2. The applicant must be planning to attend an accredited post-secondary program, trade school, community college, college, or university full-time during the 2026/27 academic year. Students planning to take “gap years” in the 2026/2027 academic year will not be considered. 
3. The application must be submitted electronically by 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
4. This scholarship recognizes students with strong qualifications as well as a demonstrated financial need. The committee will determine at its discretion what weight to give each criterion. Components of a student’s application materials that have been highly influential on the process include: 

• Specifics about the applicant's needs, as well as details of how the scholarship will make a meaningful difference to the candidate’s ability to finance their program of study.
• Persuasive writing in the applicant’s essay and/or letter(s) of recommendation that illustrates the candidate’s ability to overcome challenges.
• Evidence in the application materials that shows a history of demonstrated effort (either academically, in community/extracurricular activities, in work, etc.), which indicates the candidate has a good chance of succeeding in their continued education. 
• Recommendation(s) from teachers, guidance counselors, and others who have worked with the candidate and can comment on the applicant’s character and qualifications. While the standard school guidance counselor recommendation is sufficient, it is our experience that having additional recommendations from teachers or other adults who know the applicant more personally tends to enhance the application. Also, having a recommendation from a teacher who can speak to the candidate’s academic abilities is important.

1. Please note:

• Children and grandchildren of employees and/or directors of the Chamber are not eligible to receive a Chamber scholarship.
• The scholarship recipient must present proof of successful completion of their first college semester. Scholarship payment will be sent to the institution to be applied towards tuition or related costs. The Charles River Regional Chamber reserves the right to contact the institution to determine the best method of payment to maximize the benefit to the recipient.

Instructions to Applicant:

All applications should be submitted online through this form. Supplemental materials listed below can be uploaded via the online form OR emailed to scholarship@charlesriverchamber.com.

• Essay of 300-350 words or Video (up to 4 minutes) on one of the following topics
  •  An important experience relating to community service that you performed during your high school years;
  • How you demonstrated leadership ability either in or out of school;
  • A difficult personal or academic challenge you faced and how you overcame it.
• A copy of your Transcript (unofficial is ok)
• Letter of Recommendation from a teacher, employer, guidance counselor, or another person other than a relative. You may submit up to three such Letters of Recommendation via the online application form or via your guidance counselor (email to scholarship@charlesriverchamber.com).
  • We strongly recommend that at least one of your Letters of Recommendation be from a person who knows you well (e.g., a teacher, coach, employer, or close family friend).  It is our experience that such letters typically give the Scholarship Committee a much better sense of who you are and what your circumstances are than a general letter from a school official who might not know you as well.
• As you assemble your application materials, be mindful that the materials touch on the criteria that are listed in item 4 above as ones that have been deemed as influential during the selection committee in the past.