AFSA Academic Merit Awards
UnconfirmedScholarship
This is a real program, but some details for the current cycle are not published or not yet confirmed. Check the official source before you plan around it.
- Award
- 2026 cycle: forty-four $3,500 academic awards; separate best-essay prizes $2,500 and two $1,500 mentions.
- Deadline
- 2027 application TBA. Prior merit cycle closed March 9, 2026 at midnight EST.
- How to apply
- AFSA CommunityForce application; official transcript, 500-word Foreign Service experience essay, resume, three activity reflections and one recommendation under posted prior-cycle instructions.
- What you'll need
- A separate scholarship application
- An essay
- Who can apply
- Children of AFSA members who are or were Foreign Service employees; graduating seniors or eligible gap-year students who have taken no postsecondary coursework. Prior cycle applies to 2026 graduates; 2027 eligibility update pending.
- Good to know
- Separate program from baseline P079 National High School Essay Contest, which is for non-member families. Academic merit selection assesses GPA, rigor, honors, activities, essay, recommendation and circumstances. Need-based financial aid is a separate AFSA program.