Scholarship Criteria
Application for a CGTSF opens January 31st and must be submitted to the Foundation via its website by 11:59 pm EST on April 30th of the specified academic year. The scholarships are governed by the following criteria.
For each Category
● Maintaining 85 percent or higher. All end of terms, end-of-year, and final exam - grades
must maintain throughout.
● A letter of recommendation from a faculty member or school counselor
● Applicants must adhere to the attendance policy of the institution attended. Where there is no such policy, proof of at least 85% attendance will be required.
Criteria for Scholarships for Primary Students
● Achieve 85 percent or higher on the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) Examination.
● Show financial need
● Participate in at least one extracurricular activity during the current and subsequent academic year
● Write an essay (400- 500 words) under the theme 'Education Matters’
Where there is a tie, the award will be shared among the awardees
Criteria for Scholarships for High School Students
● Achieve and maintain an average score of 85% or higher on the last end-of-year report and subsequent reports prior to applying for a CGTSF Scholarship.
● Show financial need.
● Write an essay (500- 600 words), the topics are listed below.
● Be a member of a club or a society
● Completion of 40 volunteer hours, during the academic year of the scholarship award, within the school/residential community (revised to 20 hours for 2020-21 school year).
Where there is a tie, the award will be shared among the awardees
Criteria for Scholarship for Tertiary Students
● Academic achievement of 3.0 GPA or higher at the end of the previous calendar year and semester
● Show financial need
● Write an essay (500-1000 words), the topics are listed below.
● Be recommended by an academic advisor or professor
● Be a member of a service/volunteer organization/club;
● Successful awardees are required to complete 72 volunteer hours, during the academic year of the scholarship award, within the school/a community.
Eligibility Criteria for Scholarship
To be eligible to apply for an academic scholarship, the following criteria must be met:
1. All applicants must submit a completed application form through the online application
portal, inclusive of the following documents:
● Short essay
● Proof of membership in a club or society, signed by club coordinator or principal. (waived for 2023-24 school year).
Selection and Award Guidelines
● All completed applications accompanied by all required supporting documents will be reviewed by the scholarship committee to ensure that every qualified applicant receives full consideration.
● Applicants will be scored using a rubric established by the scholarship committee
● Shortlisted students and parent/guardian, where applicable, will be interviewed by a panel.
● Successful applicants will be notified by CGTSF by June 30th each year for Primary recipient (s); and by August 31st of the same year following the application deadline and the selection process.
● Bursaries will be presented at the official scholarship ceremony, no later than 1 month after all recipients are notified.
● All academic scholarships shall be awarded and used in the same academic year.
● A one-time disbursement of funds will be made during the academic year. The academic year for which the scholarship is provided will be identified in the award.
● All applicants must reapply each year and meet the criteria in order to be considered for a first or subsequent scholarship disbursement.
● All decisions by the Scholarship Committee are final.
PLEASE NOTE THAT INCOMPLETE OR LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE REVIEWED OR CONSIDERED.
Essay Topics
All new applicants MUST select Prompt 1.
Returning high school applicants MUST select from Prompt 4 through Prompt 6.
Returning tertiary applicants MUST select from Prompt 5 through Prompt 6.
Prompt 1 - Education matters, explain how obtaining an education will improve your future/professional life.
Prompt 2 - Nelson Mandela stated, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” an education citizen, describe a change you can make to make the world a better place. Tell us about how you would plan to make that change, and what obstacles you might encounter along the way.
Prompt 3 - How does your experience volunteering and participating in community service has shaped your perspective on humanity. Elaborate on how these experiences have influenced your future ambitions and career choice.
Prompt 4- As the country and individual communities struggles during the pandemic, describe from a financial standpoint, what impact could this scholarship have on your education?
Prompt 5- Living with Covid 19 for the past two years have been challenging. Despite the challenges faced, recall, and describe something you have done in the past year that has made a difference in your school and wider community.
Prompt 6- Write a short autobiography including information about your family, community involvement, volunteerism, hobbies, spare time activities, and what you hope to do in the future. Please include a personal statement describing your accomplishments and goals to this point of your academic pursuit
Notice of Academic Scholarship Award
● Initial notice to scholarship recipient will be sent via email or to the address provided on the application.
● Once an applicant is notified that he/she has been selected to receive a scholarship, the applicant must formally “accept” the offer via email or in writing to the foundation via cassandra@cgtscholarshipfoundation.org
● Final notice of awarded scholarships will be sent to each recipient via email, after verification is complete.
● The scholarship payment will be made by check to the recipient’s school.