Adolescent and Young Adult Scholarship Program

The Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Program Scholarship is designed to provide funding to support the educational goals of MD Anderson cancer patients and survivors.

The online application form for the 2020-2021 academic year is now open. Please note that the application program is not compatible with Internet Explorer. Please use another browser.

Additional dates are as follows:

• May 8: Application deadline. All components of the application must be received by this date.
  
• May 29: Scholarship winners will be notified by this date.

Eligibility requirements

Applicant Must:

• Be a high school senior (graduating spring 2020), high school graduate or GED recipient.
• Be a current or past patient with a cancer diagnosis who received treatment at MD Anderson.
• Be between the ages of 16-39.
• Be enrolled in or accepted for enrollment in an accredited trade, undergraduate or graduate school.
• Submit a copy of the acceptance letter from the school you will be attending.
• Submit two letters of recommendation from non-related persons or MD Anderson employees (such as teachers, coaches, community leaders, etc.). Recommendation letters should tell us about the person and why he or she would be a good candidate for this scholarship. They must include the writer’s name, address and telephone number.
• Submit a 300-500 word essay describing how cancer has impacted your life and how this scholarship would contribute to your life goals.
• Submit a sealed, official transcript (must be requested from and mailed by the registrar's office).
• Complete and sign the scholarship application by stated scholarship deadline. Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted.
• Complete and submit release form. Photos and success stories may appear on any of the MD Anderson websites and/or social media pages.
• Not have previously received an AYA Scholarship at MD Anderson (previously called the Pediatric College Scholarship).
• Maintain nine hours per semester and a 2.0 grade point average if awarded scholarship.

Selection process and awards

Applicants will be evaluated based on application, grade point average, quality of essays and quality of recommendations. Applications are reviewed and evaluated by the MD Anderson AYA Scholarship Committee. Scholarships are awarded on an objective basis. Recipients will be contacted the last week of May 2020. 

If you have any questions, contact Wendy Griffith (AYA Program Manager) at WEGriffith@mdanderson.org.