Thanks to the contributions of alumni, friends, corporations, foundations and professional associations, JMC awarded a record-breaking $266,000 in scholarships in 2015 to more than 139 deserving incoming freshmen and current students. You could be one of them!
Apply now for a 2016-2017 JMC scholarship
The deadline to apply for a 2016-2017 scholarship is February 22, 2016. Recipients will be notified in early April 2016.
These scholarships are for students who are currently enrolled in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State. To learn more about other JMC and university scholarships for incoming freshmen, visit the Future Student Scholarship page.
JMC SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 2016-2017
Please note: Not all of the JMC scholarships listed below are offered every year. Some are offered on an alternating-year basis.
Before submitting and uploading your portfolio and work samples, ensure you've reviewed the individual scholarship requirements below and are following those requirements and submission instructions.
Scholarships for journalism majors
- American Society of Business Press Editors Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (Magazine)
- Minimum GPA: 3.0
- Other Criteria: Student must be intending to pursue a career in trade magazine publishing.
- Robert Burdock Award
- Major: Journalism (Broadcast, Multimedia News, Magazine, Photojournalism) or Public Relations
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Ronald Dean Clark Scholarship in Editorial Writing
- Major: Journalism
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Preference will be given to a student with an interest in editorial or opinion writing.
- Walton D. Clarke Endowed Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (Broadcast), DMP or EMP
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be participating in co-curricular broadcast media.
- Cleveland Press Club/Kostic Scholarship
- Major: Journalism
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be entering junior or senior year and demonstrate academic merit.
- Robert C. and Helen Westcott Dix Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (News, Multimedia News)
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be a sophomore, junior or non-graduating senior.
- Roger F. Dreyer Memorial Scholarship
- Major: Journalism or Public Relations
- Minimum GPA: 3.5, renewable as long as a 3.0 is maintained
- Other Criteria: Student must be at least a sophomore.
- Christopher and Judith Everett Endowed Scholarship for Photography
- Major: Journalism (Photojournalism)
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be full time junior or non-graduating senior.
- William A. Fisher Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (News, Multimedia News)
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must have completed junior year.
- Albert E. Fitzpatrick Endowed Scholarship
- Major: Journalism
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be a minority in sophomore, junior or senior year. Preference will be given to those demonstrating leadership on campus or in the community.
- John Fowler Award
- Major: Journalism or Public Relations
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be a sophomore, junior or senior.
- Wallace J. Hagedorn Photojournalism Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (Photojournalism)
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Students must submit a portfolio of single images and a photo story demonstrating strong visual journalism.
- The Phillip L. Macomber Memorial Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (Broadcast), DMP or EMP
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be a sophomore, junior or non-graduating senior intending to pursue a career in television.
- BethAnn McClain Scholarship
- Major: Journalism
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be a sophomore, junior, non-graduating senior or graduate student with an interest in university and community service or environmental or science reporting.
- Robert G. McGruder Minority Scholarship
- Major: Journalism
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Must be a minority.
- Douglass Moore Photography Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (Photojournalism)
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Francis B. Murphey Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (News, Multimedia News)
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be female.
- William H. Oliver Fellowship in Public Affairs
- Major: Journalism (Broadcast, News, Multimedia News), DMP or EMP
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be participating in a public affairs activity such as the Washington Program in National Issues or the Columbus Program.
- Paul Poorman Memorial Scholarship Endowment
- Major: Journalism (News, Multimedia News)
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Murray Powers Award
- Major: Journalism
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Lisa Katz Pagel Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (News, Multimedia News)
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must have limited experience but show potential and have worked at least one semester for the student newspaper.
- John L. Scott Endowed Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (Broadcast), DMP or EMP
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be intending to pursue a career in broadcast.
- Scripps-Howard Foundation/Herb Kamm Scholarship in Journalism
- Major: Journalism
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be a junior or non-graduating senior.
- Ralph W. and Bettie Smith Memorial Award
- Major: Journalism (News, Multimedia News)
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Robert R. Sorino Jr. Memorial Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (Photojournalism)
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be a student newspaper or The Burr staffer who shows talent, leadership, dependability and enthusiasm.
- Gene Stebbins/JMC Alumni Council Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (Broadcast), DMP or EMP
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be intending to pursue a career in broadcast.
- James M. Sutherland Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (News, Multimedia News), DMP or EMP
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be a part-time graduate student intending to pursue a career in news, business or institutional publications or radio and television.
Scholarships for advertising majors
- Trudy and Allen Goodkin Scholarship
- Major: Advertising major or minor
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must demonstrate creative thinking and a respect for and proficiency in good writing.
- Paul Ashby Lewis Award
- Major: Advertising
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Robert K. Shaul Scholarship
- Major: Advertising
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must work in student media and have an interest in sales.
Scholarships for digital media production or electronic media production majors
- Walton D. Clarke Endowed Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (Broadcast), DMP or EMP
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be participating in co-curricular broadcast media.
- The Phillip L. Macomber Memorial Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (Broadcast), DMP or EMP
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be a sophomore, junior or non-graduating senior intending to pursue a career in television.
- William H. Oliver Fellowship in Public Affairs
- Major: Journalism (Broadcast, News, Multimedia News), DMP or EMP
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria Student must be participating in a public affairs activity such as the Washington Program in National Issues or the Columbus Program.
- John L. Scott Endowed Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (Broadcast), DMP or EMP
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be intending to pursue a career in broadcast.
- Gene Stebbins/JMC Alumni Council Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (Broadcast), DMP or EMP
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be intending to pursue a career in broadcast.
- James M. Sutherland Scholarship
- Major: Journalism (News, Multimedia News), DMP or EMP
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be a part-time graduate student intending to pursue a career in news, business or institutional publications or radio and television.
Scholarships for public relations majors
- Robert Burdock Award
- Major: Journalism (Broadcast, Multimedia News, Magazine, Photojournalism) or Public Relations
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Edward Cliney Award
- Major: Public Relations
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Ralph C. Darrow Award
- Major: Public Relations
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be full-time, have completed at least 60 semester hours and have demonstrated leadership through PRSSA.
- Roger F. Dreyer Memorial Scholarship
- Major: Journalism or Public Relations
- Minimum GPA: 3.5, renewable as long as a 3.0 is maintained
- Other Criteria: Student must be at least a sophomore.
- John Fowler Award
- Major: Journalism or Public Relations
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be a sophomore, junior or senior.
- E. Zoe McCathrin Public Relations Scholarship
- Major: Public Relations
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be a member of PRSSA.
- David A. Meeker Endowed Scholarship
- Major: Public Relations
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must demonstrate academic performance, financial need and leadership.
- PRSSA Fellowship Award
- Major: Public Relations
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must be a member of PRSSA and demonstrate exceptional leadership skills.
- Ludel Sauvageot Scholarship
- Major: Public Relations
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Special emphasis is placed on need.
Scholarships for any Jmc major
- Roger and Ada Fidler Scholarship
- Major: Any JMC major
- Minimum GPA: 3.0
- Other Criteria: In order of importance this scholarship will: 1. Support a student majoring in journalism and born in a Latin American country or having at least one parent or grandparent who was born in a Latin American Country. 2. Support a student majoring in Journalism who speaks Spanish and who has an interest in reporting about Latin American social or environmental issues. 3. Support a student who is majoring in Journalism who demonstrates an interest in reporting about Latin American social or environmental issues. Students must submit a 500-word essay that explains their motivation and interest in reporting about Latin American social or environmental issues, and highlights their involvement on campus and or in the community, preferably in a leadership role. The scholarship may be applied to tuition, fees, books and supplies, and travel expenses directly related to reporting about Latin American social and environmental issues.
- Jeff Fruit Book Award
- Major: Any JMC major
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Lloyd W. Hanson and Harvey E. Rahn Scholarship
- Major: Any JMC major
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must demonstrate a strong work ethic and academic excellence.
- JMC Alumni Council Legacy Scholarship
- Major: Any JMC major
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Student must be a sophomore, junior, senior or graduate student who is a child or a relative of a Kent State University alumnus
- JMC Media Ethics Scholarship
- Major: Any JMC major
- Minimum GPA: 3.0
- Other Criteria: Student must be a junior or senior and submit a 500-word essay on an ethical (not legal) dilemma faced and how the dilemma was resolved. This can be any kind of values-based dilemma encountered but not something that could be resolved with a legal decision or by making reparations (such as paying someone.) Describe the situation in general terms but outline the ethics/moral/values issues believed to be at stake.
- Paula Slimak Scholarship
- Major: Any JMC major
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Must be a non-traditional student who knows the importance of juggling work and studies and who increasingly will understand the value of free speech.
- Wallace H. and Peggy V. Stroud Scholarship
- Major: Any JMC major
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must demonstrate financial need.
- William Taylor Scholarship
- Major: Any JMC major
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- The Loris Troyer Scholarship
- Major: Any JMC major
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Student must demonstrate an interest in history and community journalism. Preference will be given to students from Portage or Summit County.
- Nancy E. Whitehead Journalism Scholarship
- Major: Any JMC major
- Minimum GPA: 2.75
- Other Criteria: Preference will be given to a member of a fraternity or sorority.
OTHER SCHOLARSHIPS OPEN TO JMC STUDENTS
Below are other opportunities for JMC students, but they are not administered by the School of Journalism and are not part of the JMC scholarship application process. Check back for links to application instructions.
- AAF-Cleveland. AAF-Cleveland awards scholarships to junior and senior students studying communications, marketing, advertising, graphic design,digital media, public relations, journalism and more. Learn more.
- College of Communication and Information (CCI) Study Abroad Scholarship. For CCI students taking a Study Abroad course.
- The John S. Knight Scholarships.The John S. Knight Scholarships are awarded by the Akron Press Club and are open to all journalism students at Kent State University, Akron University, Hiram College and any local journalism student studying out of state.
- David A. Meeker Akron Area PRSA Scholarship. The Akron Area Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America awards one outstanding student the David A. Meeker Scholarship. The winner receives $1,000 and a one-year associate membership to PRSA following graduation. Also, two other winners are awarded one-year associate memberships to PRSA upon graduation. Applicants must be full-time students majoring in Public Relations or Communication and currently attending the University of Akron, Kent State University, Malone College, Mount Union, Walsh University or Youngstown State University.
- YouToo Social Media Conference Scholarship. The Akron Area Public Relations Society of America awards a scholarship to a public relations major from funds raised by its annual YouToo Social Media Conference. Learn more.