The Phillips Scholars Program invites students who will have first year or sophomore status during the Spring 2025 semester to identify community needs and explore ways to create and test innovative ideas that address an unmet community need by running their own summer projects during the summer of 2026. Phillips Scholars Students come together as a cohort to develop their leadership skills and prepare for their projects. Scholars receive a $5,000 scholarship and $4,500 stipend to support their summer project work. Ten students from 15 eligible Minnesota Private Colleges will be selected.
This is a two-step application process: the first step is submitting your initial application to Saint Mary’s by November 15th. Our scholarship committee will blindly review and evaluate all submissions and select the top three students to fine-tune their application and proposal. Those finalists will submit a complete application to the Minnesota Private College Council by February 28th, 2025. The MPCC will select the top 10 students who will receive a $5,000 scholarship for the 2025-2026 school year, a $4,000 2026 summer stipend, and a $500 supply stipend.
Requirements:
- Are enrolled full-time at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota,
- Demonstrate financial need through a valid 24-25 FAFSA (**The Phillips Scholars Program selection committee further defines financial need as students who have a gap of $5000 per academic year after gift aid),
- Freshman or Sophomore: have earned no more than 55 credits by the end of the fall 2024 semester,
- Aspire to address a significant need within a particular community,
- Demonstrate interest in civic engagement,
- Can participate in all required program trainings and events,
- Can complete a community engagement project in Minnesota during the summer of 2026
PHILLIPS SCHOLAR TIME COMMITMENT Please note: The Phillips Scholars program will take approximately 5-10 hours of planning per week during 2025-2026 academic year, plus a summer 2026 time commitment of 20 hours per week. In addition, Phillips Scholars are required to attend five, two-hour trainings throughout the year and a two-day retreat. Please be aware of the time and travel commitment this program requires when applying. We understand students have many other commitments i.e. family obligations, sports/extracurriculars, clubs/organizations, volunteering, work. Please be sure you have the capacity to fulfill this commitment when applying.
For more information, please see the official MPCC Phillips Scholars Handount. For questions, please contact PhillipsScholars@MNPrivateColleges.org or Joy Rockwell, Associate Director of Financial Aid, at financialaid@smumn.edu.
Project ideas can focus on one of these areas of unmet community need:
☐ Art and Culture
☐ Economic Justice
☐ Education
☐ Environment and Climate
☐ Equitable Society
☐ Expansion of Resources
☐ Health and Wellness
☐ Or something else entirely different!
Students will be notified by November 26th if they will advance to formally apply for this scholarship with Saint Mary’s endorsement.
