Activated Ministries In Recognition of Service (IROS) Scholarship

Activated Ministries In Recognition of Service (IROS) Scholarship

Overview: Provides tuition assistance to the children of current and former missionaries, or to missionaries themselves, to honor those who have served on the mission field for a minimum of 10 years.

Award Amount: Individual scholarships range from $500 to $1,500, averaging $1,000

Program History: Since 2010, the program has awarded 410 scholarships totaling $397,000 to students across 20+ countries worldwide.

Geographic Scope

Eligible countries include: United States, Canada, Albania, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Columbia, Cyprus, England, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, New South Wales, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, and others.

Note: Does not accept donations from MI, MS, PA, RI, TN, WI, and WV

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must:
• Be the child of a current or former missionary who has served on a mission field for a minimum of 10 years; OR
• Have served or be currently serving as a missionary for a period of at least 10 years
• Be enrolled in or have been accepted to a post-secondary or technical/vocational school requiring a minimum of 30 credit hours or the equivalent 480 hours of classroom/lecture time (not counting homework) to receive a certificate or degree

Eligible Programs

• Traditional brick-and-mortar accredited universities and colleges offering two or four-year degrees
• Some online-only universities (evaluated individually)
• Accredited certificate and vocational programs that prepare students for gainful employment in recognized occupations (must meet the 30 credit hour or 480 classroom/lecture hours minimum requirement)
• Post-graduate programs (Masters, Ph.D., M.D., etc.)

NOT Eligible

• Courses taken primarily for improvement in an interest or hobby
• Courses without national or regional accreditation
• Courses that grant degrees based on life-experience
• Courses that will not lead to gainful employment in a recognized occupation
• Courses that do not meet the 30 credit hours or 480 classroom/lecture hours minimum requirement

What Funds Can Be Used For

• Tuition and school fees only
• Cannot be used for other school needs (books, housing, etc.)
• Funds are paid directly to the school, not to individuals
• Can be applied to multiple semesters

Selection Criteria

Scholarship recipients are chosen by an independent selection committee based on:
• Student's essay
• Vocational or educational plans
• Quality of the institution
• Student's character
• Financial need

Application Process Details

Deadlines:
• Summer/Fall Scholarships: March 15 (11:59 pm PST)
• Spring Scholarships: September 15 (11:59 pm PST)
• Late applications cannot be processed

Submission Method: Email to scholarships@activatedministries.org or mail to:
Activated Ministries
Attn: Scholarships
PO Box 503798
San Diego, CA 92150-3978

Notification: Only successful applicants will be notified via email. Unsuccessful applicants are not notified.

Special Provisions:

First priority given to first-time applicants

Second scholarships available with additional essay responses

No need to be enrolled full-time

Age is not a barrier

All application materials must be in English

No membership in missionary organization required

Prior feelings about missionary service do not affect eligibility

Contact Information

Email: scholarships@activatedministries.org Organization: Activated Ministries (IRS registered 501(c)3 nonprofit) Website: activatedministries.org