About this Scholarship:
The Minerva White Graduate Endowment Scholarship
Purpose
The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council (the “Tribal Council”) seeks and values the education of its members to support, maintain, and grow its community members educational attainment. Through the Community Development Fund, the Tribal Council established a Graduate Endowment Scholarship in collaboration with the Education Division leadership to provide part-time and full-time students seeking advanced degrees with financial support to help them reach their educational goals.
The Tribal Council identified preferred fields of study in Education, Health, Finance, Legal, and Leadership as we see the most employment and recruitment needs in these fields - although all students seeking advanced degrees shall be welcome to apply.
Scholarship Funding
Selected candidates must either be enrolled full-time (12 credits or more) in an accredited degree granting program or be enrolled part-time (minimum of one course to a maximum of two courses) in an accredited degree granting program. Scholarship amounts will be based per credit hour at the following rate:
Full Time Students:
- $250 per credit hour with a maximum award of 12 credit hours to be awarded per semester of study for a full-time student.
- Example: student is enrolled in fall semester and is taking 12 credit hours; this equates to 12 credit hours x $250.00 per credit hour = $3,000.00 scholarship for fall semester.
- Any credit hours beyond 12 credit hours will not be awarded. The maximum limit per semester is $3,000.00 and the yearly scholarship limit would be $6,000.00.
Part Time Students:
- $250 per credit hour, with a maximum enrollment of two (2) courses per semester.
Graduate Degree Status Timelines:
Master’s Degree: 2 years maximum
PhD: 4 years maximum
Part-Time: 4 years maximum
Eligibility for the Minerva White Graduate Scholarship:
- Student must be enrolled with either the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, or the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation.
- Students must reside within the established 15-mile radius of the Saint Regis Mohawk Reservation as shown in the attached radius map, or may reside on the Northern Portion of Akwesasne. (Proof of residency is required).
- Student must attend and be enrolled in an accredited degree granting institution in the United States or Canada.
- Students must be in passing status (2.0 grade point average) to remain eligible.
- Particular fields such as Health, Finance, Legal, Leadership, and Education are preferred as these are the areas that the Tribe needs employment in, but applicants are not required to be in the aforementioned fields of study.
Application materials required:
- Essay demonstrating how you will seek to contribute to the betterment of the Akwesasne Community (Microsoft Word document)
- Completed Scholarship Application form (No blank spaces)
- Proof of Fall 2025 college enrollment (acceptance letter/ enrollment letter & schedule/ transcript with your name, no screenshots or pics)
- Proof of residency within the 15-mile radius of Akwesasne
Essays must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document. The essay and supporting documents must be submitted by email to:
mohawkscholars@srmt-nsn.gov
Applications will not be taken in person or via any postal delivery service. The deadline to apply is 5:00 p.m. EST on July 31, 2025.
Please note: Given the short window to apply for this announcement, applications submitted after this date and time will be reviewed based on available funding. A strict deadline will be adhered to! Scholarship checks will be distributed to successful recipients by the end of October 2025.
For questions, please email mohawkscholars@srmt-nsn.gov. Nia:wen:kowa for your interest in the Minerva White Graduate Scholarship!
Downloadable documents:
SRMT Minerva White Graduate Scholarship Application Form
SRMT Minerva White Graduate Scholarship Informational Letter