The process for U.S. scholarships

2. The applicant must be enrolled in a degree program in an accredited U.S. institution of higher learning during the academic year following the application date.

3. The applicant must submit an application and essay explaining his or her career, academic and/or vocational goals.

The scholarship process begins during the first week of September and ends with the scholarship application deadline of Jan. 15. No application forms are available at any other time. Between September and January, interested individuals can visit the scholarship application area of this site to determine eligibility and, if eligible, download an application. Application forms are also available from the Local Scholarship Chairs by mail with a self-addressed stamped envelope. Address information for each Local Scholarship Chair is available within each local chair's area.

Applicants have until Jan. 15 to write an essay of not more than 550 words explaining their career, academic and/or vocational goals and how they plan to achieve those goals. The essays are sent through U.S. mail to their Local Scholarship Chair.

Local judging
American Mensa's Local Groups assemble judging teams of at least three members to review the applications. The essays are judged on content and also grammar, organization and craftsmanship. The Local Scholarship Chair sends the best local essays to the Regional Scholarship Chair for review.

Regional judging
At the regional level, the process is repeated. The regional chair arranges for all of the essays received from Local Groups to be judged a second time. Regional judges rank the local winners and nominate the best essays for regional and national awards. These essays are then forwarded to the National Scholarship Chairs.

National judging
Finally, the National Scholarship Chairs conduct another two rounds of judging to select the regional and national winners. Each applicant is allowed to win only one Mensa scholarship; therefore, the winners are identified beginning with the highest amounts. The next highest scores receive awards of the next amounts, and so on until all the winners are identified from the judges' scores.

The final list of scholarship winners is presented to the Mensa Education & Research Foundation Board of Trustees, who certify the winners. Winners are notified by mail and given instructions for claiming their award. They are required to submit proof of registration for school during the following fall or spring term as well as proof of U.S. citizenship. After the proof is received, the checks are written and students are given a bit of financial aid to pursue their education.