Western New York Mensa

Scholarship

Each year, through the Mensa Foundation, Western New York Mensa holds a scholarship essay contest. Students who are enrolled in a degree program at an accredited institution of higher education during the academic year following the application date are eligible. (The current school year's scholarship is for students who will be enrolled in the next academic year.) Enrollment can be undergraduate or graduate, full-time or part-time. One does not need to be a member of Mensa to apply.

WNY Mensa usually awards a $500 scholarship. In addition to that, there are several regional and national scholarships available, ranging from $600 to $1000 each. Using the online system, the applicant submits only one essay to be considered for all eligible scholarships.

The applicant must be a U.S. citizen and currently be a resident of WNY Mensa's coverage area. If you are not sure whether or not you live in our coverage area, check out the Mensa Foundation's College Scholarship Program page, click on "Determine Scholarship Eligibility" at the bottom of the page and enter your zip code.

The awarding of this scholarship is based solely on the applicant's essay. Consideration is not given to grades, academic program, or financial need. There is also no consideration given to gender, race or age. Applicants write an essay of not more than 550 words explaining their academic and/or vocational goals and how they plan to achieve those goals. Essays are submitted online to our scholarship chair and to the local judging committee. In addition to the scholarship that WNY Mensa awards, scholarships are also awarded at the regional and national level. The best essays received at the local level will be sent to the regional judges, who send the best of their essays to the national judges.

Entry Form

Visit the Mensa Foundation's College Scholarship Program to start your application. Submissions must be completed by January 15 of each year.

Leaflet

We have created a leaflet summarizing the scholarship information. Please feel free to download and print it, and put it on your school's bulletin board, or distribute it directly to students.
Click here to access the 2018 PDF file.

Questions?

You can find out more information about the scholarship on the Mensa Foundation website. If you still have questions, you can send an e-mail to .