ELIGIBILITY

• citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States
• must be of Polish descent;
• be a graduating high school senior or
• a college freshman, sophomore, or junior at the time of application;
• must be an active member of the Polish American Club of North Jersey (minimum 2 years);
• and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• Children and grandchildren of Club members are eligible.

Only one member per immediate family may receive a Polish American Club of North Jersey Scholarship during any given academic year.  Scholarships are renewable, however, students must reapply for funding.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Selection is based on application completeness, the recommendations of  teachers and professors, academic excellence and achievements, applicant’s interests,  motivation, the applicant’s essay, interest in Polish subjects or involvement in the Polish American community. Financial need is taken into consideration.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

A complete application includes the following materials:

• A – Scholarship Application (A1) and Financial Information Form (A2)
• B – Statement of Purpose/essay
• C – Admission Letter, if applicable
• D – Proof of Polish Ancestry
• E- Photo
• F – Curriculum Vitae
• G – Official Transcripts
• H- Two Letters of Recommendations. This requirement is waived if an applicant is already enrolled in the college, received a scholarship during a freshmen year and is applying for the renewal.
• I – $40 non-refundable application fee with Checklist.

Notes Regarding Supporting Documents:

• A1 –  See the Click Here to Apply button for application forms.    Submit a completed Financial Information Form (Pages 1 and 2). Candidates entering college please include budgetary figures for the top three schools you are most likely to attend (Page 2).
• B – In your Statement of Purpose discuss your major, relevant academic and extracurricular activities as well as your short and long term goals. Your statement will be three pages, double spaced.  Include PAC24,  your full name, and page numbers on each page of your essay.
• C – Submit official transcripts of studies.  3 academic years are required (through Summer 2021), for example, a current junior in college is required to submit transcripts for their freshman and sophomore  years plus senior year of high school (2 years of undergraduate studies + 1 year high school).
  • An official transcript is one that is sent by the university or school directly to the Kosciuszko Foundation.  An official transcript is usually printed on official transcript paper and bears the embossed or raised seal of the university or school as well as the date and the Registrar’s signature.  Official transcripts are usually sent in a sealed envelope and include the registrar’s signature stamped across the seal of the envelope.
  • Transcript will NOT be accepted from students.
  • Electronic transcripts are accepted and are considered official if delivered securely through an organization authorized by your university and e-mailed directly to the Foundation.  The Foundation accepts electronic transcripts from Transcript Network by Credentials Solutions, LLC; Transcript Services at Parchment; Credentials eScrip-Safe  and from the National Student Clearinghouse.
• D – Two confidential letters of recommendation are required.  Letters must be written on university letterhead and come directly from professors or teachers with whom you have studied recently.  The Foundation can accept letters via USPS or via e-mail, however, recommendation letters must  come directly from the professor or school office. Recommendation letters will NOT be accepted from the student.  A non-academic letter of recommendation will be accepted as an optional 3rd letter of support.  The optional letter may be submitted on your behalf by an employer or supervisor, leader or officer of an organization with whom you are affiliated or other person who can speak to relevant activities, abilities and or suitability for scholarship funding.  Recommenders who wish to submit letters via 3-mail are asked to save their recommendation letters as PAC24-Candidate’s Last name-First name-LOR-Prof’s Last name;
• E – Submit a copy of your college admission letter.  This requirement is only for students who are entering college in September 2023.  College admission letters are accepted through May 31st; 
• F – Submit proof of Polish ancestry.  Use copies of documents such as birth certificates, passports, naturalization papers and other official documents to trace your lineage to the ancestor who was born in Poland.  Highlight relevant names and arrange documents in chronological order. Save all your documents to one file and save the file according to the file naming convention listed below.  One line of descent is needed to prove Polish descent. If the above described documentation is not available, a letter from a prominent member of the community verifying your Polish ancestry will be accepted. Letters from relatives are not official documents and will not be accepted;
• G – Submit a photo  of yourself which is suitable for publication in the Kosciuszko Foundation’s Newsletter. A passport style photo (headshot) is suggested;
• H – Submit your Curriculm Vitae.  Include awards, achievements, participation in clubs, activities, Polish clubs, etc.;
• I – Submit the $40 non-refundable application fee together with the Checklist to the KF via USPS.  Check and money orders made payable to the Kosciuszko Foundation are the only acceptable forms of payment.

Notes for Re-applicants:

• Students who are re-applying for scholarship funding are considered together with new applicants and will be competing for scholarship funding against a new pool of candidates.  Students who are reapplying  must update all items except proof of Polish heritage.  This includes submitting a new application form, updated financial information form, essay describing your academic progress or classes you have taken, recent or new activities such as internships, volunteer programs or new directions and developments in your studies, official transcripts for the interim period through the most recent summer semester (do not submit current Fall grades unless requested), two updated letters of recommendation, photo, an updated CV, application fee and checklist.

Prepare the following before you apply on-line: 

• your essay, proof of ancestry, photo, and CV
• green card and naturalization certificate numbers (non-citizens)
•  high school and college start and end dates, degrees/expected degrees, graduation dates/expected dates of graduation

• Use the following file naming conventions for all supporting documents: PAC24-Your Last Name-Your First Name-Description of File Contents. Descriptions may include Financial Information Form (FIF), Financial Info; Essay; Personal Statement;  Admission-SHU (include university initials); Heritage;  Ancestry;  Photo, CV and similar descriptive terms.
• Acceptable file formats for documents include .doc, .docx, and .pdf
• Acceptable file formats for photos include .png, .jpg, and .jpeg
• If you feel that you qualify for more than one of our scholarships, include a note with your checklist and inform us of the scholarships for which you’d like to be considered.  Apply only once – we will consider you for any Kosciuszko Foundation scholarships for which you qualify.
•  We will contact you via e-mail or phone if questions arise or if clarification is needed – please respond promptly.
• Incomplete applications will not receive consideration.
• Do not staple check/money order to Checklist.
• Set aside enough time to complete the on-line application form in one session.  You will not be able to save your answers and return to complete the form at a later time.

All P.A.C.N.J candidates are required to submit a copy of the completed checklist and forward it to: Barbara Kaczor, PACNJ, PO Box 494, Paramus, NJ 07653

Application Form (A1): 

A green check mark within a circle indicates that your on-line application form (A1) has been successfully submitted. 

Financial Information Form (A2) – TU22/23-Financial Information Form

Checklist (H) – TU checklist – 22/23

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When the application period is closed  e-mail us and ask to be added to the Polish American Club of North Jersey Scholarship mailing list.  Include information that clearly illustrates your eligibility for this scholarship, for example: My parents are members of PACNJ.  My current GPA is 3.25 and I will be entering college  in the Fall of 2023.  

We will add your e-mail address to our notification list for one year.  Notification will be sent when the new application has posted and the scholarship application period has begun.  Please add tuitionscholarships@thekf.org to your address book/white list/safe senders list to insure that the notification is not directed to your Spam folder. 

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