Scholarships for English Literature
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Students pursuing majors in English Literature should first and foremost have a passion for the written word. The territory of English Lit, however, may include American, British, Irish and a range of other international prose and across a range of genres.
College Scholarships
English Lit majors would give their first-born to be able to study the major abroad. Students at Michigan State University have access to one of the most progressive study abroad programs in the country. They may apply to the MSU semester program, English Literature in Dublin, Ireland. What English Lit major would not want to walk amid the haunts, as did James Joyce or William Butler Yeats? MSU also provides attractive scholarships earmarked for study abroad students:
- MSU Federal Credit Union has undoubtedly provided extremely generous funding, which is widely distributed to MSU students heading off to international studies like this one. Applicants must prove financial need and show an academic interest in the program.
- Forest Akers Scholarships are awarded to those students wishing to study abroad who exhibit deep financial need and whose backgrounds may have traditionally excluded them from such programs.
Arizona State University offers the Nick Ivins Memorial Literature Scholarship to one outstanding undergraduate in the English Lit program each academic year. Awards are currently around $600 and are given in honor of an ASU English Literature major whose passion for Irish literature, especially that of James Joyce, set him above the rest. It is for the same level of passion for which scholarship applicants are chosen. Applicants must create a well-written essay explaining why they should be chosen for the award and how the literature of James Joyce has played a role in their life.
English Literature majors at Oklahoma State University have a number of scholarship options in the department, from essay contests to merit and need-based awards:
- Earn $100 for the best essay on the topic of Jane Austen’s work or a selected work. Alternative topics in the Mary Wilson Woods Scholarship may be considered as long as they concern English Literature prior to 1800.
- Audre Chapmen Scholarship in Literature awards $600 to an outstanding English Literature undergraduate who is passionate about pursuing teaching. Applicants must write an essay and preference is given to a student from the southwest region of the state.
- Another essay-based scholarship, the E.P. Walkiewicz Contemporary Studies Scholarship, is awarded for the most outstanding essay in English literature. Of course the emphasis is on contemporary and includes writers or works in the American or British schools. Winner receives $200.
Scholarships available for English Literature majors through the Utah State University include:
- Janice Judge Dee Scholarship Endowment Fund assists eligible students majoring literature. Awards are given based on a combination of academic scores and for a demonstrated economic need for the scholarship.
- Melle A. Washington Memorial Award for the Study of English Renaissance Literature is earmarked for students in the English Department whose concentration within literature is the English Renaissance. The award may also cover a semester abroad studying in a closely related program.
The University of Pittsburgh features a progressive Department of English that provides some of the best coursework for both undergraduate and graduate students pursing writing, teaching or literature. Scholarships and awards for students concentrating in English Literature include:
- The Carol Kay Award recognizes the winning essay on British Lit. Winner receives $400 for their expertise on a topic related to works written “between 1500 - 1900.”
- Students interested in English literature especially those works translated to English, may compete in an essay competition for the J.K. and Gertrude Miller Prize. Awards up to $500.
- American Literature students should not miss the James Snead Award. There is $1,000 up for grabs in this essay competition.
- Undergraduate upperclassmen may be considered for the annual Burkhart/Alumni Scholarship, which rewards the most academically talented English Literature major with $2,500 in scholarship funds.
