College Scholarship Program

Recognizing the disparities between rural and urban access to higher education, the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) offers an annual college scholarship program to help further higher education among rural youth.  In  May of 2010, FRS will award $75,000 in the form of thirty, $2,500 scholarships to rural high school seniors across the United States.  Awards are granted to students sponsored by a National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA) member company and, if chosen, are awarded $2,000 by FRS in addition to a $500 scholarship match by their sponsoring company. 

An independent team of reviewers in the education field are selected to review the applications and select the winners based on specified criteria. FRS Staff accepts and processes all applications. However, FRS staff and FRS Board Members do not review the applications or have any influence on the decision process.

An April 2003 study by Seton Hall University revealed that rural students are consistently disadvantaged in post-secondary aspiration and enrollments when compared to students in urban and suburban areas.  It is a goal of the Foundation for Rural Service to help eradicate this discrepancy.

If you have any questions about this program, please contact FRS at 703-351-2026 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The 2010 FRS College Scholarship Recipients have been announced! Click here to see this year's winners. 

Please click on above graphic to download the 2010 FRS College Scholarship Application.
Applications are no longer being accepted for the 2010 Scholarship Program. You may still download the application for your reference.

If you are having difficulty downloading the application, disable your pop-up blocker and/or hold down the control key while clicking to download. Please note the 2010 Scholarship Application is an interactive PDF document. Applicants may type directly onto the application and then print out the typed document for submission.

2010 Scholarship Award Winners

2009 Scholarship Award Winners

2008 Scholarship Award Winners

2007 Scholarship Award Winners

2006 Scholarship Award Winners

Overview of Program

Program Q & A