Good grades are a great start. But a good heart is just as important.
Dreaming of being able to further your education, but not sure how to pay for it? Here is your chance to earn a scholarship award from Berkshire Bank through our NeXt Gen Scholars program. Our NeXt Gen Scholars embody academic excellence while also sharing our company's commitment to community service and volunteerism. They have overcome obstacles and are the doers of good deeds. Recipients reflect our own values of Respect, Integrity, Guts, Having Fun and Teamwork, and at their core possess an unsurpassed passion to improve the lives of those around them. The program is open to all high school seniors, current college students or adults who are pursuing an undergraduate degree from an accredited, non-profit college or technical school. Forty (40) of the best and brightest students across our markets will each receive a $2,500 scholarship toward their tuition.
Do you think you have what it takes? Learn more about the application and selection process below.
Details:
Massachusetts: Sixteen (16) scholarships are available in Massachusetts for individuals whose primary residence or educational institution is located in one of the following counties:
- Berkshire County, MA
- Hampden County, MA
- Hampshire County, MA
- Franklin County, MA
- Worcester County, MA
- Middlesex County, MA
- Essex County, MA
- Suffolk County, MA
- Norfolk County, MA
New York: Ten (10) scholarships are available in New York for individuals whose primary residence or educational institution is located in one of the following counties:
- Albany County, NY
- Schenectady County, NY
- Saratoga County, NY
- Washington County, NY
- Columbia County, NY
- Warren County, NY
- Rensselaer County, NY
- Fulton County, NY
- Montgomery County, NY
- Onondaga County, NY
- Oneida County, NY
- Herkimer County, NY
- Madison County, NY
Connecticut: Four (4) scholarships are available in Connecticut for individuals whose primary residence or educational institution is located in one of the following counties:
- Hartford County, CT
- Tolland County, CT
Vermont: Four (4) scholarships are available in Vermont for individuals whose primary residence or educational institution is located in one of the following counties:
- Bennington County, VT
- Rutland County, VT
- Windsor County, VT
New Jersey: Four (4) scholarships are available in New Jersey for individuals whose primary residence or educational institution is located in one of the following counties:
- Mercer County, NJ
- Middlesex County, NJ
Pennsylvania: Two (2) scholarships are available in Pennsylvania for individuals whose primary residence or educational institution is located in one of the following counties:
- Bucks County, PA
- Montgomery County, PA
Program Guidelines& Priorities:
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
- US Citizen whose primary residence or educational institution is located in one of the counties listed above
- Minimum GPA of 3.0
- Total family annual income under $100,000 or total individual income under $50,000
- Pursuing an undergraduate degree from a two- or four-year non-profit college or technical school
Scholarship funds will be paid directly to the financial institution for the individual's first semester of the fall enrollment year. It is the individual's responsibility to submit to the Foundation at that time an invoice for first semester tuition and fees, student ID number and institution information. Failure to do so will result in a forfeiture of the award.
Individuals who have previously received a scholarship award from Berkshire Bank are not eligible to re-apply.
Children of Berkshire Bank employees are eligible to apply and should contact the Foundation office directly for more information. Because employees may be eligible for tuition reimbursement through Berkshire Bank, they are not eligible for the NeXt Gen Scholars program. For more information about tuition reimbursement, please contact Human Resources.
Applications must be submitted online by 12:00 am on January 31, 2019. Late Applications will not be accepted.
To apply, please note the following:
- Once you’ve clicked on the application link, you will need to create an account by selecting “New Applicant” (below the email address field)
- Before you begin the application, you will need to create an account by clicking on “New Applicant”
- The application includes an essay question (see below), so you should be prepared to copy and paste or type your response directly into the field
- Be sure to save your application so that you don’t lose any of your information
- You will need to attach a copy of your transcript (official or unofficial) that includes your cumulative GPA in one of the following formats: .doc, .docx, .pdf
Essay Question: Sometimes life's exciting moments need a little extra help. Describe how you've been able to help create an exciting moment for someone through your volunteer/community service, and how Berkshire Bank's values of Respect, Integrity, Guts, Having Fun, and Teamwork may have played a role. If you've overcome a major obstacle to achieve your own exciting moment, tell us how you did so and what you learned along the way.
Decision Process:
All completed applications will be reviewed by a committee of volunteers from Berkshire Bank and scored against other applications in the same geographic region. The top scoring applicants in each region will be named Berkshire Bank's NeXt Gen Scholars and receive the allotted scholarships. Decisions will be made and winners notified.
Questions:
If you have any questions or need additional information please email: foundation@berkshirebank.com. In the subject line, please state: "scholarship question".
IMPORTANT… Protect yourself from possible e-mail fraud threats Berkshire Bank will never request your confidential information through an email. Contact us at 800-773-5601 to verify any email request or to report suspicious emails.