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The Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program supports young leaders who have a demonstrated interest in pursuing a clinical (e.g., pharmacist, physician, practitioner, nurse) or non-clinical (e.g., accounting, business administration, finance, human resources, marketing, operations, public policy) career in the healthcare industry.

 

The Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program is generously funded by Kaiser Permanente.

Phase I of the Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program application opens January 1, 2023 and closes on February 8, 2023, 5:00 PM PT.

Phase I of the Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program application is due on February 8, 2023, 5:00 PM PT. Finalists invited to complete Phase II of the application will have from March 3, 2023 to March 31, 2023 to complete and submit Phase II of the application. 

Yes. The Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program is only open to students with a permanent address in one of the following states/districts: California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, or Washington D.C.

Yes. Students must be graduating high school seniors who plan to enroll full-time in an accredited, public or not-for-profit, four-year university, or community college, in the US, for the 2023-2024 academic year.

No. Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program scholarships will be awarded to students enrolled full-time in an accredited, public or not-for-profit, four-year university, or community college, in the US, for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Selection for the Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program is based on merit. However, preference will be given to students with demonstrated financial need.

Selected students will receive a $2,500 award.

Scholarship funds may be used for tuition, fees, books, and other academic-related supplies, as well as for room/board and transportation expenses related to a student’s graduate studies.

Yes, but Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program funds can only be applied to costs associated with study abroad if:

  • You remain enrolled in your home university;
  • The program occurs during the normal academic year; and
  • You will be receiving US college credit towards your degree

To qualify, you must submit an Enrollment Verification form from your (US) home university (when requested). Enrollment Verifications from institutions abroad will not be accepted.

No. Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program scholarships are single-year awards. 

Yes. The Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program is only open to students with a permanent address in one of the following states/districts: California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, or Washington D.C.

Yes. Students must be graduating high school seniors who plan to enroll full-time in an accredited, public or not-for-profit, four-year university, or community college, in the US, for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Yes. Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent).

No. All eligible students are encouraged to apply, regardless of citizenship status.

No.  Dependents of Kaiser Permanente employees are not eligible for the Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program. 

Yes. Our scholarships are not age-based. Students may apply if they meet all other eligibility requirements, regardless of age.

Yes. Students who plan to enroll in a community college, in the US, for the 2023-2024 academic year, are eligible to apply.

 

No. The Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program requires all recipients to be enrolled full-time in an accredited, public or not-for-profit, four-year university, or community college, in the US, in the year in which they are awarded. Please note, official institution deferments, documented leaves of absence, and gap year programs in the fall will not be considered.

No. The application is only available in English.

To apply, please create a scholarship account. Once logged in, you will see the scholarship application. Phase I of the application is open from January 1, 2023 through February 8, 2023, 5:00 PM PT.

Yes. Please be sure to periodically check your spam and/or junk email.  All status updates are sent electronically; therefore, students are responsible for checking their email regularly.

 

Please note, each applicant must use his/her own personal email address – not a family member’s email address.

No. Applicants must submit scholarship applications using the online application system.

The scholarship application allows you to list numerous schools, if applicable. However, you will be required to declare the specific institution you plan to attend in Phase II. You must attend an accredited, degree-granting institution during the fall term, in order to remain eligible for a Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program.

No. Scholarship applications should never require a fee.

No. Once the deadline for Phase I of the application passes, the application will close and will no longer be available for that academic year.

No. Only documents uploaded into the scholarship portal will be reviewed. Documents sent by US Mail or fax will not be accepted.

You are required to upload your official or unofficial academic transcript(s) only when requested to do so. If requested, scan and upload a PDF copy of your transcript(s) to your scholarship portal. You may also submit a screen shot of your transcripts from your college student portal. Handwritten transcripts will not be accepted.

 

Your transcript(s) must clearly indicate your name and institution. You may click ‘View’ after uploading your transcript(s) to verify the document is legible.

 

If your transcript does not include an academic GPA, please request a GPA and written explanation that describes how the GPA was calculated from your counselor or Registrar.

 

If a particular transcript runs more than one page, you must scan all pages and merge them into ONE file, then upload the entire transcript in PDF format to your scholarship portal. The same procedure is required for any additional, multi-page documents you wish to upload.

 

If your question is not answered and you require additional assistance, please contact us via the Message Center.

If a particular transcript runs more than one page, or you have multiple transcripts, you must scan all pages and merge the documents into ONE file, then upload the entire document in PDF format, when requested.

Only documents uploaded into the scholarship portal will be reviewed. Documents sent by US Mail or fax will not be accepted.

Applicants will be prompted to list recommenders’ contact information in Phase II of the application. The Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program team will release recommender emails after you submit your Phase II application. Recommenders will be emailed their link within 24 hours.

 

Recommenders must complete the electronic Recommendation Form online. Please note that one recommendation must be from an academic reference; the second is optional and can be submitted by anyone who is not a family member or friend. All online Recommendation Forms must be submitted by April 15, 2023 at 5:00 PM PT.

Recommenders are persons whom you have asked to complete an online Recommendation Form on your behalf, as part of your scholarship application. In order for your application to be considered complete, you must submit one completed academic recommendation. Your academic recommender must be an instructor, an advisor/counselor, or someone who is able to evaluate you academically (e.g., academic performance, motivation, plans and goals).

 

Additional recommenders can be academic or non-academic. Secondary recommenders must be able to evaluate your community service and extracurricular activities (e.g. leadership, work ethic, and commitment).

 

If you have been out of school for two or more years, your academic recommendation may come from a non-academic recommender who is familiar with the work you do and holds a position that is greater than your title. The recommendation should evaluate your intellectual capabilities, as well as your work ethic. Non-academic recommenders can be colleagues in your field of work and/or anyone in a managerial position that has worked closely with you (such as a boss, a coach, a volunteer coordinator, etc.).

 

Please note, recommendations from family members, family friends, and other close friends are discouraged.

 

Please be sure to ask your recommenders’ permission prior to submitting their names and email addresses to us. Be sure they have agreed to complete the online Recommendation Form for you and let them know that they will receive an email from us on how to proceed, within 24 hours after you have submitted your Phase II scholarship application.

 

The Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program team suggests you provide your recommenders with an updated resume to assist them in filling out their forms.

 

Please note, some email security systems block emails from Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program. Therefore, we recommend that you ask your recommenders to check their spam folders.

You are responsible for following up with your recommenders to verify that they have received an email from us, as we are not able to determine that. You are also responsible for confirming that they intend to/have completed their recommendations by the deadline. You may check the submission status of your recommendations via your scholarship portal.

 

Please note, some email security systems block emails from Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program. Therefore, we recommend that you ask your recommenders to check their spam folders.

Recommenders will be able to access the Recommendation Form by setting up and logging into their account. The Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program team will release recommender emails after you submit your Phase II application. Hence, we require the contact information you provide on your application form to include an email address for each recommender.

 

Please note, some email security systems block emails from Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program. Therefore, we recommend that you ask your recommenders to check their spam folders.

Early submission allows the Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program team to process the application quicker. However, all online Recommendation Forms must be submitted by April 15, 2023, 5:00 PM PT.

On their home page, recommenders have the option to click on ‘Forgot Your Email?’ or ‘Forgot Your Password?’ in order to retrieve their login information. If the issue continues, ask your recommender to contact us via their Message Center immediately, using the email address that you provided for that individual, in your application.

 

Don’t delay! Ask the recommender to provide us with your name and the technical issue encountered.

 

Students will be prompted to submit an Enrollment Verification in September/October. 

Yes, there are several options for submitting an official Enrollment Verification form. You can go directly to your institutions registrar’s office and request an official Enrollment Verification form.

 

OR

 

You can submit an official Enrollment Verification from the National Student Clearinghouse. This is an organization with whom most US institutions register, and which offers a verification form as an expedited service. You can go to their website at http://www.studentclearinghouse.org, and for a nominal fee, they will send you a PDF version of your Enrollment Verification.

 

OR

 

You can download the Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program Enrollment Verification form, which will be emailed to you. You can take this form to your registrar’s office for completion. Please be sure to complete the student portion of the form and that the registrar’s office has completed all questions on its portion.

No. Our online system is completely secure. Encrypted documents usually lead to disruptions in the scholarship application review process. Often times, the Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program Team is unable to read and verify documents, if they are encrypted.

Once your scholarship application has been submitted, you will not be allowed to make any changes to it.

Notifications of scholarship awards are emailed in June 2023.

All applicants who complete the application process will receive notification, via email, once the selection process has been completed. To check the status of your application, please refer to your profile.

 

Please note, funds may continue to be available for a period of time after the initial notification. Please check your email regularly in case you are selected for an award at a later date.

Scholarship awards are disbursed in the fall of the year awarded. Please note that all scholarship awards are contingent upon proof of full-time enrollment.

Successful candidates are selected on the basis of academic achievement, personal strengths, leadership, and extracurricular accomplishment, in addition to meeting all stated requirements. Completed applications are evaluated by certified readers. Once they have been read, we then begin our rigorous process of selection. It is important that the information an applicant provides regarding his/her "intended" school/major be as up to date as possible, prior to our selection process.

 

No. The Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program team strives to help as many students attend college as possible. Hence, a Scholar may receive only one award.

Yes.The selection process consists of four stages: Phase I, Phase II, Verification (for both pre-selected and waitlisted students), and disbursement.

 

All applicants must submit a Phase I application to be considered for an award. Applicants given the highest scores will be selected as Finalists and invited to complete Phase II of the application.

 

Students who submit Phase II will be evaluated. The top scoring applicants will be pre-selected or waitlisted for a scholarship. Students waitlisted for an award may not receive an initial award but will continue to be considered for an award if additional funding becomes available during the current award cycle.

 

Both pre-selected and waitlisted students must submit Verification Documents (enrollment verification, etc.) throughout the summer and early fall to ensure continued eligibility.

 

Money is disbursed between November and December.

Unfortunately, every year, the applications we get from deserving students greatly outnumber the awards we have available. Accordingly, selection is highly competitive and not every strong student will make the final cut.

 

It’s also important to remember that if your application is not complete, you will not be considered for a scholarship. Many bright students miss out on opportunities because they submit incomplete applications.

 

Take charge of your application process by:

  • Following up with school officials, as well as recommenders, and making sure they have completed the forms they’re responsible for, correctly and on time.
  • Make sure to follow all instructions carefully.
  • Have a teacher, counselor, or parent look over your application to make sure you didn’t overlook anything.

Maybe. Documentation between your home institution and host institution will be required. You must submit the following items*:

 

  • Enrollment Verification forms from each campus you are attending.
  • A copy of the Consortium Agreement. If you are unsure what a Consortium Agreement is, please visit your academic advisor.
  • A brief written explanation as to why you cannot be full-time at one campus

 

*It is important that these documents be uploaded to your scholarship portal. We will need to review this documentation in order to make a final decision.

No. In order to be eligible for a scholarship, students must be enrolled full-time in the fall and spring terms, for the year in which the scholarship is awarded. Please note that scholarship funds cannot be deferred to another academic term or school year.

If you still have a question after reviewing the FAQ’s, please contact us via your Message Center, located in your scholarship account (log in and check the top right-hand corner of your dashboard).

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to protect a student’s confidential information, the Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Scholars Program team cannot disclose student information to third parties (e.g., parents, friends, counselor, teacher, etc.). Applicants must contact our office directly via the Message Center.

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