Exclusive Hospitality Scholarships with 2024 Deadlines

About hospitality scholarships

The hospitality industry covers customer service and management in restaurants, hotels, theme parks, and other leisure establishments. A hospitality job is an occupation designed to help meet the needs of customers who are on vacation or visiting a leisure establishment, and a hospitality degree program can be a great option for those who enjoy working with others. 

What is a hospitality scholarship?

Hospitality scholarships are financial aid packages given to students who intend to pursue a career in hospitality.

While it’s common to think of hospitality jobs in terms of lower-ranking occupations on the corporate ladder, such as working as a waitress or valet, there are many high-paying jobs in this sector as well. A career in hospitality opens up many doors for management-level positions, such as work in restaurant management or hotel management. Many graduate students find lucrative careers in the upper levels of management in the hospitality industry. Hospitality management can be a rewarding and well-paid career.

As the demand for travel and recreational activities increases, working in hospitality is becoming more profitable as well. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job openings in the hospitality sector have increased from the beginning of 2023 to the springtime of 2023. As a result, this means that the number of hospitality workers hired has increased as well. 

Though working in this industry seems straightforward enough, a career like restaurant management can be a challenging position. Students aiming to work in restaurant management or hotel management must be able to delegate tasks effectively, demonstrate excellent customer service skills, and work in a high-stress environment. 

Hospitality scholarships are often awarded to students seeking to attend a hospitality management degree program. These degrees can be costly, both for undergraduate and graduate students. Though this major may seem less demanding than other majors, the classwork in hospitality is still academically challenging. Students will often need to take the full four years to complete their university undergraduate program at the college or university of their choice.  

In addition, a career in the hospitality is a very hands-on career. Both undergraduate and graduate students will benefit from internships and part-time work in the industry of their choice. In some cases, your college or university may even mandate that students intern at hospitality companies as a graduation requirement. 

Though this experience is very valuable, it can also be costly if students need to cover their own living costs and expenses while completing their internships. Many internships are unpaid, generating more expenses for students while they complete their degrees.

As a result, the costs of an undergraduate hospitality management program can sometimes be quite expensive. Hospitality scholarships are meant to decrease the cost of going to school for hospitality majors. 

Can you get a scholarship for hospitality?

Any student intending to major in hospitality or already majoring in hospitality can get a hospitality scholarship. 

The advantage of applying for a hospitality management scholarship instead of a general scholarship is that hospitality students will face less competition. Many of these scholarships will limit the applicants to only students actively pursuing a hospitality management degree program. This is meant to decrease the competition hospitality undergraduate and graduate students face when applying for scholarships. Depending on the requirements of the scholarship, high school students may be able to apply as well. 

Many hospitality scholarships will not require students to be of a certain grade level to apply, meaning students of all ages should be able to find academic scholarships open to them. Instead, hospitality scholarships will likely require students to either plan on majoring in hospitality or already be completing hospitality coursework in order to apply. 

As mentioned, hands-on experience is very valuable to hospitality students, and may even be required to graduate. Interning with hospitality companies, or businesses that employ hospitality majors can help put students in contact with hospitality agencies. 

These agencies and companies may organize scholarships themselves for hospitality majors in order to incentivize completing a hospitality degree. For students looking to intern in the hospitality industry, maintaining connections with established managers in hospitality or established organizations can be helpful. 

How to apply for hospitality scholarships

There are a few ways students can find hospitality scholarships. 

As mentioned, forming connections in the hospitality industry with organizations like the recreation association foundation can be helpful. Some of these organizations and associations will organize their own scholarships, open to any hospitality students. Getting in touch with an administrator from one of these organizations will allow students to find information on how to apply for these scholarships. 

Regardless of where students find their hospitality scholarships, the process to apply should be similar for all scholarships. Students will need to submit some personal information, usually by filling out a form. 

Second, many scholarships ask students to write a short personal statement on a prompt. The prompt will vary depending on which scholarship students choose to apply for. Not all scholarships will require students to write an essay, but the scholarships that do require the essay will likely choose the winner mainly based on the contents and quality of the essay. 

Another way to apply for scholarships is through a third-party scholarship platform, like Bold.org. Making a profile with Bold.org is completely free and helps match students with hundreds of available scholarships that fit their needs. Online platforms have the advantage of allowing students to filter their search results by major, grade level, and other factors, which can save students both time and effort. Filtering for scholarships with more specific applicant criteria can even increase your changes of winning. For instance, a scholarship for minority students pursuing hospitality will have fewer applicants that a scholarships open to all undergraduate students.

In addition, online platforms allow students to apply for tens of scholarships with only a few clicks, as these websites will usually streamline the application process for their users. 

The college or university a student is currently enrolled in may also be able to offer students exclusive scholarships only available at their school. Contacting financial aid officers, or guidance counselors for high school students can be another way for students to find relevant financial aid opportunities.

After finding scholarships students are eligible to apply for, the most difficult part of the process will likely be writing the essay statement. Students should make sure to completely answer the given prompt. Though some prompts may be similar across a few different scholarships, tailoring each essay to the specific prompt is a good way to keep your essay answers genuine and engaging. 

The best essay responses help the donor get to know the student by revealing a little bit about their background, personality, and future ambitions. In addition, a personal statement can be a good way to showcase your work ethic and talents. Most scholarship donors are looking for a student who is particularly gifted or driven. 

How to get a hospitality scholarship?

Getting a hospitality scholarship depends on a number of factors, some of which students can and cannot control. Winning a scholarship may depend partly on luck in some cases. There may be many applicants who are equally qualified and equally deserving of the scholarship money. However, only one or two candidates will actually receive the money. 

Students should apply for several scholarships and continue to apply throughout their academic careers. Whether an undergraduate or graduate student, continuously applying increases your chances of winning. Don’t be discouraged if a few scholarships don’t result in winning money. This is something all students will likely experience as they apply for scholarships. The key is to not give up and continue to put effort into each of your applications. 

In addition, getting a hospitality scholarship will depend on your qualifications and whether or not you can stand out from the other applicants. As students begin and continue to apply for scholarships, gaining more experience in their chosen field can be advantageous.

As mentioned, hands-on experience is particularly important for undergraduate and graduate students in the hospitality field. Using the essay question to speak about your experience and knowledge of the hospitality industry can show that you are more dedicated and hard-working than the other applicants. 

For students that became interested in their chosen field of study for a particular reason that is important to them, talking about their motivation and what it means to them may help attract the attention of donors. 

Whatever the case, the best essay questions are honest and genuine. Being yourself is the most important thing to remember when trying to write an essay statement and get a hospitality scholarship. 

Best hospitality scholarships

Below are some scholarships made to help make college more affordable for hospitality students. For students seeking entry-level jobs in hospitality, or jobs in hospitality management, these opportunities may be helpful. 

Hospitality scholarships for college students

Whether you're an undergraduate or graduate student, you can take advantage of hospitality scholarships and other scholarships related to your field of study.

1. Women in Business Scholarship Fund
2. Dr. Sharyn First-Generation in Business Scholarship  

Hospitality scholarships for international students

Students from other parts of the globe may be particularly interested in hospitality due to the international organization of many hotels and other hospitality establishments.

1. Crenati Foundation Supporting International Students Scholarship 

Frequently asked questions about hospitality scholarships

How to find hospitality scholarships

There are hundreds of scholarships available on helpful platforms like Bold.org. High school students, undergraduate students, and graduate students alike will be able to find scholarships that meet their needs.

Secondly, getting in touch with pre-established hospitality associations across your state can help students build connections and find more financial support related to their interest in hospitality. These associations may be able to offer exclusive opportunities to aspiring hospitality management workers. 

Lastly, the university financial aid office or high school guidance office may be able to offer some assistance. School administrators may have access to local opportunities not found online. In addition, school counselors may be able to offer students some support and guidance as they go through the application process. 

When can I start applying?

There are hundreds of scholarships available to students of all backgrounds and ages. Some scholarships do not require applicants to be of a certain grade level, so even underclassmen in high school may be able to apply for certain scholarships. There’s no right or wrong time to start applying for scholarships. 

However, it may be helpful to start applying earlier in your academic career. This allows students to have more time to plan out their academic journey and decide on a budget for college or university. For example, students may need to decide whether or not they want to pursue a graduate degree in hospitality management as a graduate student. 

In addition, beginning to apply for scholarships earlier allows students to continue to apply for scholarships throughout their academic careers. As a result, students will have a longer window of opportunity to apply for scholarships, which can help increase their chances of earning money. The more scholarships you apply to, the greater the chance of winning the award money. 

Lastly, applying for academic scholarships as early as high school can help you plan ahead for the future. Students may not always know what they want to do with their lives, or with their academic careers. That’s normal, but starting to earn scholarship money earlier can help students later in their academic journey if they decide to pursue other educational opportunities. This might mean taking a gap year for an internship, or studying abroad for a semester. 

Whatever the reason, earning scholarship money early can help pay off educational expenses down the road. 

Are scholarships counted as income?

Normally, scholarship money is not counted as income and therefore is not taxable.

As long as the money students receive from scholarships is used for expenses required by their college or university, the money is not taxed. If the scholarship money is used for anything other than necessary educational expenses, the money can be taxed.

Necessary educational expenses include tuition fees, mandatory course enrollment fees, and textbooks. If an expense absolutely must be paid in order for a student to receive a diploma, it is likely a necessary educational expense.

However, housing and travel expenses, for example, are not listed under necessary educational expenses. Though these expenses may seem necessary for attending college, using scholarship money for this purpose will allow it to be taxed.