Vincentian Service Scholars Application

The Vincentian Service Scholarship (VSS) will be awarded to students who will be sophomores during the 2025-2026 school year; scholars are eligible to participate for up to three consecutive academic years. Applicants from all majors/disciplines are encouraged. Ideal candidates are interested in engaging in community service and spirituality and connecting those experiences to a broad spectrum of campus involvement. Applicants must demonstrate financial need and have a minimum 2.7 GPA.

The application process for the Vincentian Service Scholarship involves completing this online scholarship application as well as participating in service engagement with the Division of Mission and Ministry. The service engagement requirement should be completed prior to the start of Spring Quarter 2025 but does not have to be completed prior to submitting the application through the Scholarship Connect portal. All interested students are encouraged to begin participating in service engagement as soon as possible. More information about service engagement opportunities can be found here.

The Vincentian Service Scholars (VSS) program invites you to be a Vincentian – to work for positive social change and solidarity in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul with a commitment to one’s own faith and spiritual development. Accepted scholars will engage in opportunities for spiritual growth, leadership development, community service, and interfaith reflection. Examples of required participation include weekly service, quarterly meetings/retreats, and a weekend service immersion experience. Scholars will commit to an average of 3-5 hours a week over the course of the academic year with monthly events interspersed.

As financial need is a consideration, we strongly encourage you to file the FAFSA, if applicable. For non-international students who are not eligible to file a FAFSA, please complete the Illinois Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid or DePaul’s Institutional Need Assessment Form located at this link. If you have any questions on these forms, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.

For specific information about this scholarship, its application, or the requirements, please email missionandministryscholarships@depaul.edu.

Award
$6,000.00
Deadline
02/04/2025
Supplemental Questions
  1. Are you currently enrolled as a student at DePaul University?
  2. Will you be a sophomore (at least 44 but less than 88 quarter hours) at the start of the 2025-2026 academic year?
  3. Do you plan on filing a FAFSA for the 2025-2026 academic year?
  4. If you are a non-international student who is not eligible to file a FAFSA, have you completed the Illinois Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid or DePaul’s Institutional Needs Assessment Form? If you are eligible to submit the FAFSA, please answer "N/A" (not applicable).
  5. Why are you applying for the Vincentian Service Scholarship? How will this scholarship assist you in growing at DePaul? What qualities do you believe a Vincentian leader should have? Describe a time when you demonstrated and failed to demonstrate such qualities and what you learned from these experiences.
  6. St. Vincent de Paul was motivated by his faith to work tirelessly for human dignity, charity, and justice. Identify and describe a spiritual or religious practice in your life. How does your faith motivate you to engage in leadership, service and/or justice work? Share a time when you took initiative to engage in community service with a poor or marginalized community. Why do you think this particular story has stayed with you, and in what ways did that experience change the way you saw or engaged the world?
  7. Please upload your resume and include any extra-curricular activities you are involved in, the positions you hold or have held, and the length of involvement in each activity.
  8. Please upload a copy of your unofficial transcript (PDF). This can be accessed via Campus Connect.
  9. I understand that I must participate in service engagement through the Division of Mission and Ministry (options for this requirement can be found here: https://dehub.campusgroups.com/dmmscholars/vss-service-engagement-opportunities/) and that I have taken the necessary steps to complete this application requirement.
  10. I understand that failure to complete the service requirement of this application will result in being ineligible for consideration of the scholarship.
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