Criminal Justice School Guide

Find a Criminal Justice Scholarship

College scholarships are essentially free money that you can use to help pay for your education. Many colleges, universities, nonprofit organizations and private companies award scholarships to outstanding students each year. Scholarships are awarded for merit so an application, essay, or nomination are usually required to be considered. Here are a couple of ideas of places where you can look for scholarships that are specifically for criminal justice majors.

Where to Look for Scholarships

Many state sheriffs’ associations award criminal justice scholarships to undergraduates who are studying criminal justice. Check the sheriffs’ association in your state to find out more about available scholarships. Below are a couple of examples:

• The Sheriff’s Institute Scholarship from the Office of the Sheriff of New York: $500 awarded to a criminal justice student from each of the state’s community colleges. Students are typically nominated by a faculty member of the criminal justice department at each school.

• North Carolina Sheriffs Association Undergraduate Criminal Justice Scholarships: $2,000 awarded each year to 10 students who are North Carolina residents and are enrolled in criminal justice degree programs. Priority is given to children of a sheriff or sheriff’s deputy or to children of a North Carolina officer killed in the line of duty. Applicants must write a one-page letter and obtain a recommendation from a sheriff’s office.

The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences awards several annual scholarships to criminal justice students and professionals. The award amounts and deadlines vary for each program.

• The William L. Simon/Anderson Publishing Outstanding Student Paper Award: Students must submit a criminal justice related research paper which will be judged on the relevancy of the research problem, the quality of theoretical orientation, the rigor of logical documentation and writing quality.

The Department of Homeland Security is another excellent source for scholarships for criminal justice majors. One of their programs includes:

• Federal Cyber Service: Scholarship for Service Program: Scholarship provides tuition, books, room and board, plus a stipend of $8,000 for undergraduates (12,000 for graduate students) in exchange for work in an information assurance position at a Federal agency. Scholarships are awarded to students who are studying the fields of homeland security, technology, engineering or mathematics, and can fund up to two years of college expenses.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police offers several scholarships of varying amounts for active members of law enforcement.

The American Criminal Justice Association funds annual scholarships for students pursuing degrees in Criminal Justice at the Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degree levels. Maximum awards are $400 and applicants must be student-members of the ACJA to be considered. Other criteria include outstanding academics and letters of recommendation from faculty.

WIFLE- Women in Federal Law Enforcement Scholarships: A member of WIFLE, or member sponsored applicant, is awarded $1,500 yearly. This scholarship intends to help foster the professional development of those engaged in law enforcement. Scholarships are awarded based on the student’s academic potential, achievement, and commitment to serving their local communities.

Captain James J. Regan Memorial Scholarship: The National Technical Investigators’ Association awards this $500 scholarship to two seniors in high school who have already enrolled in a law enforcement or criminal justice degree program. Students are chosen based on their academic record, leadership ability, and extracurricular activities.

Criminal Justice Scholarships are also available at many different universities and colleges which offer criminal justice degree programs. A few examples include:

• James B. Gillett Memorial Scholarship:  Up to $750 awarded to a junior or senior criminal justice student at Sul Ross State University. The university also offers the Joe Hicks Memorial Scholarship of up to $500 per year to an undergraduate student. For more information on both scholarships be sure to check out the school’s website.

• The University of Texas at Arlington offers a handful of different criminal justice related scholarships to students in their criminal justice degree programs. Scholarship awards range from $500 to more than $2,000.

New criminal justice scholarships are always popping up, so make sure you do some extensive research and look into all of your options. You should try to apply to every scholarship that you qualify for- It can’t hurt!