The Hospitality Minnesota Education Foundation annually awards scholarships to students pursuing post-secondary education for careers in the restaurant industry or in lodging management. Last year, 30 students received scholarships totaling $94,000.
Scholarship Application Deadline: March 15, 2019!
Scholarship Criteria
Academic Scholarship for High School Seniors, GED Graduates and Undergraduate Students Pursuing Foodservice, Lodging or Hospitality Degrees
- Student must be a resident of Minnesota.
- Student must be pursuing a hospitality or foodservice (not food science) culinary arts degree at an accredited post-secondary institution. Full-time and part-time students are eligible (with a minimum of nine credit hours). This is not limited to schools in Minnesota.
- The HMEF Board maintains the right to disapprove the educational institution or program in which the student is enrolled.
- Student must have a minimum 2.5 GPA in high school (11th and 12th grades) or current college GPA.
- Student is required to submit an essay as outlined on the scholarship application.
- Student must submit at least two letters of recommendation from persons other than family. We suggest both academic and employment references.
- Student is required to submit high school or college transcripts.
- Preference will be given to students who are graduates of the ProStart or HTMP programs.
Scholarship Denominations, Payment & Eligibility
- The Hospitality Minnesota Education Foundation (HMEF) Board of Directors and Scholarship Committee will determine denominations of each scholarship given.
- Scholarship awards will be limited to academic tuition and paid directly to the educational institution. The institution will contact HMEF requesting funds and verify that the student has completed his/her coursework satisfactorily.
- Students may reapply for a scholarship annually if they demonstrate a minimum 2.5 GPA and provide a letter of recommendation from a faculty member.
- The HMEF Board of Directors will make the determination of annual scholarships based on funds available and applicant pool.
- Relatives of the members of the HMEF Board of Directors are ineligible.
- Relatives of contributors are eligible, as are students who are also employed by contributing companies.
- Relatives of the directors or officers of the Minnesota Restaurant Association, Minnesota Lodging Association and Minnesota Resort & Campground Association boards will be eligible, so long as they do not serve on the HMEF Board of Directors.
- To ensure unbiased scholarship awards, a selection committee will use a standard application and scoring system based on academics, community involvement, hospitality experience and a submitted essay.
Heart of Hospitality Scholarship
Two Heart of Hospitality scholarships may be awarded annually to a ProStart student and a HTMP student who don’t meet the Foundation’s required academic criteria. Students must apply using the same applicant form. A ProStart or HTMP teacher must provide the recommendation for this specific scholarship. Award may be up to $1,000 each and will be determined by the HMEF Board of Directors and Scholarship Committee.
Two Heart of Hospitality scholarships may be awarded annually to a ProStart student and a HTMP student who don’t meet the Foundation’s required academic criteria. Students must apply using the same applicant form. A ProStart or HTMP teacher must provide the recommendation for this specific scholarship. Award may be up to $1,000 each and will be determined by the HMEF Board of Directors and Scholarship Committee.