The Lariat Future Innovators Foundation is accepting applications for its 2022 Lariat STEM Scholarship Program. 

The nonprofit group launched the scholarship in 2021 to help rural students pursuing a STEM degree afford higher education, which has increased by 169 percent since 1980.

The organization is looking to grant three awards this year. 

The award amount varies based on the grade level of the winners: up to $30,000 for high school years, payable over four years; up to $18,000 for rising college juniors, payable over two years; and $10,000 for rising college seniors.

To be eligible, applicants must live in a rural area (town or city with a population less than 25,000) in the United States and is an eligible zip code. The eligible zip code list can be found here. 

Applicants also must come from families with less than $55,000 in household income, be between the ages of 18 and 24, and be pursuing a STEM major. A full list of eligible majors can be found here. 

To apply, eligible students must identify their major, submit academic scores and SAT/ACT scores, and list any academic awards they have received. They must also write, in 100 words or less, about the most defining extracurricular activity they participated in, an adversity they faced and key takeaways from two recent books they’ve read.

In addition, they must write an essay of 500 words or more on either why they have chosen to pursue a degree in STEM or the lessons they have learned from their part-time jobs. 

Applications must be received by June 30, 2022.

To apply for the scholarship, click here.

For more scholarships, use TUN’s Scholarship Search Engine.