Starting in 2020, the PNCMLA Scholarship Committee advocated for changes to the MLA scholarships to help remove barriers to access. In response to this, there are now substantive changes to the MLA Scholarship application process!
In summary:
- Transcripts will not be required at the initial application stage; and will no longer be scored by the jury.
- The "Experince section" will also be no longer be part of the jury scoring process.
- There is no longer a requirement to list science courses
In the 22-23 cycle even more changes have been made, including removing the requirement for letters of reference. This decision was driven by many stakeholders providing feedback about how this requirement often presents a barrier to underrepresented groups!
An update from the MLA scholarship committee provides the new questions, which have broadened the scope to include academic goals rather than being focused exclusively on career.
- What would receiving a scholarship from MLA mean to you?
- What are your career and/or academic objectives? How do you plan to achieve your goals? Please describe current or future activities that support your plan.
- How have your career or academic activities, achievements, and contributions impacted the communities you serve? Describe how these activities, achievements, and contributions impacted you personally. You may include personal, academic, work-related or advocacy examples.
Changes like these are intended to help make access to these scholarships more equitable - thank you to the PNCMLA Scholarship Committee for advocating for more inclusive applications!
