The College of Education and Human Services offers a wide variety of scholarship opportunities, with total awards typically amounting to over $40,000. Below is a list of the available scholarships along with the criteria each candidate must meet in order to be awarded the scholarship. 

Applications for the Fall 2024 - Spring 2025 academic year are currently open and will close at 11:59pm on Thursday, February 1, 2024. 

Application Link (or copy and paste this text into your browser: https://valdosta.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b1ng5T5qA28Ls6p)

Decisions regarding scholarship awards will be announced via e-mail by mid-March.  The annual COEHS Celebration of Students will take place in April 2024.  More information will be provided to scholarship and award winners at a later date.

COEHS Scholarship Process 

The College of Education and Human Services utilizes a common application process where students can apply to one or multiple scholarships all at once. The information that will be requested in the application are as follows:

  1. Demographic Information
  2. A Statement of Financial Need
  3. A Career Statement
  4. A Statement of Service Activities 

You will be asked to provide the following information in order to complete your College of Education and Human Services scholarship application. Please have this information ready before beginning your application.  

1. Demographic information (Name, VSU student ID, email address, mailing address, anticipated graduation date, etc.)

2. Provide a narrative statement describing the nature of your financial need.  If you are a graduate student and currently have a graduate assistantship (GA), please provide your stipend for this position. If you anticipate having a graduate assistantship next year, please indicate this information, as well as your anticipated stipend. Financial need cannot be assessed without this information.

3. Describe your anticipated career path and the goals you hope to accomplish within your chosen field. If you plan to be an educator, please provide specific reasons you chose this career.  If you are applying for the Ola M. Brown Scholarship, describe how your minority status and experience influenced your choice of career path.

4. Only required for Dorothy Dewar Service, Robert A. Hull, Elizabeth Darlene Sikes, Alheida B. Seever, Louise Stanford Chastain, & Carson McLane Scholarships:
Provide a description of your service involvement (i.e., community service or volunteerism) and summarize any documentation you have of that service. If part of your answer includes service for which you were paid, including work completed as a graduate assistant, clearly identify which service activities were paid and which were unpaid. Then respond to the following:  

1. Describe how your service has influenced your growth as a person and/or professional. 

2. Describe the impact your service has had on the community.

An application will be considered incomplete if any required information is missing. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed by the committee.

COEHS Scholarships

VSU Scholarships

(Note: as these scholarships do not originate within COEHS, they are not covered by the common application offered on this page.  The links below direct you to a different site and different application process.)

Scholarships for All Graduate & Undergraduate Students in COEHS

Dorothy Dewar Service Scholarships (Up to 5 Awards)

These scholarships were established in honor of Dorothy Dewar and are available to all COEHS graduate and undergraduate students.

Criteria for Application:

  • Recipient must be pursuing a graduate or undergraduate degree within the COEHS
  • Recipient must demonstrate a record of exemplary service
  • Recipient must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher 

The Dorothy Dewar Service Scholarship Rubric will be used by the review board to review applications and make decisions regarding this scholarship.

Scholarships for Education Majors

COEHS Deserving Student Scholarship

This scholarship was established by Carroll and Mary Alice Griffin in honor of Mary Alice Griffin’s long teaching career at VSU.

Criteria for Application:

  • Recipient must be pursuing a bachelor's degree in an education field
  • Recipient must be admitted to the teacher education program (successfully completed the applicable 2999 course)
  • Recipient must have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher
  • Recipient should demonstrate financial need; it will be a criterion considered, but this factor alone will not determine the scholarship award

The COEHS Deserving Student Scholarship Rubric will be used by the review board to review applications and make decisions regarding this scholarship.

James and Mary Threatte Scholarship

This scholarship was established by James L. and Quay T. Allen in honor of Mrs. Allen's parents.

Criteria for Application:

  •  Recipient must be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in an education field
  •  Recipient must have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher
  •  Recipient must demonstrate financial need; it will be a criterion considered, but this factor alone will not determine the scholarship award

The James and Mary Threatte Scholarship Rubric will be used by the review board to review applications and make decisions regarding this scholarship.

Ola M. Brown Scholarship

This scholarship was established in honor of Dr. Ola M. Brown, who served as Head of the Department of Early Childhood and Reading for several years. Students applying for the Ola M. Brown Scholarship must satisfy several criteria in order to qualify. Any recipient must be an undergraduate minority student. To qualify for this award, the recipient must be willing to provide information about their racial identity. This scholarship can be renewed at the discretion of the COEHS Scholarship and Honors committee. Award winner must contact the committee by January 1 to request a renewal of this award.

Criteria for Application:

  • Recipient must be an undergraduate minority student who has been accepted into a teacher education program at VSU (successfully completed the applicable 2999 course)
  • Recipient must have a G.P.A. of 2.0 or higher
  • Recipient must demonstrate financial need
  • Recipient must provide a career statement elaborating how minority status and experience influenced choice of career path.

The Ola M. Brown Scholarship Rubric will be used by the review board to review applications and make decisions regarding this scholarship.

Ralph B. Johnson Scholarship

This scholarship was established by Noeliene J. Moore and her sisters, Louise J. Westbrook, Nettie J. Hult, and Nellie J. Spinks in memory of their brother, Ralph B. Johnson.

Criteria for Application:

  •  Recipient must be pursuing a degree in an education field for the purpose of teaching or educational counseling in public or private schools
  •  Recipient must demonstrate financial need; it will be a criterion considered, but this factor alone will not determine the scholarship award

The Ralph B. Johnson Scholarship Rubric will be used by the review board to review applications and make decisions regarding this scholarship.

Valdosta Sullivan Scholars Program (VSSP)

The Valdosta Sullivan Scholars Program is an invitation only scholarship program consisting of 3 phases. Principals, assistant principals, teachers, and counselors can nominate up to 3 rising high school juniors or seniors who meet the following eligibility criteria.

Criteria for Application:

  • student is from a participating Georgia High School;
  • student has a desire to attend college and become a teacher;
  • student has a GPA of 3.0 or better;
  • student has a significant need for financial aid to attend college.

Note: This scholarship is not available to apply online through the scholarship application link above. Find out more at the Valdosta Sullivan Scholars Program website.


Scholarships for Communication Science and Disorders

Robert A. Hull Scholarship

This scholarship was established by the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Criteria for Application:

  • Recipient must be a currently enrolled senior in the VSU Department of Communication and Sciences Disorders who is planning to complete the Master of Science Degree at VSU in the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
  • Recipient must be a member of the Georgia Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the national and local chapters of the National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association
  • Recipient must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher
  • Recipient must have a documented record of service

The Robert A. Hull Scholarship Rubric will be used by the review board to review applications and make decisions regarding this scholarship.

Scholarships for Industrial/Organizational Psychology 

Vicky Lynne Foshee Scholarship

This scholarship was created to honor the memory of Vicky Lynne Foshee, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Donald P. Foshee. The award winner can renew the award for the following academic year until they graduate as long as they complete no less than 6 hours of required work per semester with no grade less than a B. The award winner needs to contact the COEHS Scholarship and Honors Committee by May 1 to renew scholarship.

Criteria for Application:

  • Recipient must be a graduate student enrolled in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology program at VSU
  • Recipient must have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher
  • Recipient must demonstrate financial need will be a criterion considered, but this factor alone will not determine the scholarship award

The Vicky Lynne Foshee Scholarship Rubric will be used by the review board to review applications and make decisions regarding this scholarship.

Scholarships for Social Work

Alheida B. Seever Scholarship

This scholarship was established by Alheida B. Seever.

Criteria for Application:

  • Recipient must be pursuing a Masters of Social Work degree.
  • Recipient must have a graduate cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher
  • Recipient should demonstrate pressing financial need
  • Recipient should demonstrate a record of community service and volunteerism comprising the previous five years.

The Alheida B. Seever Scholarship Rubric will be used by the review board to review applications and make decisions regarding this scholarship.

Louise Stanford Chastain Scholarship

This scholarship was established by Louise Stanford Chastain.

Criteria for Application:

  • Recipient must be pursuing a Masters of Social Work degree.
  • Recipient must have a graduate cumulative grade point average of 3.3 or higher
  • Recipient should demonstrate financial need
  • Recipient should demonstrate a record of exemplary community service and volunteerism comprising the previous five years.
  • Open to any resident of Georgia.  Preference given to individuals residing in Thomas county or any of the rural counties in Georgia where average income is 50%

Below the State poverty line: Atkinson, Clarke, Grady, Quitman, Terrell, Baker, Clay, Greene, Randolph, Thomas, Baldwin, Colquitt, Hancock, Seminole, Toombs, Ben Hill, Crisp, Jefferson, Stewart, Treutlen, Bullock, Dougherty, Jenkins, Sumter, Turner, Burke, Early, Johnson, Taliaferro, Warren, Calhoun, Echols, Macon, Tattnal, Washington, Charlton, Emanuel, Mitchell, Telfair, Wheeler, or Wilcox

The Louise Stanford Chastain Scholarship Rubric will be used by the review board to review applications and make decisions regarding this scholarship.

Carson McLane Inc. Scholarship

This scholarship is funded by Carson McLane Inc. funeral services.

Criteria for Application:

  • Recipient must be pursuing a Masters of Social Work degree.
  • Recipient must have a graduate cumulative grade point average of 3.3 or higher
  • Recipient should demonstrate financial need
  • Recipient should demonstrate a record of community service and volunteerism comprising the previous five years.
  • Must have past or current experience in medical social work settings [i.e. hospitals, hospice, long-term care facilities].
  • Must be a resident of Lowndes or contiguous county [Brook, Colquitt, Cook, Echols, or Lanier]
  • Recipients must commit to 10 hours of community service each semester the scholarship is received.  The community service to be performed will be selected in consultation with McClane Funeral Services.

The Carson McLane Inc. Scholarship Rubric will be used by the review board to review applications and make decisions regarding this scholarship.

Scholarships for Library and Information Studies

Note: These scholarships are not available to apply online through the scholarship application link above. Please contact the department for more details on how to apply.

Baker Family MLIS Scholarship

$1,000 scholarship available to students currently enrolled in the VSU MLIS program with at least a 3.0 GPA. Preferential consideration will be given to students from the counties including and contiguous to Lowndes County, Georgia (Lowndes, Brooks, Cook, Berrien, Lanier, Echols). If no students from the preferred counties apply for the Baker Family Scholarship, then applications from students who reside within the State of Georgia will be considered.

Criteria for Application:

  • MLIS GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Preference will be given to current MLIS students who live in the following Georgia Counties: Lowndes, Brooks, Cook, Berrien, Lanier, Echols.
  • If no qualified students from the preferred counties apply for the Baker Family scholarship then applications from students who reside elsewhere within the State of Georgia will be considered.
  • Completion of at least 18 credits toward the MLIS degree prior to the date of application.  The 18 credits must be competed at the time of application. Completed Program of Study: a list of the courses you have completed (including grades earned) as well as the courses you plan to take.
  • All 18 credits must be taken at Valdosta State University
  • No course grade lower than a 3.0 (B).

Merryll Penson Scholarship 

The Department of Library and Information Studies is excited to announce the Merryll Penson Scholarships. Mary Penson is the retired Executive Director of Libary Services in the Office of Instructional and Information Technology in the University System of Georgia. These scholarships are made possible by many generous donations made in honor of Merryll Penson on the Occasion of her retirement from the University System on Georgia. 

To be eligible for a Merryll Penson $1000 Scholarship applicants must:

  • Be accepted into the MLIS degree program and registered for a minimum of six (6) credits of MLIS courses for the upcoming semester
  • Have documented indication of financial need in the form of a current FAFSA on file in the VSU Office of Financial Aid
  • Have a Valdosta State Graduate GPA of 3.5 or higher
  • No MLIS course grade lower than a B (3.0)

Application Guidelines

VSU MLIS Merit Scholarship

Available to students currently enrolled in the VSU MLIS program who show proven progress toward the MLIS degree.

Criteria for Application:

  • Completion of at least 18 credits toward the MLIS degree prior to the date of application.  The 18 credits must be completed at the time of application.
    •     a.  At least 9 of the 18 credits must be in the MLIS program’s core courses.
    •      b.  All 18 credits must be taken at Valdosta State University.
  •  GPA of a 3.5 or higher.
  •  No course grade lower than a 3.0 (B).
  •   MLIS candidates meeting eligibility standards 1 through 4 may apply for the MLIS Merit Scholarship in either the Fall or Spring semester.
  • Write a cover letter that includes a brief profile of your career goals and your progress toward those goals so far.  It must also include your student identification number (870-xxx-xxx) and your VSU email address.
  • Complete a Program of Study form with your MLIS Program advisor.  Your Program of Study form must include a list of the courses you have completed as well as those you are planning to take, grades for all courses you have completed (at least four to meet the criteria for this scholarship application). The blank Program of Study form is located on the MLIS Academic Advising webpage under Program of Study Form: http://www.valdosta.edu/colleges/education/master-of-library-and-information-science/student-resources/advising.php
  • After review of your Program of Study, your advisor will forward the completed package to the MLIS Department Head.