Women in STEM Scholarship

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be female
• Be enrolled or accepted to study full-time in a STEM degree program at one of MPOWER’s partner universities for the remainder of the student’s undergraduate study and/or for a graduate degree program
• Have one of the following immigration statuses:
  • For study at a U.S. partner college or university: F1 visa status, Green Card holder (permanent resident) status, or DACA recipient status
  • For study at a Canadian partner college or university: permanent resident or Canadian study permit holder
• You do not need to be an MPOWER borrower or applicant to apply for the MPOWER Women in STEM Scholarship as long as you meet the eligibility criteria set forth above.

We define this term broadly to include any program at an MPOWER partner university that will lead to a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. in any field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. This would include any branch of biology, chemistry, physics, geology, physical sciences, agricultural science, computer science, data science, engineering, or applied or theoretical mathematics. This does not include medical or nursing programs, although we expect to launch a separate competition for Nursing Scholarships soon. Full a more complete listing of the types of programs that we would consider STEM, please use this list. However, because it is difficult to develop a comprehensive list of this fast-changing field of study, please note that MPOWER may include additional degree programs not on this list if the program has a clear nexus with an area of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics.

In order to reduce the burden on applicants, we only require you to submit a copy of your transcript (or admission letter) and proof of your citizenship, gender, and immigration status (i.e., your passport and visa) after we provisionally select you for award.

MPOWER will select winners based on:

• The quality of the applicant’s written essays; the essays should demonstrate clarity of thought, compelling goals and vision, and superior writing skills in English;
• The applicant’s record of academic and (if applicable) professional distinction;
• The applicant’s potential to make significant contributions in a STEM field that will benefit people and/or the planet; and
• The applicant’s track record and/or potential as a role model and advocate for women and girls in STEM.

Following MPOWER’s selection of winners, MPOWER will verify their eligibility. Following such verification, all winners will be sent a Release. Following MPOWER’s receipt of a winner’s executed Release, MPOWER will disburse the funds directly to the winner’s college/university, subject to the requirements of any applicable U.S. or Canadian laws. In the event that a winner cannot be verified, or fails or refuses to execute the Release, such person becomes ineligible for the scholarship and MPOWER will select a replacement winner.

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Only one entry per scholarship. By applying for the MPOWER Women in STEM Scholarship, you agree to be bound by the official terms and conditions (“Terms and Conditions”).

Employees (including their immediate family [for e.g., spouse, parents, siblings, and children], and household members) of MPOWER Financing (the “MPOWER” ), its affiliates, subsidiaries and those of any agent, vendor, or supplier of MPOWER, are not eligible. Eligibility is contingent upon agreement to, compliance with, and fulfillment of all requirements set forth herein. Participation in the MPOWER Women in STEM Scholarship constitutes an entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Terms and Conditions and MPOWER’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the MPOWER Global Citizen Scholarship. Where applicable, the MPOWER Women in STEM Scholarship is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

The Women in STEM Scholarship Program is open only to students who meet the following requirements:

The student must:

• Be accepted at, or enrolled in, a full-time STEM degree program at a U.S. or Canadian school that MPOWER supports, and
• Be a female international student allowed to legally study in the U.S. or Canada, as applicable.
  • For study in the U.S., this means that the applicant is either a U.S. permanent resident (Green Card holder), protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, or has a valid visa that permits study in the U.S.
  • For study in Canada, this means the applicant is either a Canadian permanent resident or has a valid Canadian study permit.

You do not need to be an MPOWER borrower or applicant to apply for the MPOWER Women in STEM Scholarship as long as you meet the eligibility criteria set forth above.

We have created this scholarship specifically for international and DACA students. Therefore, U.S. citizens wishing to study in the U.S. and Canadian citizens wishing to study in Canada are not eligible for this scholarship.

This Scholarship is sponsored by MPOWER Financing (“MPOWER”), Public Benefit Corporation, 1101 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20036.

The Scholarship ends on December 31, 2024, at 11:59 pm EST. Only entries submitted and received during the Scholarship Period will be eligible. MPOWER is both the official timekeeper and final arbiter of eligibility for each Scholarship. For the Scholarship Period, three (3) Scholarship winners will be selected. The first-place winner will be awarded a US$6,000 MPOWER Scholarship to be applied to tuition, fees, or expenses at the winner’s school of attendance (each a “Prize”). Two additional winners will be awarded a US$2,000 scholarship and US$1,000 scholarship. Students (the “Entrants”) may enter the Scholarship once.

For any scholarship, only one entry will be accepted. Entrants must enter once during the Scholarship period. For each Scholarship, Entrants must fully complete and submit the online Scholarship entry form (an “Entry”) found at https://www.mpowerfinancing.com/scholarships/.

Any Entry that does not comply with these Terms and Conditions is void. All Entries become the property of MPOWER and will not be acknowledged or returned. Entry constitutes permission (except where prohibited by law) to use entrant’s university name, state, country of origin, and/or essay question response for purposes of advertising, promotion, and publicity in any and all media now or hereafter known, throughout the world in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification, permission, or approval. Any Entry found to contain erroneous, expired, canceled, fraudulent, or fake information is void. Only the actual student may participate in the MPOWER Women in STEM Scholarship, and the completion of the online entry form by any family member or other individual or entity will disqualify such Entry from this Scholarship. Any attempt by any person to obtain more than one Entry by any means (including, but not limited to, the use of multiple email addresses, phone numbers, identities, registrations, or logins; or any other unauthorized method of entry) will result in such person’s automatic disqualification from the MPOWER Women in STEM Scholarship. By submitting an Entry, you agree that MPOWER may, from time to time, communicate with you regarding products and services that it believes may be of interest to you.

Three (3) Scholarship winners will be selected. The first-place winner will be awarded a US$6,000 MPOWER Scholarship to be applied to tuition, fees, or expenses at the winner’s school of attendance (each a “Prize”). Two additional winners will be awarded a US$2,000 and a US$1,000 scholarship. Students (the “Entrants”) may enter the Scholarship once. There are no substitutions permitted for any awarded Prize. A Prize will only be awarded to the person submitting the Entry and may not be sold, assigned, or otherwise transferred (“Transfer”). Any Scholarship details or attempted Transfer shall be void. Any prize details not specified above will be determined by MPOWER in its sole discretion.

Entrants will be evaluated and selected based on:

• The quality of the applicant’s written essays; the essays should demonstrate clarity of thought, compelling goals and vision, and superior writing skills in English;
• The applicant’s record of academic and (if applicable) professional distinction;
• The applicant’s potential to make significant contributions in a STEM field that will benefit people and/or the planet; and
• The applicant’s track record and/or potential as a role model and advocate for women and girls in STEM.

MPOWER staff and/or contractors will first screen applications for eligibility. Then MPOWER staff and/or contractors will complete a first round of review. In this round, eligible applications will be screened for basic English spelling, grammar, and writing ability. Applications with extremely short or poorly written essays will be eliminated. In the second round, the remaining applications will be rated against each of the 4 selection criteria on a scale of 1-5  (equal weights applied). The ten applications with the highest aggregate score will be further scrutinized by a panel of judges, which may include MPOWER staff or members of the MPOWER social impact advisory board. The panel may select any of these 10 finalists for phone/Skype interviews. The panel will recommend a winner to the CEO, who will make the final selection decision according to the aforementioned selection criteria. MPOWER will then reach out to the winner and request a copy of her passport and visa to confirm eligibility (gender and STEM field), as well as an acceptance letter and/or transcript to confirm she is enrolled/accepted at a partner university.

As noted above, MPOWER Financing reserves the right to conduct interviews and/or request any additional information from any Entrants related to their Entry prior to decision. At a minimum, all selected winners will be required to provide a transcript and proof of citizenship and immigration status to verify that all eligibility requirements are met. All decisions (including but not limited to eligibility determinations) will be final and binding and are not subject to challenge or appeal. Prize awards are subject to MPOWER’s verification of winners’ eligibility. All winners will be required to submit (without alteration and in the form provided by MPOWER) a completed and signed Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability & Publicity Release (the “Release”). Winner’s failure to timely return an executed Release within the required time period to MPOWER will void a winner’s Prize award and the MPOWER reserves the right to award such Prize to an alternate entrant. Winners are solely responsible for the payment of any applicable federal, state, and local taxes associated with their acceptance and receipt of any Prize. Winners acknowledge that their Prize may be subject to U.S. or Canadian withholding, as applicable, and that they may be required to execute and return to MPOWER the U.S. Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service Form W-9 or Canadian equivalent.

All winners will be notified by telephone, email, and/or regular mail using contact information provided on their Entry. MPOWER shall have no liability for any winner notification that is lost, intercepted, or not received by the potential winner for any reason. If any potential winner does not respond within the time required by MPOWER, or if any winner notification is returned as unclaimed or undeliverable to a potential winner, or fails to timely return the Release to MPOWER, the Prize for that Scholarship will be awarded to an alternative winner selected by the Judges based on the results of the aforementioned judging criteria.

Following MPOWER’s verification of winner’s eligibility and receipt of the executed Release from a winner, MPOWER shall pay the Prize on winner’s behalf, directly to winner’s school of enrollment. MPOWER will not have any liability to winner in the event that winner’s school refuses, loses, fails to properly apply, or otherwise fails to credit any Prize (or portion thereof) for winner’s benefit.

Except where prohibited by law, Entrant agrees that: (1) all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with a Competition or any prize awarded will be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate federal or state court located in the District of Columbia; (2) all claims, judgments, and awards will be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering a Competition, but in no event will include attorneys’ fees; and (3) Entrant will not be permitted to obtain awards for indirect, punitive incidental and consequential damage and any rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Terms and Conditions, or the rights or obligations of Entrant or MPOWER in connection with a Competition, are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules, no matter what jurisdiction, that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than as stated.

The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Terms and Conditions will not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event any provision is found invalid or unenforceable, these Terms and Conditions will otherwise remain in effect in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or unenforceable provision was never included. The MPOWER’s failure to enforce any term of these Terms and Conditions does not constitute a waiver of that provision. The MPOWER may cancel, suspend, and/or modify a Competition or any part of it, in any way, if the MPOWER determines in its sole discretion that a Competition is not capable of executing as the MPOWER intended, or that any mistake, clerical, or typographical error, omission, fraud, technical failure, tampering, computer virus, or other factor, technical or otherwise, beyond the MPOWER’s reasonable control, impairs or may impair the MPOWER’s ability to properly conduct the Competition, subject to any applicable law or regulation.

Information collected from Entrants in connection with a Scholarship is subject to the MPOWER’s Privacy Policy.

The list of winners will be announced via email. In extenuating circumstances, MPOWER reserves the right to protect the privacy of scholarship recipients.

Though a Competition may be promoted via social media websites, such websites are not affiliated with the MPOWER or any Competition. No Scholarship is in anyway sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or any other site or medium that might host content where information about a Competition is posted or published (collectively “Content Hosts”). Entrant is providing information only to the MPOWER and not to any Content Hosts.