WVHTAEF Scholarship
Scholarship Sponsored by West Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association Educational Foundation
Purpose and overview
The WVHTA Education Foundation’s scholarship endowment and career-mentoring initiative exists to help students finish the education pathway that has begun within West Virginia. Awards are available to graduating high school students from across the state who plan to pursue post-secondary study in the hospitality and tourism fields. Applicants must be residents of West Virginia, though they may intend to attend institutions located outside the state.
Who is eligible
The WVHTAEF Scholarship is intended for students who are graduating seniors at a West Virginia high school and who satisfy all of the following conditions:
- Hold at least a 2.75 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale.
- Have completed a minimum of 250 hours of work experience related to hospitality, travel, or recreation.
- Have applied to a hospitality-, travel-, or recreation-management program at a post-secondary institution and intend to enroll for at least two terms; enrollment may be full-time or substantial part-time.
Required application materials
To be considered complete, an application packet must include:
- The completed scholarship application form.
- Official transcript(s).
- Essay (see Section 4 of the application for essay requirements).
- Documentation proving at least 250 hours of relevant hospitality, travel, or recreation work experience.
- Letter(s) of recommendation on organizational or professional letterhead.
- A copy of the college acceptance letter, if already available; otherwise, a copy of the college application.
Deadlines and submission rules
All application materials must be postmarked by March 31 of each year. Applications that are incomplete or received after the March 31 deadline will not be reviewed.
Renewal and reapplication
Recipients must continue to carry a minimum 2.75 GPA and remain enrolled in an appropriate hospitality-, travel-, or recreation-related course of study to retain eligibility in subsequent years. Previous scholarship recipients may reapply after their first year and in subsequent years, provided they meet the 2.75 GPA requirement and continue to major in a qualifying field.