Bethel Korean Presbyterian Church is accepting applications for a 2026-2027 academic year scholarship from students in pursuit of higher education, as provided below.

Scholarship Purpose

Bethel Korean Presbyterian Church established its annual scholarship program to help qualified full-time students achieve their academic goals by offering financial assistance with educational expenses.  Through this scholarship program, Bethel seeks to share its blessings from the Lord, to be a blessing to the surrounding community both locally and beyond.

Scholarship Selection: Scholarship awards will be based on financial need, substance of personal statement and essay response, reference recommendations, and strength of academic record.  

Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted through 11:59 pm EDT, Friday April 17, 2026.

Applicant Categories:

1. Graduating High School Seniors:  Graduating high school seniors in Maryland who will be enrolled as full-time students for the 2026-2027 academic year either in a 2-year College or 4-year College within the US are invited to apply.
2. College Students:  *Full-time undergraduate college students currently enrolled in a degree program within the US and will be enrolled within the US through the 2026-2027 academic year, who are in good academic standing (GPA > 3.0), are invited to apply.
3. Seminary Students:  Students who will be enrolled in a *full-time seminary degree program within the US through the 2026-2027 academic year are invited to apply. Preference will be given to students seeking their first masters level seminary degree.

* Full time status must be validated by school.

Scholarship Amounts

College Study:  1 year, $1000
Seminary Study:  1 year, $2000

Application Period: March 2, 2026 - April 17, 2026

Application Method: Online at bethelchurch.org/scholarship (no postal mail please).  Please be sure to fully answer all questions and thoroughly respond to applicable prompts.

Questions: Please submit any questions to scholarship@bethelchurch.org.

Required Documents: (As noted in the later sections of this application) copy of transcript, registered course list for the Fall 2026 term (preliminary course list acceptable for application purposes), and essay responses. 

Award Notification:  The selected students will be notified on or about May 20, 2026, via email. The selected students are thereafter:

• Required to submit official verification of full time enrollment for the upcoming Fall 2026 term at their colleges/seminaries within the United States. 
• Asked to send a photo and short video acknowledging their acceptance of the scholarship awards.

Please indicate: Are you a previous recipient of this Bethel Scholarship?

Please note, letters of recommendation from two references are required.

The two references* should be:

1. A current/former teacher, school counselor, principal, or professor who knows the applicant's academic capabilities; AND
    
2. A mentor/leader of your church or volunteer organization who knows the applicant's stewardship and dedication.

* The references may NOT be family members of the applicant.

* To avoid incomplete application, all applicants are strongly encouraged to follow up with all references to confirm submission of reference letters.

 

Describe your financial situation and financial need (including FARM, Free And Reduced Meal plan), with supporting documentation. Please identify all current sources of income (employment, stipends, scholarships, other financial support) Please also provide any pertinent information that will help the committee understand beyond the numbers provided in this application (max 250 words).

AI Notice & Certification of Originality:  Please accept by checking the boxes below to proceed with this application.

Please provide a written response to one of the following prompts that will help the committee understand more about you (max 500 words):

Are you in agreement with the system of doctrine contained in the Westminster Standards? If not, can you share a similar evangelical statement or confession of faith that you subscribe to? Please explain. (max 200 words)

Describe your spiritual journey, and how it led you to pursue seminary studies (max 500 words).

What are some ways God confirmed your calling to ministry? (max 200 words)

By completing and submitting this application, I certify that the information and representations made on this application are accurate and complete. I authorize Bethel Korean Presbyterian Church to verify the information contained in this application, and to communicate directly with the references provided in this application. I understand that this application is only for evaluation purposes to be considered for a scholarship, and does not guarantee to receive any scholarship award from Bethel Korean Presbyterian Church.

 

All information contained in this application, and received from others as a part of the application evaluation shall be considered confidential information.

 

I understand that submitting false or deceptive information will automatically disqualify me from consideration for any and all scholarships offered by Bethel Korean Presbyterian Church.