The Scholarships Program administered by BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) supports development of the best and brightest future information technology professionals worldwide through learning opportunities.

We established our scholarship program to stimulate the interest of young people in the fields of science and technology, areas where youth from underserved communities are seriously underrepresented. Our scholarships assist students in obtaining degrees from accredited institutions of high learning in the fields of computer science, mathematics and information technology related field.

BETF scholarships are funded by individual donations, grant awards or corporate sponsorship. All BETF scholarships are open for BDPA student members ... with an emphasis on students that participate in the BDPA Student Information Technology & Scholarship (SITES) program. This program enriches the educational opportunities for our students in an after-school program of technology training with a focus on low-and moderate-income communities.

BETF scholarships have been awarded to hundreds of high school and college students over the years. The common denominator for all scholarships is the payment process. This standard operating procedure (SOP) shares the process for scholarship payments.

Point A: Scholar/Student Requests Scholarship Payment

1. Submit Application and Required Documents – Scholar/Student submits scholarship payment application and supporting documentation:
   1. Scholarship Payment Application – complete the application at the end of this document.
      
      
   2. Digital photograph - Appropriate for use on the website.
      
      
   3. Brief Biography - Be sure to include your career goals, current major, current school, and employment experience, if any.
      
      
   4. BDPA Testimonial - Be sure to include your most memorable BDPA moments and what impact participating in BDPA has had on you.
      
      
   5. Proof of Enrollment at the College or University – This could be acceptance letter, class registration or other official correspondence from the school.
      
      
2. Document Verification – It is the responsibility of the BETF Scholarship Administrator to review and verify the application and supporting documentation.

a. If the application and supporting documentation are incomplete, the scholar/student will be contacted and asked to submit additional information.

b. If the application and supporting documentation are complete, the BETF Scholarship Administrator will process the scholarship application.

c. Verficiation of active BDPA chapter membership. If you are not an active member of BDPA, you cannot receive your disbursement. Please be sure you are active member of a local BDPA chapter.

Point B: Scholarship Payment will be issued to College or University

1. BETF will remit the scholarship funds to the College or University on behalf of the scholar/student.
   
   
2. BETF Scholarship Administrator will inform scholar/student that the scholarship payment has been made. 

BETF Scholarship Payment Summary

The scholarship payment is a one-time cash award. When BETF remits funds, it will be for the full scholarship amount. The scholarship payment will be a check made payable in the student’s name to the student’s college or university. The student can apply these funds to tuition, or any other school expense payable through the college. Refunds of any excess funds are not permitted. BETF only makes checks out to the applicable college or university.

The family and/or guardians of the student are responsible for any income tax implications associated with the scholarship award. Please contact your financial advisor for advice on your personal situation. The application form contains a “Funds Due Date” field where the student can specify when funds should be sent to the college or university. This often relates to the college or university payment schedule. BETF will do its best to meet the requested date, but the ability to meet that date will depend on a complete/accurate scholarship application and verification of the student’s eligibility.

Please note that some local BDPA chapters have their own scholarship awards. The guidelines outlined here apply only to scholarships administered by BETF. If there is a local chapter scholarship award, please contact the local chapter for the guidelines to process that award.

BETF would like to receive all scholarship applications AT LEAST 60 DAYS prior to when the funds are needed. This will provide enough lead time to handle any questions or issues, and also allow time for information to be sent in the mail. At most colleges and universities you can notify the Financial Aid department that you are processing scholarship funds. They will most likely ask you for the award certificate or award letter for their records. They often will then adjust your balances on their records noting that a scholarship check will cover those funds. There usually are no issues holding up any processing at the school as long as they have the documentation and know the check is being processed.

Please click the "Next" button to complete your application.