The Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) Education Scholarship will be awarded to a person who has been released from a West Virginia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (WVDCR) state prison or federal prison (Bureau of Prisons; BOP) in West Virginia and who will be beginning or continuing their undergraduate or graduate education at a college or university in West Virginia.
Eligibility extends to people who have served at least one year post-conviction in WV under custody of the WVDCR, whether that that time was served in prison or jail, or the BOP. The applicant must have been released within three years of the application deadline. Previous winners are not eligible.
Scholarship funds must be applied toward higher education, e.g., to registration costs, books and supplies, fees, or other costs associated with participating in a higher education program.
One $3,000 scholarship will be available for the 2023–2024 academic year.
Your application should include the following:
- A cover sheet that provides your full name, contact information, and your WVDCR, OID, or BOP number. Please include your dates of incarceration and the university or college you will be attending. Sign your cover sheet. Your signature indicates your agreement to the above terms.
- A brief statement (maximum 500 words) on a separate page in which you tell us in your own words about your educational, professional, or life goals. Please do not put your name on this part of the submission.
- Verification of enrollment in a higher education program at an accredited academic institution in West Virginia. Potential verification of enrollment might include registration for classes, accepted financial aid, accepted scholarship, accepted work study/student employment/graduate research assistant/graduate teaching assistant position, or confirmed student housing. For those seeking verification from West Virginia University, visit the verification resources on the university website.
The submission deadline is July 15, 2023 (postmarked or received by). Submit your application via email to appalachianpbp@gmail.com. Please put “Education Scholarship” as the subject line. You can also mail materials to Katy Ryan, English Department, PO Box 6296, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26507.
Applications will be reviewed by the APBP Education Scholarship Committee, which will consist of at least three members. Decisions will be made by August 1, 2023.
If you have any questions about the scholarship or application process, please contact APBP.