CUNY University Student Senate Scholarships

Established in 1995 by the University Student Senate of the City University of New York (CUNY USS), the USS Merit Scholarship was renamed the Ernesto Malave Merit Scholarship in 2010, which recognize students who demonstrate outstanding academic and leadership performance under extraordinary circumstances. In 2003, CUNY USS established the Donald & Mary Ellen Passantino Scholarship; which was renamed the USS Donald and Mary Ellen Passantino International Students and Students with Disabilities Scholarship in 2010. The scholarship recognizes international students and students with disabilities who have demonstrated outstanding scholarship and enthusiastic leadership and service under extraordinary circumstances. In 2013, CUNY USS established the Graduate Peer Mentoring Scholarship to recognize students for demonstrating a tremendous effort to help other graduate students through academic support, professional development, and leadership development within their college community.

USS requests that each campus sends four (4) candidates for the Ernesto Malave Merit Scholarship, four (4) candidates for each of the Donald and Mary Ellen Passantino Scholarships, and four (4) candidates for the Graduate Peer Mentoring Scholarship. USS will award one (1) Ernesto Malave Merit Scholarship per campus in the amount of $1,500.00, which will be paid in one disbursement. USS must award one (1) Passantino Scholarship to an international student and one (1) Passantino Scholarship to a student with a disability, per campus in the amount of $1,000.00 each. USS must also award one (1) Graduate Peer Mentoring Scholarship per campus in the amount of $1,000.00, which will be paid in one disbursement.

Award / Eligibility Details:

During the current semester in which applicants apply for a scholarship, applicants shall be matriculated students, in active attendance. Undergraduate applicants must be registered for a minimum of six (6) credits, and have already completed a minimum of twenty-four (24) credits and no more than eighty (80) credits at a CUNY college. Graduate applicants must be registered for a minimum of three (3) credits, and have completed a minimum of six (6) credits at a CUNY college and no more than twenty-four (24) credits total. Students of graduate or professional programs with credits requirements of more than 30 credits must have completed a minimum of 12 credits and no more than 80% of the credits required for a degree. Graduating seniors are not eligible. Students who meet the above registration criteria and are fulfilling internship requirements, but are not in active attendance on their campuses, are still eligible. All applicants must be permanent residents, citizens, or NYC residents to apply for any USS scholarship (the only exception being international students).

Additional requirements:

International students must be in valid F-1 or J-1 immigration status during the semester in which they are applying for the scholarship, and during the semester in which the scholarship is awarded. They are also required to maintain full-time credit and course-loads, and provide appropriate documentation.
Applicants to the USS Donald and Mary Ellen Passantino International Students and Students with Disabilities Scholarship must have attained a minimum grade point average of 2.5. For students with disabilities, applications shall be accompanied by a letter of verification from the college’s Director of Disability Services.
Applicants to the Merit Scholarship must have attained a 3.5 GPA average.
Applicants to the Graduate Peer Mentoring Scholarship must have attained a 3.0 GPA average.

Deadline: Early April each year

Academic Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Type/Purpose: Graduate School Funding, Undergraduate Level Funding

Field of Study: All, Arts & Humanities, Business, Education / Teaching, Public Affairs / Policy, Social Sciences, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)

Location: United States

Citizenship eligibility: All, Foreign Citizen / International Student, Permanent Resident, US Citizen, US National

Special Circumstances: Students with disabilities

For more information: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/open-society-presidential-fellowship