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Scholarships and Awards

In addition to scholarships offered by the university and the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, we offer program-specific scholarships in religion and culture. 

Students talk near the Pylons in fall.

Each student is eligible to receive up to $2000. It will be automatically renewed for up to three additional years based on a 3.3 GPA in the religion and culture major and a 3.0 GPA overall. The deadline is August 31 at 9 AM. For more information, contact Professor Nicole Ni. 

Criteria for selection:

Religion and culture major; financial need; commitment to a career of service; academic potential; 3.3 in-major GPA; 3.0 overall GPA

To apply, please submit: 

- Your resume

- Application form

- Your unofficial VT transcript

- An essay of 250 words discussing the role of the religion and culture major in relation to your career goals with a focus on Ut Prosim

- A statement declaring your plans to use the money to study abroad, if you plan to do so

- A current FAFSA on file with the Office of University Scholarships and Financial Aid

Previous Scholarship Winners of Warren W. Hobbie Scholarship

Application deadline: August 31

Contact Person: Professor Nicole Ni

Dorothy Foster McCombs Endowed Scholarship

The Dorothy Foster McCombs Endowed Scholarship awards $1,000 annually to an undergraduate student who is from the Appalachian region (broadly defined) or who can demonstrate close ties to it. Applicants for the scholarship must have completed, or be enrolled and in good standing in, at least one Appalachian Studies course at Virginia Tech. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.5. Graduating seniors and incoming first-year students are ineligible.

Applicants will need to submit a General Scholarship Application and then provide the following information for the McCombs selection committee.

  1. Describe your relationship to Appalachia (approx. 200 words).
  2. How do you plan to interact with Appalachia in the future? (approx. 100-200 words)
  3. Describe your financial situation/financial need (approx. 100 words).
  4. Describe your future aspirations (approx. 100 words).
  5. List the course(s) you have taken in the Appalachian Cultures and Environments minor, and which instructor you had for each class.Describe how your thinking and choices have been shaped by your participation in APS courses (approx. 200 words).
  6. Are you enrolled in the Appalachian Cultures and Environments (APCE) Pathways Minor? YES/NO
  7. Please upload an unofficial transcript.

The McCombs Scholarship was established to honor the memory of Dorothy Foster McCombs and her commitment to Appalachian Studies and the Appalachian region. Dorothy McCombs served Newman Library at Virginia Tech, first as an instructor and then as a librarian, from 1972 until her retirement in 1989. McCombs had a great interest in Appalachian history, wrote a guide for library materials concerning the Appalachian region of Virginia, and served as a member of the board of advisors for the library's Appalachian collection after her retirement.

Deadline: Early spring semester

Apply through vt.academicworks.com.

Contact Person: Dr. Emily Satterwhite

Map of Appalachia counties

The Appalachian region of the United States as designated by Ann Dewitt Watts’ Terrain Map (Southeastern Geographer, 1978), plus counties and cities included in John Alexander Williams’ Loosely Constructed definition (Journal of Appalachian Studies, 1966). Map by Stewart Scales 2023.