College Scholarship Opportunities in the Journalism Field

Journalism is an industry undergoing major flux. Traditional newspapers and news media have been impacted by the growth of online journalism and especially the impact of citizen journalism.

Best strategy for narrowing the focus on the wide field of “journalism scholarships” is to be detailed about your educational and career goals, as well as defining your student profile. In other words, your interests, financial and academic situation, as well as the type of journalism you’d like to pursue, all can be useful when creating a viable short-list of scholarships you could have a real-world chance at winning.

Types of journalism students:

  • Print/online journalists
  • Photographers or photojournalists
  • Broadcast journalists
  • Public relations

Which fits you?

Journalism Scholarships from Colleges and Universities

Generally large journalism programs are going to include a wide variety of “journalism” career pathways. Schools will have departments dedicated to Communications, Media, and Telecommunications. Shop fiercely for scholarships through your own school. Expect to find awards for incoming students, established students, various types of journalism majors, for minorities and women, for financial disadvantaged, for physically disabled, and general academic talent.

The University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications keeps a library of well-funded scholarships. Awards include those aimed at broadcast journalists, print journalists, sports journalists, and more.

Private Organizations Offering Journalism Scholarships

Private business, corporations, and professional organizations make up a major piece of the journalism scholarship pie for college students. The following are some of the more well-known programs, but you’ll discover many more along the way:

  • The National Press Club is one of the THE most auspicious organizations for journalists. The organization sponsors the competitive and popular Persina Scholarship for Diversity in Journalism. This is a $20,000 scholarship awarded to one outstanding minority high school senior. Qualified applicants must submit a selection of print or multi-media pieces as well as an essay.
  • The NCAA sponsors a scholarship for journalism students interested in sports reporting or journalism. The Freedom Forum NCAA Sports-Journalism Scholarship aims to reward undergraduate students at the junior level who are committed to pursuing careers in sports reporting or sports broadcasting. Awards are $3,000 and handed out to 8 students annually.
  • The Association of Electronic Journalists sponsors undergraduate scholarships: the Ed Bradley Scholarship, Ken Kashiwahara Scholarship, Carole Simpson Scholarship, and the Pete Wilson Journalism Scholarships. Graduate scholarships include: Abe Schechter Scholarships and the Pete Wilson Graduate Scholarships.