Mary Gates Leadership Scholarship

• Mary Gates Leadership Scholarships encourage undergraduate students to develop their leadership abilities through practical experience, personal reflection and in community with mentors and peers.
• We ask you to articulate your own understandings of leadership, what you want to learn, and how you think the activity you have chosen will support your learning goals.
• Additionally, you must identify a mentor to provide you guidance and encouragement throughout your application process and award period.
• Applications are accepted twice per year – once in Autumn Quarter and once in Winter Quarter. The scholarships are $5,000 and disburse in installments of $2,500 each over two quarters. Graduating seniors with one quarter left of enrollment may request to receive a one-quarter award totaling $2,500.

1. Applicants must be matriculated UW undergraduate students registered full time during the award period and pursuing a bachelor’s degree at the UW Bothell, Seattle or Tacoma campus.
2. If you have other scholarships, fellowships, awards or stipends supporting your leadership activity and you are also selected for a Mary Gates Leadership Scholarship, you may not be eligible to receive the full amount of this award. If you would like to discuss your situation, please contact a Mary Gates Endowment staff member.
3. Once awarded, recipients must be actively engaged in their leadership project and remain full-time undergraduate students during their award period.
   • During summer quarter, students only need to be enrolled for one credit to receive funds.
4. A student may receive a maximum of one Mary Gates scholarship at a time. Students may successfully apply for multiple scholarships, but can receive funding for only one scholarship in any given quarter. 
5. Eligibility for previous Mary Gates Scholarship recipients:
   • Students who have received the same type of Mary Gates scholarship twice are not eligible to apply for a third award of that scholarship type.
   • Students are eligible for a total (maximum) of three Research and Leadership Scholarships (for example, if you have previously received two Research Scholarships, you would only be eligible to receive one Leadership Scholarship).

If you receive need-based financial aid, please click here to learn more about how receiving a Mary Gates scholarship may affect your financial aid.

Review Application Guidelines to find out what you will need in order to apply.  

Identify a mentor who will write you a letter supporting your leadership application. Read more about Finding & Developing a Strong Mentor Relationship

Start your online application by using the Application Login on the bottom panel of the website. 

All complete and eligible applications are reviewed and discussed by a reading committee, and candidates are evaluated based, in part, on their articulation of leadership, learning and project goals and their plans for achieving them. You can review the “Leadership Selection Criteria” here. 

The entire review process takes approximately 8 weeks. You may check on the status of your application online. We will also send you regular email messages as your application status changes. All students and mentors are sent notification of the final award decision.

• For the duration of your scholarship period, you must continue to be actively engaged with your leadership activity and your mentor, and remain a full-time undergraduate student (minimum of 12 credits during autumn, winter and spring quarters, and one credit for summer quarter);
• You will be asked to complete one brief survey for each quarter of award;
• You must present your work during Spring quarter at the designated event (Spring CELEbration).

You are also encouraged to participate in activities and events planned by the program staff and the Community of Mary Gates Scholars.