At-Large High School Scholarship 2026

Welcome to the Arctic Education Foundation (AEF) At-Large High School Scholarship 2026 application session.

Arctic Education Foundation (AEF) awards annual scholarships to graduating at-large high school seniors who are ASRC shareholders or descendants of original ASRC shareholders. These awards are to be used for college or training expenses, and are in addition to other funding available through AEF.

The At-Large High School Scholarship Award is a one-time award that will be made only to qualified AEF applicants, who at the time of award: (a) have attended one (1) or more years of high school; (b) are seniors graduating from high school; and (c) plan to continue their education through college or workforce development opportunities.

Six (6) At-Large High School Scholarship Awards will be awarded each year in the amount of $2,000 each. Candidates must display superior academic performance, demonstrated leadership ability and/or community service achievements. These will be measured by objective criteria (e.g. grade point average, essay, letters of recommendation, etc.).

Deadline

The annual deadline is June 30th. Late and/or incomplete applications will not be considered.

AEF is a private non-profit organization committed to providing financial assistance to eligible applicants pursing higher education. The goal of the foundation is to support students who are furthering their education beyond high school or to become job ready. Applicants must meet eligibility requirements to receive funding and must supply all documents required.

Reminder: AEF has semester and quarterly financial limits. Funding is awarded based on demonstrated financial need for eligible expenses including tuition, fees, books, and in some cases, room and board. We encourage you to apply for other scholarships which you may be eligible for. We particularly encourage you to submit a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) whether or not you feel you qualify for any of their grants (www.fafsa.ed.gov).

As part of this application, please be prepared to submit: 

1. Financial Need Sheet. This is a form that will be filled out by your financial aid office and submitted as part of your application. 

2. High School Transcript 

3. Diploma or GED

4. Genealogy for Eligibility Determination

5. Two letters of recommendation

6. Personal Essay 

Arctic Education Foundation has several areas of eligibility all of which you must satisfy in order to be determined eligible for an AEF scholarship award.

Requirements

1. You must be a member of at least one of the eligible classes of recipients: 

• A Northern Alaska Inupiat Native of at least 1/4 blood quantum currently residing in the Arctic Slope Region,  

• An original 1971 shareholder of the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation  

• and/or a direct lineal descendant of an original 1971 shareholder of the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation 

2. Current seniors attending high school or recent high school graduates

3. You must be at least 17 years old or 16 and be legally emancipated   

4. Anticipating completion of high school diploma, or have already received your diploma at the time of application 

5. You must be a United States citizen and a United States resident   

6. Planning to enter or currently be enrolled in college or postsecondary training  

7. Must currently have and maintain a 2.5 grade point average (GPA) throughout the cycle of the award.

* “Northern Alaska Inupiat Native” is defined by AEF as an Inupiat Native who: was originally enrolled by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (“ASRC”) on December 17, 1971 the implementation date of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act [“ANCSA”; 43 USC § 1601 et seq.]; or was subsequently enrolled by ASRC as a Class E “missed shareholder” who was eligible to enroll to ASRC on such date, but failed to timely enroll and did not enroll to another ANCSA Region; or is a direct lineal descendant (by blood or adoption, not marriage) of such an Inupiat Native.