Foundation for Rural Service Scholarships 2026

Since 1994, the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) aims to assist people and communities in rural areas that receive telephone and broadband service from members of NTCA--The Rural Broadband Association. We believe that the future of our rural communities is intrinsically linked to the future of our nation as a whole. FRS has awarded over $2 million in scholarships since its inception, empowering rural students to advance their communities with invaluable skill sets and experiences.

FRS annually awards scholarships to rural students for their first year of 2-year or 4-year college, or vocational school. New this year is a scholarship for non-traditional students who have not recently graduated from high school and who may be entering college or vocational school while working, or returning students who have taken a break from their studies.

All applicants must reside in the service area of an NTCA—The Rural Broadband Association member company to be eligible. The application requires the student to identify that member company from a drop-down menu.

The value of the scholarships ranges from $1,000-$9,000, based on a variety of criteria. One application qualifies a student for all available FRS scholarships.

For more information on available FRS scholarships, please visit our awards page. All applications must be submitted by February 14, 2026 at 11:59pm EST.

Applicant must:

• Live in the service area of a current NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association member. Many of these companies also require the appliant to be a customer. Click HERE to view the NTCA Membership Map to identify the telephone or broadband company in your area.

• Express an interest to return to a rural community following graduation, as discussed in the essay.

Applications are reviewed and scored by an independent group of high school counselors and teachers. Recipients will be notified in April/May of 2026.

Terms and Conditions

• All applications will be reviewed, and awardees selected by a qualified selection committee.

• Scholarships will be awarded without regard to race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender or disability.

• Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Any application without the required letters of recommendation will be considered incomplete.

• Any use of artificial intelligence (A.I.) to answer any questions on this application is not permitted. Plagiarism is also not permitted. Each application will be checked for A.I. and plagiarism, and if either are found, the application will be immediately removed from consideration.

• Scholarships are a one-time award. Scholarships may be deferred for one year, if approved by FRS.

• Awards will be paid upon proof of acceptance at a 2-year, 4-year, or vocational college or university and will be issued by August 2026.

• All awards will be paid directly to the educational institution the student plans to attend. If the student does not matriculate at that school, the funds will be returned to FRS; if the student transfers, the funds may transfer.

• Awardees will forfeit their scholarship if mandatory paperwork is not received by FRS within 60 days of notification that they have been selected.

• Recipients will be contacted directly and names posted to www.FRS.org/scholarships in the spring.