Scholarships & Fellowship for Graduate Students

Graduate Scholarship Award 

All students who apply and are accepted to a graduate program (except for Athletic Training & Solstice MFA) will automatically be considered for a scholarship if they meet the GPA requirements. $2,000 and $4,000 scholarships are available. The number of scholarships awarded will vary each session.  GPS will award as many scholarships as possible each start term with a ‘first come, first serve’ model. Disbursement of the scholarship will be over 12 sessions (8-week semesters) for a total of 2 years; however, the student can accelerate their program and thus condense the disbursement to fewer sessions.

Requirements For Scholarship Consideration

• Complete a full graduate program application with uploaded documents
• Well-written personal essay. The essays should show passion and dedication for the program of study and clearly state how this degree will positively impact their career or personal growth.
• Demonstrated professionalism shown in provided resume and solid experience that will add to the classroom experience.
• Strong academics
  
  • Minimum cumulative 3.2 UG GPA for a $2,000 scholarship
  • Minimum cumulative 3.4 UG GPA for a $4,000 scholarship

Please note: All scholarships will supersede previous awarding and cannot be combined with another discount, including the Alumni 10% discount, employee discounts, or referrals. Those selected for a Graduate Assistantship will forfeit any scholarship or discount in place for the GA tuition waiver. The Alumni Discount will replace any scholarship award that is less than 10% of their tuition and will be combined with any scholarship that is more than 10% of their tuition.  Does not apply to the MFA and MS in Athletic Training Program.

Master's in Athletic Training Scholarship

Applicants who apply before the Priority Application deadline of January 12, 2024 are considered for a $5250 scholarship for the September 2024 start. Apply now for the MS in Athletic Training program, let your enrollment counselor know you are interested in the scholarship and you will automatically be considered.

• Students must have a 3.0 GPA or higher to be eligible and maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA through the program to keep the scholarship.

Learn more about our MS in Athletic Training program or apply now.

Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program Fellowships & Scholarships

Prospective Solstice fellowship recipients should submit the general application form and indicate interest by checking the appropriate box as well as submit their 1- to 2-page essays if applying for the Kurt Brown, Dubus, or Still Fellowships.

Summer/Fall 2024 Fellowship Opportunities

Applicants who wish to be considered for fellowships granted for the summer/fall 2024 semester should submit the general application form by Monday, April 29, 2024.  

Here are the available opportunities:

The Kurt Brown Fellowship for Diverse Voices

Through the generous support of Laure-Anne Bosselaar (wife of the late Kurt Brown) and family, Lee Hope, and the Solstice Institute, the Solstice MFA Program is able to award The Kurt Brown Fellowship to support an incoming student of diverse background or experience who also demonstrates financial need. The Fellowship provides a $1,500 tuition discount to a first-semester student who begins the program during the summer residency/fall semester. 

Writers of all genres are welcome to apply. The Kurt Brown Fellowship especially seeks to support individuals from cultural, ethnic, and geographic backgrounds who otherwise might not be adequately represented in the program. If you wish to be considered for this Fellowship, please include with your complete application a brief (1 – 2 pages, typed, double-spaced) essay explaining how you meet the Fellowship’s criteria (above) and why the Fellowship would meaningfully support your pursuit of a degree in the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program. The Fellowship is awarded based on the applicant’s writing sample, their 1-2 page essay, and financial need demonstrated by way of a FAFSA form. 

The Dubus Fellowship for Native & Indigenous Writers

Through the generous support of Andre Dubus III, the Solstice MFA Program is able to award The Dubus Fellowship for Native & Indigenous Writers to support an eligible incoming student who also demonstrates financial need. The Fellowship provides a $1,500 tuition discount to a first-semester student who begins the program during the winter residency/spring semester (or summer/fall if no Fellowship is awarded in winter/spring).

Native & Indigenous writers of all genres are welcome to apply. If you wish to be considered for this Fellowship, please include with your complete application a brief (1–2 pages, typed, double-spaced) essay explaining your tribal enrollment or affiliation, if applicable, and why the Fellowship would meaningfully support your pursuit of a degree in the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program. The Fellowship is awarded based on the applicant’s writing sample, the 1- to 2-page essay, and financial need demonstrated on FAFSA form

The Monica Hand Fellowship for Nontraditional Students

Established by Solstice MFA Program graduate Ann Breidenbach, the Monica Hand Fellowship for Nontraditional Students honors the memory of its namesake poet, playwright, and scholar, who ramped up her writing career after working for the U.S. Postal Service for 32 years. The award of a $1,500 tuition discount will be given to a first-semester student age 40 or older. Writers of all genres are welcome to apply. Applicants who wish to be considered should submit the general application form and indicate interest in this fellowship. 

The Billy Still Fellowship for Social Action & Writing

Through the generous support of Ann Still, widow of Solstice alum Billy Still, the Solstice MFA Program is able to award The Billy Still Fellowship for Social Action & Writing to support an incoming student who enters our Social Action & Writing Track (SAWT). The Fellowship provides a $1,500 tuition discount to a first-semester student who begins the program and enrolls in SAWT during the summer residency/fall semester. 

An alum of the Solstice MFA Program, Billy Still (1953 – 2023) was a "a man of many parts," to quote Ann, including a storyteller, creative nonfiction writer, family man, adventurer, mountain climber, intellectual, and theologian. His memoir, The Jawbone of a Carnivore (2019), explored (in Billy’s words) "the adventurous life and the pathway to peace that can come from it."

Writers of all genres are welcome to apply. The Billy Still Fellowship especially seeks to support individuals who wish to embark on a journey of social action and writing—or are already on that path. If you hope to enroll in the SAWT and wish to be considered for this Fellowship, please check the appropriate box on our application form and include with your complete application a brief (1 – 2 pages, typed, double-spaced) essay. In it, explain what social action writing or activities you might have accomplished already (if any) and how you hope SAWT will help you embark on or further your journey.

Winter/Spring 2025 Fellowship Opportunities

Applicants who wish to be considered for fellowships granted for the winter/spring 2025 semester should submit the general application form by Monday, October 28, 2024.

Here are the available opportunities:

The Francis L. Toner Fellowship for Veterans

Established by Solstice MFA Program student Mark Jednaszewski, the Francis L. Toner Fellowship for Veterans honors the memory of LTJG Toner, USN, who in 2011 was awarded the Silver Star (posthumously) for his service, gallantry, and self-sacrifice on behalf of his fellow officers in Afghanistan. The Fellowship provides either a $1,500 tuition waiver toward the recipient’s first semester or free room & board on campus for the first year in the Solstice MFA Program. Lt. Toner’s Silver Star citation

Genre-Based Fellowships

Thanks to the generous support of our underwriters, Solstice offers four genre-based fellowships for students entering the program in winter/spring. Each provides a $1,500 tuition discount toward the recipient’s first semester:

• The Doug and Betsy Sholl Poetry Fellowship
• The Dennis Lehane Fiction Fellowship 
• The Michael Steinberg Creative Nonfiction Fellowship 
• The Jacqueline Woodson Fellowship for a Young People’s Writer of African or Caribbean Descent  

Writers Helping Writers Scholarships

Writers Helping Writers Scholarships are funded with help from Solstice Program alumni. Writers who successfully apply to Lasell’s Solstice MFA Program and who demonstrate financial need are eligible for a Writers Helping Writers Scholarship. Scholarship recipients receive a total of $4,000, allotted in $1,000 increments, one per semester for four semesters (not including the fifth, graduating residency). Scholarships are awarded as a tuition discount applied directly to your bill. Eligibility is determined via students’ FAFSA forms, which must show a Student Aid Index (SAI) of $1,500 or lower. It is highly recommended that WHW Scholarship hopefuls apply early, as scholarships are awarded during each application period until funds are depleted.