AH&LEF Annual Scholarship Grant Program

Award Amount
Application deadline
Awarded By:

American Hotel and Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF)

Number of Awards & Eligibility: The number of awards offered annually varies. In prior years, there were 241 scholarships awarded.
In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:
  1. This award is for U.S. students.
  2. Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
  3. Must have completed at least one full year if enrolled at a two-year institution OR must be of junior standing or higher if enrolled at a four-year institution (a sophomore may be named to receive a scholarship in his/her junior year).
  4. Must be enrolled full time (12 or more hours) through the fall and spring semesters. Students graduating in December may be nominated if enrolled full time in the fall semester.
  5. Must be enrolled in a hospitality management degree-granting program.
  6. Must have an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Students with a grade point average of 2.0 or higher may be considered for the Conrad Hilton Scholarship Fund.
  7. Must attend an AH&LEF-affiliated school. A list of affiliated schools is available on the AH&LEF website.

In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:

Description: This scholarship program is open to U.S. undergraduate students who are enrolled full time in a hospitality management degree-granting program. Students must have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher (with the exception of the Conrad Hilton Fund, which accepts students with grade point averages of 2.0 or higher).

Application requirements for the AH&LEF Annual Scholarship Grant Program are:

  • Essay
  • Nomination
  • Application form
  • Official Transcript
  • Financial data
Additional Information: This program is co-administered with a group of universities and colleges affiliated with AH&LEF. Financial support for the scholarship grant program is provided by the following scholarship funds: AH&LEF General Campaign; AH&LEF Hospitality 2000; Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS); Melinda Bush; John Clifford Memorial; Cecil B. Day Memorial; Handlery Hotels; Hilton Worldwide; Conrad N. Hilton Memorial; Creighton Holden Memorial; Hospitality Asset Managers Association; Steve Hymans Extended Stay Scholarship; Richard Kelley; Richard Kessler; J. Willard Marriott Memorial; Joseph McInerney Scholarship; Curtis C. Nelson. Additional funds for the program come from AH&LEF's Annual Giving Program and special events like the Big Apple Auction and Golf Classic. Each institution selects the students to receive the scholarship monies allotted to their school. AH&LEF scholarships are intended to honor well-rounded students who display outstanding qualities in all categories. The recipients must meet the minimum eligibility requirements and should be selected based on a combination of the following: academic performance; hospitality work experience; extracurricular involvement (activities, honors, and professional certification); financial need; personal attributes. Since the support for these awards comes from the lodging industry, recipients should be intent on a career in hotel/lodging management.

Award Amount: $500 to $6,000 annually. Award amounts vary based on the type of institution the student attends. Two-year institutions may not award less than $500 nor more than $3,000 per recipient per academic year. Four-year institutions may not award less than $1,000 nor more than $6,000 per recipient per academic year. Students who are graduating in December will receive one-half of the academic year award amount.Recipients are eligible to receive AH&LEF scholarships in subsequent years. Schools are encouraged to nominate previous AH&LEF scholarship recipients in subsequent years.  The total dollars awarded for this scholarship is $6,000.

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Please note: All applicants for this award must be nominated by their institution. Students may request nomination from their school's designated contact person; a list of contact persons is available on the AH&LEF website. Participating schools are required to send a nomination form confirming their nominees and providing suggested award amounts. AH&LEF will not consider applicants for these awards without verification of nomination from their respective schools. All students must apply via the AH&LEF online application. The student need only complete one application to apply for all scholarships for which he/she is eligible. As part of the online application, the student must provide the following supporting materials: an essay of 500 words or less describing his/her personal background; financial information, to include anticipated expenses for the upcoming academic year, financial data from his/her most recent tax return, and financials to date; and his/her most recent college, high school, or GED transcript that includes a cumulative grade point average based upon a 4.0 scale (strongly advised to upload transcript to application). Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on May 1. Please note: Each participating institution may set an earlier internal deadline; the student should contact his/her school's designated contact person for additional information.
About American Hotel and Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF):
Contact Information: Christa Boatman, Manager of Foundation Programs
Address: 1201 New York Ave., N.W. Suite 600 Washington, District of Columbia 20005-3931

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