The O’Brien-Vrba Scholarship Trust is intended to assist current undergraduate students in their sophomore, junior, or senior years, and graduate students. This program was established to assist rural Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan high school graduates who plan to continue their education in college. PNC Bank, N.A. is the trustee of the O’Brien-Vrba Scholarship Trust.
This program is administered by Scholarship America, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor, and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.
Scholarship Brief Details:
- Host Country: India
- Level of Study: Graduate School
- Institution(s): Current Academic Year
- Coverage: Full funded
- Eligibility: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin
- Time Period: Full-time
- Program Duration: Four-Year University
- Deadline: April 8, 2025 03:00 PM CDT
Scholarship Requirements
Your official, comprehensive transcript of grades from every college you have attended or are presently enrolled in. The name of the student, the name of the institution, the grades and credit hours earned for each course, and the period in which each course was taken must all appear on transcripts.
Please give the school you will be attending a copy of your admission letter if you plan to transfer schools.
A copy of the Financial Information Page’s first two pages from the most current IRS 1040 form or forms. The first two pages of the individual’s IRS 1040 tax return must be included with the application if the student is being listed as a dependent on that person’s tax return. Please turn off the lights.
Also, as part of your application, you must assign two recommenders who need to upload letters of recommendation on your behalf by April 11, 2025 3:00 pm Central Time:
- a letter attesting to your performance and character from a teacher, advisor, or clergy person. The reference’s title and signature must appear on the letterhead.
- a note attesting to your participation from the person in charge of organizing community service. Leadership positions are given more weight. Have the reference state in the letter whether a leadership role was part of the community activity. School groups are not considered community service activities unless they have completed particular community service. The reference’s title and signature must appear on the letterhead.
Without the electronic submission of all necessary documents, your application is incomplete.
Your application is not complete unless all required documents are submitted electronically.
Scholarship Benefits and Awards
O’Brien-Vrba Scholarship Trust determines the number of prizes and their amounts. The annual minimum reward amount is $2,500. Renewing an award can be done for a maximum of two more years or until a graduate degree is obtained, whichever comes first. As the trustee of the O’Brien-Vrba Scholarship Trust Program, PNC Bank, N.A., requires that students maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale during a full-time course of study in order to be eligible for renewal.
Both undergraduate and graduate studies are eligible for the awards.
Notification
In late June, applicants will get notification. Not every program candidate will be chosen to receive funding. Nonrecipients who fulfill eligibility requirements each year are eligible to reapply for the program.
Selection of Recipients
- Need for money
- Academic success
- Volunteering in the community
- Experience in the workplace
- The deadline for submitting two online letters of recommendation on your behalf is April 11, 2025, at 3:00 PM Central Time.
- One regarding the applicant’s performance and character from a teacher, advisor, or clergy member
- One from a supervisor of community service discussing the applicant’s leadership and service throughout the activity
Priority will be given to applicants who identify as Catholic, attend a Catholic university, or engage in activities offered by their college’s Newman Center.
All qualified applicants will be assessed by Scholarship America and sent to PNC Bank, Trustee. After reviewing all application materials, including essay replies, an external scholarship committee will choose the winners. Not every program candidate will be chosen to receive funding. Every applicant acknowledges that the decision is final.
Terms and condition of scholarship selection criteria
- During high school, I lived in a rural county that was authorized, and I still do. List of Eligible Counties
Note: Candidates will be deemed to have satisfied the rural residency criterion if they completed high school in DeKalb, Illinois. - be an undergraduate or graduate student who intends to spend the entire next academic year enrolled full-time in an undergraduate or graduate program at a four-year college or university that has earned accreditation.
- possess a grade point average (or its equivalent) of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- Engage in community service and school-related activities.
- possess an adjusted gross income of $150,000 or less for their family.
- Give your permission for PNC Bank, N.A., the trustee of the O’Brien-Vrba Scholarship Trust Program, to receive the applicant’s contact details and all supporting documentation.
We invite all qualified candidates to apply. Additional consideration is given to applicants who identify as Catholic, attend a Catholic university, and/or engage in activities run by their college’s Newman Center.