Scholarships

The Nemesio Canales Honors Scholarship supports Honors College students who have financial need. The award provides funding for the Honors Program fee and a small stipend for books and supplies to help students access Honors education. This scholarship is named for Nemesio Canales Rivera (1879-1923) a prominent Puerto Rican writer, public scholar, activist, and advocate committed to human rights and access to knowledge. Students who identify as Hispanic or indigenous and those coming from rural areas are especially encouraged to apply.

Deadline to apply is April 15, 2025

Criteria:

1. Students enrolled in the NAU Honors College,
2. The applicant has remaining costs of attendance not covered by other aid, excluding loans; and
3. Students who meet the Access to Excellence (A2E) initiative income threshold.

Apply here through NAU’s Scholarship Universe!

Students must meet the following criteria:

1. Enrolled full-time as an undergraduate in Northern Arizona University’s Honors College
2. Maintain a grade point average of 3.30 or higher (where A = 4.0);
3. Remaining costs of attendance not covered by other aid
4. Arizona Resident

Incoming freshman Honors students for Fall 2025 are eligible for this award. Applications will be reviewed on April 15, 2025. Review will take place by an internal committee and the Garcia Family Foundation, and scholars will be notified in mid-May 2025. All communication about this award will be to NAU email addresses. The Garcia Scholarship cannot be held concurrently with the Flinn or Dorrance Scholarship but is otherwise stackable with other University or Honors College awards. FInally, be sure to request your need information be shared with other NAU units to verify financial need at OSFA’s Consent to Release information webpage.

Apply to the Garcia Family Scholarship here.

This scholarship is for students who demonstrate strong leadership and commitment to their communities who meet the following criteria:

• full time undergraduate of any major enrolled in the Honors College;
• student is in his or her junior year;
• cumulative minimum GPA of 3.0 where 4.0=A;
• demonstrated leadership through academic achievement, community service and extra curricular activities; and
• strong character as demonstrated in the student’s personal letter of application.

Qualifications:

Enrolled full-time as an undergraduate in good standing in Northern Arizona University’s Honors College and demonstrates a strong work ethic.
Perko Family Scholarship. This scholarship is established by Lawrence M. and Katharine A. Perko to encourage hard working students in their pursuit of academic excellence. Lawrence Perko retired as a Regent’s Professor of Mathematics from NAU where he taught for 33 years. Katharine Perko was a teacher in the Flagstaff Unified School District and served as Coconino County Superintendent of Schools.

The Perkos have five children: Mary (Norton), Mike, Vince, Jenny (Lopez), and John.

They also have ten wonderful grandchildren: Taylor, Hayden, Micah, Reilly, Isabella, Claire, Alex, Anthony, Gabriel, and Sydney.

Supports students who meet the following criteria:

• Enrolled full-time as undergraduates in Northern Arizona University’s Honors College;
• Maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher (where A = 4.0);
• Demonstrates financial need;
• Participates in community service.

Qualifications:

Enrolled full-time as an undergraduate in good standing in Northern Arizona University’s Honors College and demonstrates a strong work ethic;

This scholarship is established by Dennis E. Mitchem. His dedication to higher education is exemplified not only in his work for Northern Arizona University, but his philanthropy, volunteerism and political causes. His brilliant career in the financial sector illustrates the tremendous effect of a life lived with purpose, bounded by the highest ethical concerns with an interest in the welfare of all.

Support students in The W. A. Franke College of Business who meet the following criteria. Application for this scholarship is done through the Franke College of Business.

• Rising junior or above
• Accounting major
• Enrolled in the NAU Honors College

Gene and Molly Munger have a long commitment to service to NAU and to the Flagstaff community. They are frequently spotted at the Flagstaff Symphony, Theatrikos Community Playhouse, the Museum of Northern Arizona and many other art venues. The Mungers’ dedication to the arts and writing is reflective in their scholarship that supports Honors students in creative writing, performing arts, fine arts, or music.

This scholarship is established to honor Helaine M. Hart who passed away in March 2020. Helaine taught at NAU for almost twenty years for the School of Art. She retired in 2008 and then moved to Portland, OR. Helaine began her career at NAU in 1990 as a part-time faculty member and rose through the ranks to Associate Professor. In addition to her teaching and administrative work for the School of Art, for over ten years she taught various courses in fine art, aesthetics and perception, and Egyptian art and culture for the New Century Honors College at NAU.

During that decade she was awarded the Charles and Ellie Meister Award for Excellence in Service to the Honors College and represented NAU as a presenter at the National Honors Symposium.  From 1993 through 1999, she organized and led for-credit trips for university students nationwide under the auspices of the Honors College. During the summers of those years she traveled multiple times to Egypt, Italy, and Greece.

Helaine also began teaching courses in the emerging mode of IITV and continued to teach extraordinarily large classes in Art Appreciation to hundreds of students each semester. As technology rapidly changed, her courses incorporated more sophisticated methods of visual communication. During Helaine’s years at NAU she chaired and served on many departmental and university committees, including the Promotion and Tenure/ARC Committees of the School of Art (chaired twice) and the Department of Theatre, and was chair of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women.

Although she dedicated the greatest portion of her career to teaching, service, and administrative activities, she also worked steadily on her own art work and other creative endeavors.  In the past several years Helaine began to exhibit her work more broadly and juried many local and regional exhibitions and three of her paintings were published in an international publication.

Application for the Helaine M. Hart Memorial Art Scholarship is done through the NAU School of Art.

• Rising sophomore or above
• Studio Art or Art Education major
• Enrolled in the NAU Honors College

Supports students in any academic program with preference given to University Honors College students. Additional preference given to students who are working part-time to contribute to their educational costs. Recipients must be:

• enrolled as full time students
• have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher (4.0=A)
• must have financial need
• must be a U.S. Citizen.

The Maxine Rusche Memorial Honors College Scholarship shall be used to provide scholarships to support students financially, subject to the following criteria:

1. Students enrolled and in good standing in the NAU Honors College; and
2. Students showing exceptional academic achievement or potential, regardless of major.

The Honors College has a standard application for all scholarships, and all merit-based awards are based on GPA and recommendations from faculty.

The scholarship shall be open to all applicants regardless of race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship, or other legally or policy protected status.

Supports University Honors College students who demonstrate outstanding academic merit.

This scholarship is established by the friends and family of Dr. Everett (Akam) Ramsay, to perpetuate his memory at Northern Arizona University, which he served as a senior lecturer for the Honors College and First-Year Seminar Program.

Born Feb. 22, 1947, in Germany and raised in France, Dr. Ramsay brought with him an awareness of the larger world. He earned his B.S. and an M.A. in political science from South Dakota State University. He also earned an M.A. and his Ph.D. in history from the University of Rochester. He was a history professor from 1991-2009 at Casper College in Wyoming, where he also founded and was director of the Veritas Honors Institute.

Dr. Ramsay came to NAU in 2009 to teach for the Honors College and moved the hearts and minds of his students through such courses as The Search for American Identity, Humanity and Inhumanity, and Systems of War and Peace, among others.

He thrived in the academy through his passions for teaching, discussing current events and connecting with his students and colleagues. A road cyclist, skate skier, rock climber and fly fisherman, Dr. Ramsay pursued his life with vigor and passion.

Supports students who meet the following criteria:

• Enrolled full-time as undergraduate in Northern Arizona University’s Honors College
• Maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or higher (where A = 4.0);
• Submit a 250-500 word essay that describes your interdisciplinary interests and passion for diverse viewpoints.

Supports University Honors College students who demonstrate outstanding scholarship, service, and idealism to the Honors College and NAU communities. Apply separately. App not available in Scholarship Universe. See Honors College for details.

Charles Meister is the founder of NAU’s Honors College, developing and teaching the first Honors class at NAU in 1954.

The Charles and Ellie Meister Award is presented for extraordinary service and commitment to the continued success of the Honors College and its students. Apply separately. App not available in Scholarship Universe. See Honors College for details.

Several scholarships are available to cover 3 units of tuition for HON 408 (Fieldwork) during Summer 2025. Honors seeks to support students who otherwise might not be able to afford to earn credits during the summer. The HON 408 Scholarship Application Summer 2025

Honors College Capstone Grant

Application: To apply for a Capstone Grant, please submit responses to questions on the application form by Monday, April 4, 2025.­­­­­­­­­­

The Honors Native American Summer Research Program provides Native American students (Honors and non-Honors) with an opportunity to live on the Flagstaff Mountain Campus during the summer first 5-week session. This grant includes the cost of tuition for independent research with a faculty mentor, a single room in the Honors Residential Hall, a meal plan, and regular meetings with the research cohort and a peer mentor.

More information and application guidelines for these funds are available HERE.

Incoming NAU students offered the NAU National Scholars award (for National Merit Semi-Finalists and above, National Hispanic Recognition Scholars, National Indigenous Recognition Scholars, National Small Town/Rural Scholars, and National African American Recognition Scholars) receive automatic admission to Honors along with an “Honors stipend” of $1000/year (must participate in and remain in Honors good standing to receive and renew) for first two years. See National Scholars website for more details.

The José Ángel Cruz (JAC) Honors Emergency Relief Fund shall be used to financially support students in the Honors College with emergency relief grants. This fund will provide students with small-scale grants, not to exceed $500 per student, to provide emergency assistance with financial obstacles. The grants will provide financial support for basic needs including food, clothing, and essential transportation, or other emergency needs that may arise. NAU Honors students are eligible to apply for this award once in their NAU academic career. Apply for JAC Emergency funds here.