Scholarships

The Frederick P. Lenz Foundation Merit Scholarship
The purpose of the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation Merit Scholarship, made possible by a grant from the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism, is to attract the best and brightest students to Naropa University, and to support the studies of those who will go on to make significant contributions to American Buddhism.

The amount of $15,000 per year will be awarded annually to one entering Naropa graduate student , who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, for a maximum of three years for an MDiv (Master of Divinity) student and two years for an MA student in the Indo-Tibetan Buddhism program, with or without language. Applicants must have an outstanding academic record and the potential for making a contribution to the development of American Buddhism.

Upon successful completion of all degree requirements and a final year paper for the Foundation (described below), the Merit Scholar will be eligible for a gift from the Foundation to be used toward the payment of Federal Family Education Loan Program loans. This gift will be up to a maximum of $20,000 for MDiv students and $13,000 for MA students and will be processed by the university as a direct payment to the student’s loan holder.

Candidates must apply for the scholarship each year. An entering student must submit to the Scholarship Review Committee, in care of Naropa’s Financial Aid Office:

• A cover letter outlining the applicant’s qualifications for the award.
• An essay describing the applicant’s goals as a Naropa student, the vision for the future application of a Naropa University degree, and the applicant’s expected contribution to American Buddhism.
• A eight to ten page academic paper in response to an aspect of Frederick Lenz's work.
  Please click here for the Essay Question.
• Two letters of recommendation that specifically address the criteria for this award.
• The resume and writing sample submitted with the admission application will also be considered as part of the application for this scholarship.

In order to continue receiving the scholarship after the first year of study, the student must maintain status as a full-time student, maintain a minimum 3.5 grad point average, continue to demonstrate both excellence in academics and in the personal qualities in his/her vocation, and submit a cover letter and essay describing his/her current thinking about career goals and personal evolution as a result of scholastic work and contemplative practice.

Final Paper
In addition, within three months after the recipient's date of graduation, s/he shall also write a scholarly paper on some aspect of Dr. Lenz’s work of the student’s choosing. The paper shall be submitted to the Department Chair and to the Lenz Foundation, which may publish the paper, in whole or in part, in any form or media, at the discretion of the foundation.Upon successful completion of all degree requirements and the final paper, the Merit Scholar will be eligible for a gift from the foundation up to a maximum of $20,000 for MDiv students and $13,000 for Indo-Tibetan Buddhism students to be used toward payment of Federal Family Education Program Loans.

Application materials must be submitted to the Scholarship Review Committee c/o the Financial Aid Office. The application deadline is March 1st.

Back to Scholarships