If you’re a high school senior who is interested in AI and looking to attend college, chances are you’ve already applied for university and have most probably made your final decision on where to attend. 

Although this is an exciting opportunity, one downside to university is the financial aspect. Universities can be expensive and it can be difficult navigating this. One solution, however, is applying for external scholarships that could help lift part of the financial burden of paying for university. 

In this blog, we delve into one such scholarship, which is the NSHSS AI Innovation Scholarship, which works to foster personal growth for students who are passionate about AI and its applications in the real world!

What is NSHSS?

National Society of High School Scholars is a distinguished academic honor society, committed to recognizing, serving, and networking the highest-achieving student scholars in more than 26,000 high schools across 170 countries. This criteria is solely based on academic performance; only top students qualify for a membership. The opportunities that you will gain access to include leadership programs, volunteer activities, member events and more!

To know more about the NSHSS membership and qualifying for their criteria, you can view the link here!

What is the NSHSS AI Innovation Scholarship?

The NSHSS AI Innovation Scholarship provides 3 awards of $1,500 each to foster the growth of students who are passionate about AI and its applications in the modern world! 

Do note that everyone can apply for this scholarship, and it is not limited to NSHSS members. If you are a student who is interested in AI and looking for additional financial assistance, this is a great resource since it is open to everyone! 

When is the application deadline?

For 2024, the application opened on May 24, 2024, and will close on October 3, 2024, by 11:59 PM EST.

With these deadlines, if you are planning to submit an application for this scholarship in 2024, we recommend that you start asking for recommendations, brainstorming about the essay questions and collating all the materials required. We think it’s best to finish applying as soon as possible! 

What are the application requirements?

Your application should include the following elements:

• 1-2 pictures/videos/media showing your leadership/involvement in action (optional) 

• Color headshot suitable for website posting. 

• Academic resume 

• Current Transcript (can be official or unofficial) 

• Educator recommendation letter

Apart from this, you will have to write a 500-800 essay response to the question, “Considering the rapid pace of AI development, how do you anticipate emerging AI technologies will reshape industries and societal structures in the next decade? Furthermore, what proactive measures do you propose to ensure the ethical deployment of AI systems? What is driving your interest in this field?”.

What is the scholarship amount?

NSHSS is awarding 3 awards of $1,500 each! 

What is the eligibility to be considered for the scholarship?

This scholarship is open to all high school seniors and college students. So if you’re looking for any assistance with affording college, this seems like a solid opportunity to avail any external financial aid that will make college a little more affordable! 

Pros

1. This is great financial assistance for affording university. 

As we mentioned previously, the main benefit of applying for a scholarship is that it is a great source of external funding. You might have limited aid provided by the university; if so, scholarships like these are great options for a little monetary assistance!

2. You do not have to pay this award back. 

Unlike an education loan, being awarded a scholarship amount means you are not subject to paying back the amount. This amount is solely given to you on the basis of your merit (and, in this case, your interest in AI), which makes it a great source of financial aid. 

3. The prestige of being awarded this funding will boost your resume and make you look better when applying for internships or jobs.

The National Society of High School Scholars is a prestigious organization, and if you get awarded this scholarship, you can definitely mention this to showcase your academic caliber and talent for any future internships or job opportunities! 

Cons

1. You will need to invest some time into applying. 

This is the only real con that occurs when applying for scholarships. You will have to dedicate some time throughout your summer to curate and write great essays that will give you a real chance of being awarded the scholarship. However, if you are a high school senior applying, chances are that your summer is relatively less busy, so we think the trade-off is worth it. 

Our Thoughts

We highly recommend applying for this scholarship because the only cost for you is the time taken to submit your application, and you stand a chance to win $1,500. Even if your tuition is fully covered, any amount provided could help with any external costs, such as living expenses. The NSHSS AI Innovation Scholarship is a solid opportunity to avail some external funding that makes affording university easier! 

If you’re interested in other STEM fields, you can also look at the NSHSS Innovation In Technology Scholarship! 

If you’re looking to build unique projects in the field of AI/ML, consider applying to Veritas AI! 

Veritas AI was founded by Harvard graduate students, and through the programs, you get a chance to learn the fundamentals of AI and computer science while collaborating on real-world projects. You can also work 1-1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we had over 1000 students learn data science and AI with us. You can apply here!

Image Source - NSHSS Logo