AHLA Foundation Self-Nominated Scholarships

These scholarship funds are made available for any hospitality student (your school does not need to be affiliated with the Foundation) and you do not need to wait for a nomination to complete the application form. These scholarships include:

• American Express Scholarship
• Ecolab Scholarship
• Banks Brown Graduate Scholarship
• Hyatt Hotels Fund for Minority Lodging Management Students
• Incoming Freshman Scholarship
• Opening Doors to Opportunity Scholarship

Banks Brown Graduate Scholarship

After receiving many requests for graduate scholarships, the AHLA Foundation began offering a scholarship exclusively for graduate students in 2008. 

Eligibility Criteria

• If your graduate degree is in anything other than a hospitality-related program, you must have either:
  • An undergraduate degree in hospitality
  • Four years’ employment in the lodging industry after graduation
• OR if you do not have either of the above, then you must be enrolled in a hospitality-related graduate degree
• Enrollment can be full- or part-time in a U.S. college or university
• A minimum overall GPA of 3.0
• A U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident

Scholarship Awards

• Awards: $5,000

Application Process

Applicants must complete all sections of the AHLA Foundation Scholarship Application and requires a recommendation letter from both an employer and instructor.

American Express Scholarship

Founded by American Express in 1994, this program is designed specifically for current lodging employees and their dependents.  Endowed with more than $500,000, the fund has awarded $382,610 in scholarships to 328 students and professionals.

Eligibility Criteria

• Enrolled full- or part-time in an undergraduate hospitality management program at a U.S. college or university
• You must either:
  • Be working a minimum of 20 hours per week at an AHLA member hotel with at least 12 months’ hotel experience, OR
  • Be a dependent of a qualified employee, and have past employment in some capacity in the hospitality industry
  • No letters of recommendation are required

Scholarship Awards

• Baccalaureate Majors – $2,000 full-time enrollment; or $1,000 part-time
• Associate Majors – $1,000 full-time enrollment; or $500 part-time

Application Process

To confirm your hotel is an AHLA member, contact AHLA’s membership department at 202-289-3100 or membership@ahla.com . Applicants must complete all sections of the Foundation scholarship application.

Ecolab Scholarship

This program was established by Ecolab in 1996 as a commitment to the lodging industry and to support the development of its future leaders.  To date, more than $500,000 has been awarded to over 350 hospitality management students.

Eligibility Criteria

• Enrolled in at least 12 credit hours for both the upcoming fall and spring semesters
• An undergraduate hospitality management major at a U.S. college or university
• No letters of recommendation are required

Scholarship Awards

• Baccalaureate Majors – $2,000
• Associate Majors – $1,000

Application Process

Applicants must complete all sections of the Foundation scholarship application.

Hyatt Hotels Fund for Minority Lodging Management Students

In 1988, Hyatt established this fund to provide financial aid to minority students pursuing a degree in hotel management. Since 1988, approximately 372 minority students have received $744,000 through this scholarship.

Eligibility Criteria

• Enrolled in at least 12 credit hours for the upcoming fall and spring semesters, or just the fall semester if graduating this December 
• A baccalaureate hospitality management major in a U.S. college or university
• At least a junior for the upcoming fall semester
• The competition is open to minority students: African-American, Hispanic, Native American/Alaskan, and Asian/Pacific Islander
• A U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident
• No letters of recommendation are required

Scholarship Award

• Scholarship winners receive a $3,000 award, and a plaque

Application Process

Applicants must complete all sections of the Foundation scholarship application.

Incoming Freshman Scholarship

This scholarship was created exclusively for incoming freshman to encourage enrollment in hospitality-related undergraduate programs and attract more students to the lodging industry. The program is funded from the PepsiCo Foundation Scholarship Fund, proceeds from the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), and scholarship monies set aside from the Foundation’s New Century Fund Campaign.

PepsiCo Foundation

The PepsiCo Foundation made a $250,000 contribution through the AHLA Foundation’s New Century Fund Campaign in 2001,creating the PepsiCo Foundation Scholarships. The fund has focused on encouraging incoming freshman to study hospitality. To-date, 58 students have received scholarships totaling $131,000.

ALIS

The Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), has allocated a generous portion of its revenues to benefit the educational, research and training missions of the Foundation. Since its inception, ALIS has provided scholarships for 1,378 students in 124 schools across the country, generated more than $2.7 million for cutting-edge research projects, and afforded funding for the START program in more than 450 high schools and work force training centers as well as for the Lodging Management and the new Hospitality & Tourism Management Programs in 656 high schools.

New Century Fund

The unprecedented success of the New Century Fund Campaign, which closed in November 2011, showed the industry’s strong commitment to meeting its challenges and seizing its opportunities.  The campaign raised more than $9 million for scholarships, school-to-career programs, career outreach and workforce development, support for the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute, and technology research.

Eligibility Criteria

• An incoming freshman for the upcoming fall semester, which is defined as a student who has never been enrolled in a college or university
• An undergraduate hospitality management major at a U.S. college or university
• Enrolled in at least 12 credit hours for the upcoming fall and spring semesters
• A minimum overall GPA of 2.0
• A U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident
• No letters of recommendation are required

Scholarship Awards

• Baccalaureate Majors: $4,000
• Associate Majors: $2,000

Application Process

Preference will be given to high school graduates of the Hospitality & Tourism Management Program (HTMP) or Lodging Management Program (LMP). Applicants must complete all sections of the scholarship application..

Opening Doors to Opportunity Scholarship

The Opening Doors to Opportunity capital campaign, which concluded in 2017, reinforced the industry’s diligence and unwavering support of our future leaders.  The campaign raised over $8.2 million to fund the Foundation’s academic scholarships, professional development, and industry research programs.  This scholarship program was created to disburse approximately $3.2 million of the campaign proceeds dedicated to academic scholarships.  

Eligibility Criteria

• Enrolled at least 12 credit hours for both the fall and spring semesters, or just the fall semester if graduating in December. 
• An undergraduate hospitality management major at an accredited U.S. college or university.
• Enrolled in at least 12 credit hours for the upcoming fall and spring semesters
• A minimum overall GPA of 2.5
• A U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident

Scholarship Awards

• Baccalaureate Majors: $7,500 for full-time enrollment, $3,750 for the fall semester only  
• Associate Majors: $3,000 enrollment for both semesters, $1,500 fall semester only