The non-profit Foundation for Amateur Radio (FAR) has shifted to April 15 the deadline to apply for the 2015-2016 academic year scholarships it administers. Individuals and Amateur Radio clubs across the US sponsor these academic awards, and the FAR scholarship application process is open to Amateur Radio licensees worldwide. Applicants must hold a valid Amateur Radio license and be enrolled or accepted for enrollment at an accredited university, college, or technical school.

FAR’s scholarship program is one of the largest for Amateur Radio licensees in the US. The organization’s purpose is to further Amateur Radio in all of its various facets.

For the coming academic year, FAR is administering 67 scholarships worth $125,500 in all. The list includes 36 Quarter Century Wireless Association scholarships worth a total of $77,000 for 2015 (these require a recommendation from a QCWA member). Individual awards range from $500 to $5000.

The preferred application method to use the electronic form on the FAR website. Information entered on the form goes directly into an encrypted, password-protected PDF file that is available only to the review committee. Raw data are not stored online. Applicants will have an opportunity to print their applications and to edit them. The application cannot be downloaded and completed, however.

Applicants who are unable or unwilling to use the online application should contact Dave Prestel, W8AJR. FAR may be able to provide an alternate form of the application.

Official or unofficial transcripts may be submitted but are not required; it is preferred that these documents be scanned into PDF files, if they are to be submitted via e-mail. Schools that prefer to mail paper copies should send them to FAR Scholarships, PO Box 911, Columbia, MD 21044.

Visit the FAR Scholarship Information page or contact FAR, if you have questions about the 2015 scholarship application process.