Sallie Mae® and MPOWER’s Excellence in STEM Award Program

Sallie Mae® and MPOWER are partnering to award US$1,000 each month to deserving STEM graduate students.

Global Citizen Scholarship

MPOWER and Sallie Mae’s Excellence in STEM award program represents our shared mission to expand access to higher education, and the belief that when we invest in individuals of diverse backgrounds to solve global challenges, we invest in a brighter future.

Equitable access to quality education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics can accelerate our problem-solving capabilities, foster innovation, and benefit us all – locally and worldwide. The Excellence in STEM Award Program reflects our commitment to support emerging global talent, together. 

MPOWER and Sallie Mae® Excellence in STEM Award

Deadline: The application deadline is 11:59 p.m Eastern Standard Time (EST) for each month (September 2023 through May 2024).

Awards:

  • One (1) US$1,000 prize will be awarded each month (September 2023 through May 2024).

Eligibility Requirements:

This program is open to international graduate students admitted to, or enrolled in, a full-time degree program at a U.S. or Canadian school that MPOWER supports. Applicants must be pursuing a STEM-designated program to be eligible. 

You do not need to be an MPOWER customer to apply. 

Entrants must be: 

  • Accepted at, or enrolled in, a full-time STEM-designated graduate program at a U.S. or Canadian school that MPOWER supports.
  • An international student allowed to legally study in the U.S. or Canada.
    • Each applicant studying in the U.S. must meet one of these criteria:
      • Have a valid visa that permits study in the U.S.
      • Is protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
      • Is a U.S. permanent resident (Green Card holder)
    • Applicants studying in Canada must meet one of these criteria:
      • Be a Canadian permanent resident
      • Have a valid Canadian study permit
  • Exclusions: Citizens of GDPR countries will not be allowed to apply

or

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MPOWER and Sallie Mae® Excellence in STEM Award Application

Deadline: The application deadline is 11:59 p.m Eastern Standard Time (EST) for each month (September 2023 through May 2024).

  • MM slash DD slash YYYY
  • To find out if MPOWER supports your school, please visit www.mpowerfinancing.com/schoollist. If you still have a question, please provide additional details below.
  • You must be able to prove you are currently enrolled in or accepted to this institution.
  • From above mentioned U.S.-based college/university.
    MM slash DD slash YYYY
  • From the above mentioned U.S.or Canadian college or university.
  • Tell us how your international STEM degree will help you tackle a societal challenge through innovation and/or invention in your field. Your impact does not need to be global – you are encouraged to share your impact on issues affecting your local region or community.

FAQs

All eligible students must complete the application form and submit the essay, whether or not you are an MPOWER borrower.

You must have your visa stamped in your passport by the closing date of the competition.

Winners will be selected based solely on their essay submission. MPOWER Financing will select 10 finalists for final review. MPOWER will then select winners from this pool. MPOWER retains final determination for winners. By accepting the award, the contest  winner agrees to provide MPOWER with the following: (1) A quote about winning the contest; (2) A headshot; and (3) a short video summarizing their essay and winning quote. 

MPOWER and Sallie Mae® will offer one US$1,000 prize award each month, starting September 1, 2023 and ending May 31, 2024. 

The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) for each month (September 2023 through May 2024).

We expect to notify the winners within eight weeks of each month’s deadline.

Following MPOWER’s selection of winners, MPOWER will verify their eligibility. Following such verification, all winners will be sent a Release. Following MPOWER’s receipt of a winner’s executed Release, MPOWER will disburse the funds directly to the winner’s college/university, subject to the requirements of any applicable U.S. or Canadian laws. In the event that a winner cannot be verified, or fails or refuses to execute the Release, such person becomes ineligible for the award and MPOWER will select a replacement winner.

Terms & Conditions

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Only one entry per contest. By applying for the MPOWER and Sallie Mae® Excellence in STEM Award Program, you agree to be bound by the official terms and conditions (“Terms and Conditions”).

Employees (including their immediate family [for e.g., spouse, parents, siblings, and children], and household members) of MPOWER Financing (“MPOWER”), its affiliates, subsidiaries and those of any agent, vendor, or supplier of MPOWER, are not eligible. Eligibility is contingent upon agreement to, compliance with, and fulfillment of all requirements set forth herein. Participation in an MPOWER Contest constitutes an entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Terms and Conditions and MPOWER’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest. Where applicable, the MPOWER Excellence in STEM Award Program is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

This contest is open to international graduate students admitted to, or enrolled in a STEM-designated full-time degree program at a U.S. or Canadian school that MPOWER supports. 

You must be permitted to legally study in the U.S. or Canada, as applicable:

  • For study in the U.S., this means that the applicant has a valid visa that permits study in the U.S. or is a U.S. permanent resident (Green Card holder). 
  • For study in Canada, this means the applicant has a valid Canadian study permit. 

You do not need to be an MPOWER borrower to apply. 

MPOWER Financing, Public Benefit Corporation, 1101 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 900, 20036 Washington, District of Columbia

The Contest ends on May 31, 2024. Only entries submitted and received during the Contest Period will be eligible. MPOWER is both the official timekeeper and final arbiter of eligibility for each Contest.

For the Contest Period, one (1) winner will be selected. The winner will be awarded a US$1,000 MPOWER Award to be applied to tuition, fees, or expenses at the winner’s school of attendance (each a “Prize”). Students (the “Entrants”) may enter the Contest once.

For any Contest, only one entry will be accepted. Entrants must enter once during the Contest period. For each Contest, Entrants must fully complete and submit the online Contest entry form (an “Entry”) found at https://staging.mpowerfinancing.com/scholarships/. Any Entry that does not comply with these Terms and Conditions is void. All Entries become the property of MPOWER and will not be acknowledged or returned. Entry constitutes permission (except where prohibited by law) to use entrant’s university name, state, country of origin, and/or essay question response for purposes of advertising, promotion, and publicity in any and all media now or hereafter known, throughout the world in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification, permission, or approval. Any Entry found to contain erroneous, expired, canceled, fraudulent, or fake information is void. Only the actual student may participate in the Contest, and the completion of the online entry form by any family member or other individual or entity will disqualify such Entry from this Contest. Any attempt by any person to obtain more than one Entry by any means (including, but not limited to, the use of multiple email addresses, phone numbers, identities, registrations, or logins; or any other unauthorized method of entry) will result in such person’s automatic disqualification from the Contest. By submitting an Entry, you agree that MPOWER may, from time to time, communicate with you regarding products and services that it believes may be of interest to you.

One (1) Award winner will be selected. The winner will be awarded a US$1,000 Award to be applied to tuition, fees, or expenses at the winner’s school of attendance (each a “Prize”). Students (the “Entrants”) may enter the Contest once. There are no substitutions permitted for any awarded Prize. A Prize will only be awarded to the person submitting the Entry and may not be sold, assigned, or otherwise transferred (“Transfer”). Any prize details or attempted Transfer shall be void. Any prize details not specified above will be determined by MPOWER in its sole discretion.

All entries will be judged based on the quality of the essay question response. MPOWER will review all applicable and valid Entries and select 10 finalists based on the selection criteria. MPOWER is responsible for selecting the winners from the pool of finalists. A panel of three judges will then review the finalists’ applications and select the winners. The essay must be written in English.

Prior to any decision, MPOWER reserves the right to conduct interviews and/or request additional information from any Entrants related to their Entry. The Judges’ decision is final and binding. Winners will be notified within 8 weeks of the submission deadline. All decisions (including but not limited to eligibility determinations) will be final and binding and are not subject to challenge or appeal. Prize awards are subject to MPOWER’s verification of winners’ eligibility. All winners will be required to submit (without alteration and in the form provided by MPOWER) a completed and signed Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability & Publicity Release (the “Release”). In the event that the Winner is under 18 years of age at the time of award, the Winner’s parents will be required to submit a completed and signed Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability & Publicity Release. Winner’s failure to timely return an executed Release within the required time period to MPOWER will void a winner’s Prize award and MPOWER reserves the right to award such Prize to an alternate entrant. Winners are solely responsible for the payment of any applicable federal, state, and local taxes associated with their acceptance and receipt of any Prize. Winners acknowledge that their Prize may be subject to U.S. or Canadian withholding and that they may be required to execute and return to MPOWER the U.S. Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service Form W-9 or applicable Canadian form. 

All winners will be notified by telephone, email, and/or regular mail using contact information provided on their Entry. MPOWER shall have no liability for any winner notification that is lost, intercepted, or not received by the potential winner for any reason. If any potential winner does not respond within the time required by MPOWER, or if any winner notification is returned as unclaimed or undeliverable to a potential winner, or fails to timely return the Release to MPOWER, the Prize for that Contest will be awarded to an alternative winner selected by the Judges based on the results of the aforementioned judging criteria. Following MPOWER’s verification of winner’s eligibility and receipt of the executed Release from a winner, MPOWER shall pay the Prize on winner’s behalf, directly to the winner’s school of enrollment. MPOWER will not have any liability to the winner in the event that the winner’s school refuses, loses, fails to properly apply, or otherwise fails to credit any Prize (or portion thereof) for the winner’s benefit.

Except where prohibited by law, Entrant agrees that: (1) all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with an Contest or any prize awarded will be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate federal or state court located in the District of Columbia; (2) all claims, judgments, and awards will be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering a Contest, but in no event will include attorneys’ fees; and (3) Entrant will not be permitted to obtain awards for indirect, punitive incidental and consequential damage and any rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Terms and Conditions, or the rights or obligations of Entrant or MPOWER in connection with a Contest, are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules, no matter what jurisdiction, that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than as stated.

The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Terms and Conditions will not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event any provision is found invalid or unenforceable, these Terms and Conditions will otherwise remain in effect in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or unenforceable provision was never included. MPOWER’s failure to enforce any term of these Terms and Conditions does not constitute a waiver of that provision. MPOWER may cancel, suspend, and/or modify a Contest or any part of it, in any way, if MPOWER determines in its sole discretion that a Contest is not capable of executing as MPOWER intended, or that any mistake, clerical, or typographical error, omission, fraud, technical failure, tampering, computer virus, or other factor, technical or otherwise, beyond MPOWER’s reasonable control, impairs or may impair MPOWER’s ability to properly conduct the Contest, subject to any applicable law or regulation.

Information collected from Entrants in connection with a Contest is subject to the MPOWER Privacy Policy.

The list of winners will be available to view on the MPOWER website. In extenuating circumstances, MPOWER may make an exception for DACA students concerned about making their immigration status public.

Though the Award may be promoted via social media websites, such websites are not affiliated with MPOWER or any Contest. No Contest is in any way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or any other site or medium that might host content where information about a Contest is posted or published (collectively “Content Hosts”). Entrant is providing information only to MPOWER and not to any Content Hosts.

DISCLAIMER – Subject to credit approval, loans are made by Bank of Lake Mills or MPOWER Financing, PBC. Bank of Lake Mills does not have an ownership interest in MPOWER Financing. Neither MPOWER Financing nor Bank of Lake Mills is affiliated with the school you attended or are attending. Bank of Lake Mills is Member FDIC. None of the information contained in this website constitutes a recommendation, solicitation or offer by MPOWER Financing or its affiliates to buy or sell any securities or other financial instruments or other assets or provide any investment advice or service.

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