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Buddhist College Scholarships

Buddhism is one of the world's largest religions, with over 300 million followers worldwide. For its many practitioners, Buddhism offers a reprieve from other major religions like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, by offering not the premise of a God, but of different teachings of the Buddha that lead to an enlightenment accessible to all human beings. For the many Buddhists in the United States and for those who are interested in educating themselves in the religion and art of Buddhism, there are scholarships to assist them with their college.

Especially in California, there are numerous Buddhist temples that offer scholarships to their members. The appropriate candidate for these scholarships generally has to have a high GPA, good academic standing and accomplishments, and must be a member of the church in question.

Some colleges and universities offer Buddhism scholarships for those students interested in pursuing a degree in religious studies with a concentration in Buddhism. One such institution is Naropa University in Colorado. There are also several universities and colleges that are Buddhist schools, such as the Dharma Realm Buddhist University. Many of these schools offer both Bachelor's degrees and Master's degrees in Buddhism, and they also provide scholarship funding to students who are in financial need and meet several other requirements.

As is true of most scholarships, there are private funding organizations that also provide scholarship monies to Buddhist students and to scholars of Buddhism. Two of these organizations are the Tzu-Chi Foundation and the Khyentse Foundation.

List of Buddhist Scholarships

Paying for school is not easy, but we are here to help. OEDb's student finance section will help you find the money you need to pay your tuition and other college expenses. We cover scholarships, college grants, and student loans. Scholarships and grants are both forms of "free money", meaning they don't need to be paid back. Scholarships are typically awarded by businesses or individuals, with the money being earmarked specifically for tuition. They can be awarded based on a student's location or by religious affiliation, such as Catholicism or Islam. Grants are typically awarded by governments or non-profit organizations and the money often can be applied to several different expenses a student may incur, not solely tuition. They can be awarded based on location or ethnicity, for instance African American or Hispanic. Loans are not considered "free money", because unlike scholarships and grants, they do need to be paid back after graduation. Common federal loans include Perkins and Stafford. Loans are also available by location.