PORTLAND – Students who will graduate from Maine public high schools this spring and plan to attend a 2- or 4-year college in fall 2025 are invited to complete the online application for the $10,000 Mitchell Scholarship by midnight, March 1. The Mitchell Institute will award 200 scholarships, each worth $10,000, to seniors graduating from the state’s public high schools in spring 2025.
Beyond the $10,000 scholarship, the Mitchell Institute provides Mitchell Scholars with the opportunity to apply for fellowships of up to $1,500 for professional and personal development opportunities, such as unpaid or underpaid internships, career-related service projects, study-abroad experiences, and post-graduate and certification test preparation. The Mitchell Institute also provides Mitchell Scholars with opportunities to apply for emergency funding for unexpected financial challenges, invitations to free leadership and career development events, and access to a network of more than 3,600 Mitchell Scholar alumni who are eager to offer advice, mentoring, and career connections.
“Each year we offer Mitchell Scholars much more than a scholarship because we know that success in college and beyond requires more than financial support,” said Jared Cash, president and CEO of the Mitchell Institute. “One of the hallmarks of the Mitchell Scholar experience is the ongoing personal support and mentoring that Scholars receive from both the staff and our alumni network. When you receive the Mitchell Scholarship, you immediately become part of a community that is ready to help you succeed.”
Learn more and apply online by midnight March 1 at mitchellinstitute.org/scholarship.
For the third consecutive year, the Mitchell Institute will expand its longstanding commitment to award at least one $10,000 scholarship annually to a graduating student from each of Maine’s public high schools. This year’s 200 Mitchell Scholarships represent a 50 percent increase over the past three years.
“As the Mitchell Institute enters its 30th year, we have provided nearly $27 million in scholarships and direct financial support to 3,800 Mitchell Scholars,” Cash said. “We look forward to celebrating our 4,000 Mitchell Scholar milestone in the year ahead.”
“We are deeply grateful to our many loyal and generous supporters for investing in the Mitchell Institute’s mission to increase the likelihood that young people from every community in Maine will aspire to, pursue, and achieve a college education,” he continued. “Because of the generosity from our growing number of donors, we can, for the third consecutive year, expand the number of Mitchell Scholarships awarded and provide the additional 15 college-bound Maine high school seniors with the wraparound supports that complement the Mitchell Scholarship and are vital to success in college.”
The Mitchell Institute’s plan to serve more Maine students includes the broad range of social, financial and career resources that go beyond the scholarship. “From decades of research, we know that success requires more than just the money provided by a scholarship,” Cash said. “All of the additional supports that we offer Mitchell Scholars — while they are in college and beyond — contribute to a sense of stability and community, helping to accelerate their success.”
With the expanded number of scholarships, the Mitchell Institute will award a total of $2 million in scholarships and related support for the class of 2025 Mitchell Scholars.
“Because of the volume of incredible applicants we see each year, along with the impact we know we can have on young people’s trajectory to and through college, we saw an opportunity to do more of what we do best,” said Casey Near, scholarship director at the Mitchell Institute.
“We are deeply honored to be able to make this significantly increased investment in Maine’s young people,” she continued. “The selection committee and I look forward to reviewing this year’s applications and selecting the 200 recipients of this prestigious award later this spring. Knowing that we will be offering a life-changing experience to 15 more young people this year has us all very excited.”
Founded by U.S. Sen. George J. Mitchell, the Mitchell Institute aims to improve the likelihood that young people from every community in Maine will aspire to, pursue, and achieve a college education. In its 30th year, the Mitchell Institute will provide $2 million in scholarships, additional fellowships, and leadership development programming to college-going students from public high schools statewide. This combination of personal, professional, and financial support makes college degrees more attainable for Mitchell Scholars, who graduate at a rate that far exceeds the national average.
