UNDERGRADUATE APPLICATION
GENERAL INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE
UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION
The Belle Zeller Scholarship Trust Fund was established in 1979 by the Professional Staff Congress/CUNY, the instructional staff union of The City University of New York. The scholarship honors the founding president of the PSC, Belle Zeller, Professor Emerita of Political Science at Brooklyn College, where she taught for more than 40 years. This scholarship is intended to honor the unique qualities of Belle Zeller: the combination of social commitment and scholarship and is based on merit, not financial need. The Fund is an independent not-for-profit organization.
2. The Board of Trustees of the Belle Zeller Scholarship Trust Fund (Trustees) will review all applications and select the candidates to be interviewed.
3. Applicants must be full-time CUNY undergraduate students and must have completed at least thirty (30) credits at a CUNY college with a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher.
4. Awards are for one year in the amount of $5,000. Awards will be paid in two installments of $2,500, provided the student is enrolled full-time in a CUNY college, will not exceed 120 earned credits by May 2028, and continues to meet the academic and service requirements.
5. Recipients must continue to maintain a GPA of 3.75 or higher and provide evidence of continued community service during both semesters they are receiving the scholarship.
6. The Trustees shall be the sole judge of whether a recipient continues to meet these requirements.
7. Scholarship recipients may not defer the award. All awards must be used in the Fall of the academic year for which they are awarded.
8. Scholarship recipients may not reapply for the scholarship in the future.
9. Applicants at LaGuardia Community College must meet the LaGuardia definition of a full-time student.
10. Applicants must provide evidence, through a letter of recommendation, of significant voluntary service to CUNY, their college, and/or the larger community.
11. If an applicant has earned 35 or more credits within the past 5 years from another institution (including other units of CUNY), an unofficial transcript from each of those institutions must be provided.
12. All candidates selected for interviews by a panel of the Trustees must be available for an interview when requested.
13. All applicants will receive an auto-response confirming submission of their application.
14. The receipt of your application confirms only that your submission has been received and does not constitute an assurance that your application is complete or will be accepted. It is incumbent upon you to ensure that your application is meticulously completed, including all requisite documentation. Applicants will not be notified if their application is incomplete or if information or documentation is missing.
15. All successful scholarship recipients will be notified by e-mail.
16. Decisions of the Board of Trustees will be final.
2. One letter must be from someone in a leadership or supervisory role who can personally attest to and evaluate your volunteer social commitment to the college, the university, and/or the larger community and who has personal knowledge of your volunteer community service activities.
3. One letter must be written by an instructor who has taught you in a CUNY college-level course during the current or previous academic year. This letter must address the applicant’s academic performance.
4. Applicants are advised to request letters from recommenders a minimum of six weeks in advance of the application deadline to allow sufficient time for the letters to be prepared and submitted.
5. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the email address for submission of letters of recommendation and to instruct recommenders to use the applicant’s full name, last name first, as the subject line. (Re: Smith, John)
6. Letters of recommendation must be provided on official letterhead that includes the recommender’s contact information. Letters must be signed and emailed as PDF attachments to recommend@bellezeller.org.
7. Letters submitted in the body of an email, in Microsoft Word, or as JPEG files, or submitted as scanned or hard copies, will not be accepted.
8. All letters must include the recommender’s daytime contact information, including a phone number and email address.
9. Letters will not be accepted if submitted by the applicant.
In a maximum of 600 words, applicants must write a personal statement discussing their life experiences as they relate to their goals and social commitment. The statement must include evidence of the applicant’s most significant recent volunteer community service, completed within the past two years, as well as a discussion of their recent academic work.
The personal statement must:
• Be an authentic reflection of the applicant’s experiences, accomplishments, perspective, and voice, written in the applicant’s own voice.
• Include a brief description of the mission and work of the organization in which the volunteer service was performed.
• Provide a full account of the applicant’s activities, responsibilities, and contributions to the organization.
• Clearly demonstrate that the volunteer service was independent of coursework, internships, clinical requirements, or any other activity for which academic credit or compensation was received.
• Include the applicant’s first and last name at the top of every page.
Belle Zeller Scholars may be required to authorize the release of their college records as proof of continued full-time enrollment.
Belle Zeller Scholars who do not abide by the terms of the stated conditions will forfeit the remainder of their scholarship.
GENERAL INFORMATION
1. Application Deadline: Completed applications must be received no later than midnight on February 26, 2027.2. The Board of Trustees of the Belle Zeller Scholarship Trust Fund (Trustees) will review all applications and select the candidates to be interviewed.
3. Applicants must be full-time CUNY undergraduate students and must have completed at least thirty (30) credits at a CUNY college with a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher.
4. Awards are for one year in the amount of $5,000. Awards will be paid in two installments of $2,500, provided the student is enrolled full-time in a CUNY college, will not exceed 120 earned credits by May 2028, and continues to meet the academic and service requirements.
5. Recipients must continue to maintain a GPA of 3.75 or higher and provide evidence of continued community service during both semesters they are receiving the scholarship.
6. The Trustees shall be the sole judge of whether a recipient continues to meet these requirements.
7. Scholarship recipients may not defer the award. All awards must be used in the Fall of the academic year for which they are awarded.
8. Scholarship recipients may not reapply for the scholarship in the future.
9. Applicants at LaGuardia Community College must meet the LaGuardia definition of a full-time student.
10. Applicants must provide evidence, through a letter of recommendation, of significant voluntary service to CUNY, their college, and/or the larger community.
11. If an applicant has earned 35 or more credits within the past 5 years from another institution (including other units of CUNY), an unofficial transcript from each of those institutions must be provided.
12. All candidates selected for interviews by a panel of the Trustees must be available for an interview when requested.
13. All applicants will receive an auto-response confirming submission of their application.
14. The receipt of your application confirms only that your submission has been received and does not constitute an assurance that your application is complete or will be accepted. It is incumbent upon you to ensure that your application is meticulously completed, including all requisite documentation. Applicants will not be notified if their application is incomplete or if information or documentation is missing.
15. All successful scholarship recipients will be notified by e-mail.
16. Decisions of the Board of Trustees will be final.
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
1.Two letters of recommendation must be submitted:2. One letter must be from someone in a leadership or supervisory role who can personally attest to and evaluate your volunteer social commitment to the college, the university, and/or the larger community and who has personal knowledge of your volunteer community service activities.
3. One letter must be written by an instructor who has taught you in a CUNY college-level course during the current or previous academic year. This letter must address the applicant’s academic performance.
4. Applicants are advised to request letters from recommenders a minimum of six weeks in advance of the application deadline to allow sufficient time for the letters to be prepared and submitted.
5. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the email address for submission of letters of recommendation and to instruct recommenders to use the applicant’s full name, last name first, as the subject line. (Re: Smith, John)
6. Letters of recommendation must be provided on official letterhead that includes the recommender’s contact information. Letters must be signed and emailed as PDF attachments to recommend@bellezeller.org.
7. Letters submitted in the body of an email, in Microsoft Word, or as JPEG files, or submitted as scanned or hard copies, will not be accepted.
8. All letters must include the recommender’s daytime contact information, including a phone number and email address.
9. Letters will not be accepted if submitted by the applicant.
STATEMENT DESCRIBING YOUR COMMUNITY SERVICE
Applicant’s Personal StatementIn a maximum of 600 words, applicants must write a personal statement discussing their life experiences as they relate to their goals and social commitment. The statement must include evidence of the applicant’s most significant recent volunteer community service, completed within the past two years, as well as a discussion of their recent academic work.
The personal statement must:
• Be an authentic reflection of the applicant’s experiences, accomplishments, perspective, and voice, written in the applicant’s own voice.
• Include a brief description of the mission and work of the organization in which the volunteer service was performed.
• Provide a full account of the applicant’s activities, responsibilities, and contributions to the organization.
• Clearly demonstrate that the volunteer service was independent of coursework, internships, clinical requirements, or any other activity for which academic credit or compensation was received.
• Include the applicant’s first and last name at the top of every page.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The personal statement must be submitted as a PDF and may not exceed 600 words. Microsoft Word documents will not be accepted. Submission deadline is Friday, February 26, 2027.USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
The use of AI to generate or substantially rewrite the personal statement is strongly discouraged and may detract from the value and authenticity of the statement. Applicants should ensure that the statement reflects their own experiences, accomplishments, perspective, and voice.ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
All applicants are entitled to equal consideration under the terms of equal opportunity/affirmative action provisions in accordance with Internal Revenue Service stipulations.Belle Zeller Scholars may be required to authorize the release of their college records as proof of continued full-time enrollment.
Belle Zeller Scholars who do not abide by the terms of the stated conditions will forfeit the remainder of their scholarship.