In the Spring of 2014, the Center of the American West awarded its first two Beardsley Family Scholarships to CU Boulder undergraduates enrolled in the Western American Studies Certificate Program. Since then,听awards ranged from听$1,000 鈥 $4,000听per听scholarship depending on funding availability.
For the 2025-26 academic year we are offering
four merit-based scholarships of听$2,000 each
Requirements:
- Eligible students must be full time, degree-seeking undergraduate students with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
- Applicants MUST also be enrolled in the Center鈥檚 Western American Studies听certificate program.
The 2025-26 application period is OPEN:
- To apply, log into the , on or after November 1st, 2024听click on the drop down magnifying glass icon / hamburger menu option to the left of the screen and select "Finances."
- From there,听click on the "Scholarship"听system link (graduation cap icon) and, when available,听search the word 鈥淏eardsley.鈥
- Follow the instructions from there.
The Story Behind the Scholarship
The Beardsley Family Scholarship was established in 2013 to honor the memory of George Beardsley, a Center of the American West board member and community leader dedicated to the American West. During his time on the board, George advocated for reaching out to motivated students who could benefit from engagement with the Center. His widow, Pam Beardsley, created this scholarship to provide financial support to students with a passion for learning about and working on Western American topics and issues.
