The Pearson Prize
for Higher Education

Pearson has a proud history of giving and supporting projects and people in the communities that we serve. We believe that in higher education, this means investing in students. That's why the Pearson Foundation is establishing the Pearson Prize for Higher Education, a two‐tiered award meant to both identify students who are giving back to the college community and help them continue their work.

Supporting Communities by Investing in Students

Schools at all levels are the cornerstone of communities. In higher education, a college – be it two‐year or four‐year – makes the community around it more vibrant. Students create projects, support causes, organize groups, and contribute time. Their efforts pay immediate dividends in local communities and provide lifelong benefits for our society as these individuals go out and engage the world. College students are by their very nature brave and imaginative, and their actions make their communities better in a way that their transcripts can never fully reflect.

Most college awards programs and scholarships focus on graduating high school students and award their academic merits. However, often the most dynamic students don’t discover their direction until after their freshman year in college. So in a world of accelerating college expenses, it is often the case that a complete student – one dedicated to service and to the college community – may be the least likely to get additional support.

The Pearson Prize supports students who have:

• completed at least one year in college;

• demonstrated leadership in community service;

• been attending a two‐ or four‐year school.

By addressing the needs of emerging leaders at this point in a college career, the Pearson Prize for Higher Education fills a gap in the student investment scheme of other nonprofits, state organizations, and philanthropic organizations.

Helping Students Finish School

This year, working with The National Society of Collegiate Scholars, the Pearson Foundation is identifying 70 students to receive the Pearson Prize in support of their school works and their commitment to the local community. The Pearson Prize offers two fellowships:

• Pearson Prize National Fellows (20) receive $10,000, paid over two years.

• Pearson Prize Community Fellows (50) receive $500, awarded in a single year.

The Pearson Prize for Higher Education offers more than a financial reward. After a student receives the Pearson Prize, he or she enters into an ongoing support network of current and past Pearson Prize Fellows. All Pearson Prize Fellows gain access to unique student resources and opportunities from Pearson, a leader in education.