2026 PATH Scholarship Now Available for Institutions Supporting Students in Financial Distress
By Hugh T. Ferguson, NASFAA Managing Editor
Financial challenges frequently play a role in a student’s decision to leave higher education before completing their goals. The 2026 Progress, Accomplishment, Thriving, Hope (PATH) Scholarship Program, offered by the Ellucian Foundation, provides institutions with funds to help students in financial distress stay on track.
Eligible institutions in the U.S. have until June 5, 2026, to apply for the scholarship program, which is awarded in a single block grant between $10,000 and $25,000, with the ability to award up to $2,500 for individual students.
Now in its seventh year, the PATH Scholarship program has so far provided more than $3.7 million in scholarship grants to eligible higher education institutions, benefiting more than 3,700 students. For 2026, U.S. four-year institutions that are eligible to participate in the Federal Title IV Student Aid programs and eligible four-year public Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) are invited to apply for the program.
"The PATH Scholarship is designed to meet students where they are, providing timely financial support that can make the difference between stopping out and staying on track," said Jen Welding, executive director of the Ellucian Foundation. "By working directly with institutions, we ensure funding reaches students quickly and effectively, helping them persist in their studies and move forward with confidence."
Since the scholarship’s inception, Blue Icon Advisors, NASFAA’s consulting entity, has been heavily involved in the planning and implementation process and has utilized its expertise to help ensure institutions can participate in the program. Blue Icon Advisors composes an independent grant evaluation committee each year and manages the review and scoring of all applications.
“Since the inception of this unique scholarship program, Blue Icon has provided guidance and expertise to help the Ellucian Foundation ensure that aid reaches students in need,” said Mindy Eline, Blue Icon’s executive director. “Blue Icon has utilized its institutional knowledge to develop a streamlined application process, with the necessary reporting requirements, in order to provide the Ellucian Foundation with all the information it needs to continue to administer this important scholarship opportunity.”
For students, access to these resources can be a much-needed lifeline.
"At the moment I'm trying to hold down a full-time job and be a full-time student. With the current rise in cost of living this is becoming harder and harder because I have to miss work for classes. [The Ellucian PATH Scholarship will] reduce the financial burden of both missed work and education costs," said a 2025 PATH Scholarship student recipient.
PATH scholarship funds can cover both students’ direct expenses, such as tuition and fees, and indirect expenses, such as housing, technology, transportation, child care, books, and supplies.
An independent judging committee will recommend the institutions to receive a PATH Scholarship award. Recipient institutions in the U.S. will be notified in July.
The application materials can be found at stayonpath.org.
Publication Date: 5/4/2026
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