Casey McCracken and Rebecca Vandermeulen at the BFI film festival

Candidates for the Park Scholar Award must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen (federal guidelines) and apply to Ithaca College to pursue an undergraduate major within the Roy H. Park School of Communications. Transfer students are not eligible for the award.

To be considered for a Park Scholar Award:

1. Apply to Ithaca College using the Common Application online, and indicate a preferred undergraduate major within the Roy H. Park School of Communications

2. Complete the Park Scholar Award application in IC Connect by January 15, 2024, including:

  • Three essays
  • Two recommendation letters, from people who did not already provide a recommendation on the Common App
  • One personal history

Please note: The Park Scholar application cannot be viewed and completed until the application for admission to Ithaca College has been completed. The Park Scholar application in IC Connect will not be accessible until the Common Application to Ithaca College is complete, and all applicants are advised to give themselves enough time to complete the Park Scholar application by completing their application to Ithaca College well before the January 15 deadline.

Important Dates for Applicants

January 1, 2024 (or earlier): Apply to Ithaca College

Applicants must first complete the application to study in the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College, using the Common Application, before they will be able to view the application to the Park Scholar Program on IC Connect. It is therefore strongly recommended that students complete the Common Application as early as possible and no later than January 1, 2024. The Park Scholar application in IC Connect will not be accessible until the Common Application to Ithaca College is complete, and all applicants are advised to give themselves enough time to complete the Park Scholar application by completing the Ithaca College application. as early as possible.

January 15, 2024 (or earlier): Apply for the Award

All Park Scholar Award applications must be completed in IC Connect no later than January 15, 2024.

Early March 2024: Notification of Finalists

Park Scholar finalist decisions will be emailed to all applicants on or before March 11, 2024.

Late March 2024: Finalist Weekend

All finalists for the Park Scholar award will participate in Finalist Weekend, which will be held over Zoom, Saturday through Monday, March 23-25, 2024. Finalists will take part in individual and group interviews and information sessions.

Early April 2024: Award Recipients Notified

Frequently Asked Questions

Any U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen (federal guidelines) who applies as a first-year college student to Ithaca College for an undergraduate major within the Roy H. Park School of Communications is eligible to apply for a Park Scholar Award.

Note: Transfer students are not eligible for the award.

In previous years, the Park Scholar Program has received approximately 300–400 applications.

Each year, very few scholarships are awarded. The number varies from year to year. In 2023, seven Park Scholar Awards were given. In 2024, it is likely that six Park Scholar Awards will be given.

No numerical limits are set. All applications will be reviewed. The award is extremely competitive, however, and applicants should understand that dedication to academic excellence and intellectual curiosity will be weighed heavily, along with demonstrated commitment to service and leadership.

The online application requires the following: three essays that are unique to the Park Scholar application; two letters of recommendation that are unique to the Park Scholar application, meaning they cannot be from people who already provided a letter of recommendation for the Common Application; and a resume that includes volunteer, leadership, and employment activities. 

Yes and no. The three essays and the resume must be submitted together, along with names and contact information for the two people writing letters of recommendation. Those people will submit the letters directly to the college. Applicants are not permitted to forward letters of recommendation that were sent first to the applicant.

Yes. Applicants must submit the names of two additional people who will write recommendation letters specifically for the Park Scholar application, meaning these letters will be from two people in addition to -- i.e., separate from -- the people who provided a letter of recommendation to support the application to Ithaca College on the Common Application.

No. The Park Scholar application uses the transcript submitted on the Common Application to Ithaca College.

The Park Scholar application needs to be received by January 15, 2024. It is advisable to complete the application to study in the Roy H. Park School of Communications, using the Common Application, as early as possible before January 15, 2024. The Park Scholar application in IC Connect will not be accessible until the Common Application to Ithaca College is complete, and all applicants are advised to give themselves enough time to complete that application. For information on the college application process, visit Admission.

All applicants (including those not selected as finalists) are notified of their finalist status in writing by early March 2024. Award recipients will be notified in writing by early-to-mid April 2024.

The Finalist Weekend is an opportunity (1) for applicants who were selected as finalists for the award to learn more about the program, through information sessions and individual and group activities, and (2) for the review committee to learn more about each applicant, through a series of individual and group interviews. All students selected as a finalist for the Park Scholar Award are expected to participate in the Finalist Weekend. Finalists will be emailed with the dates and other details for the Finalist Weekend, which is typically held at the end of March.

Approximately 12–15 finalists are invited to participate in “Finalist Weekend.”

Additional questions about the application process?

Please contact the Office of Admission
Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. ET