At its Selection Meeting on June 2, 2011, the JVS Scholarship Committee awarded over $400,000 in scholarships to 160 local Jewish students with financial need. Awards ranged from $1,000 to $5,000, with an average award of $2,500. Since the inception of the JVS Scholarship Program in 1972, JVS has awarded over 3,500 scholarships in the total amount of more than
$5 million.

Our scholarship recipients are attending community colleges, state universities and private colleges across the country including Georgetown, Julliard, Columbia, Harvard, Stanford, Brandeis, UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt, LA Pierce College and American Jewish University.

Their studies include, but are not limited to law, medicine, opera, hotel management, concert violin, non-profit management, architecture, history, psychology, early childhood development, urban studies, nursing and family therapy. Three students plan to be rabbis.

And of special note, we have a recent Peace Corps graduate, a former US Marine and two students who immigrated from Israel on their own after completing service in the Israeli army. We have students who have succeeded despite learning and/or physical disabilities. We have students who immigrated here from Iran and Russia, as well as students who are returning to school in midcareer after raising their own children.

2011 Program Outcomes

• Total amount of scholarships awarded: $405,600
• Total number of awards: 160 (105 renewal recipients and 55 new recipients)
• Award range: $1,000 - $5,000
• Average award size: $2,500

2011 Application and Interview Statistics

New applicants: 134
Renewal applicants: 123
Total Submitted Online Applications: 257

Undergraduate Students: 145 applications – 75 scholarships awarded

Graduate Students: 115 applications – 85 scholarships awarded

Applicants rejected (pre-interview): 48

Students interviewed: 209

Scholarship committee interviewers: 30

2011 Recipient Statistics
Country of origin
o 54% - U.S.
o 36% - Iran
o 5% - Former Soviet Union
o 5% - Israel

Demographics
o 65% - Female; 35% - Male
o 80% - 24 years old or younger; 20% - 25 years old and above

Education
o 46% - Undergraduate Students ; 54% - Graduate Students
o Types of institutions attending:
          • Community colleges – 5%
          • California State University – 11%
          • University of California – 24%
          • In-state private colleges – 42%
          • Out-of-state public college – 11%
          • Out-of-state private colleges – 7%
o The majority of the funded graduate students are in professional schools:
          • 21% are pharmacy students
          • 20% are medical students
          • 9% are law students
          • 6% are dental students