Final-year students urged to apply for $8m in scholarship funding

Final-year tertiary students in Jamaica are being encouraged to apply by September 4 for scholarship funding being offered by Jamaica’s Promise, a not-for-profit organisation in the United States (US).

More than J$8 million in scholarship funding has been made available to Jamaican nationals entering the final year of their tertiary studies under the Jamaica Independence Scholarships, administered by Jamaica’s Promise.

The funds, drawn from proceeds from the Jamaica Independence Gala held in the US in 2025, will be made available to students across six public tertiary institutions for the 2026-2027 academic year.

Eligible students are those enrolled at The University of the West Indies (UWI); the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech); the College of Agriculture, Science and Education; Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College; The Mico University College; and Shortwood Teachers’ College.

The restriction of the scholarships to students entering their final year of study in the current academic year reflects a deliberate focus on carrying candidates across the finish line at a point when attrition from tertiary programmes is often driven by outstanding fees rather than academic difficulty.

Two of this year’s awards will be conferred in the name of the late former Consul General of Jamaica in New York, Alsion Roach Wilson.

One will be presented to a student at UTech. The second will go to a student at The UWI who is pursuing studies in accounting, banking and finance, or business management, reflecting the professional field in which the late consul general built her career.

Before entering the diplomatic service, Roach Wilson spent her working life in banking on Wall Street. She rose through an industry in which few Jamaican women of her generation were represented and, throughout that ascent, remained openly and unfailingly proud of her origins in rural St Catherine.

Those origins, and the schooling that shaped her, were themes she returned to often in her public life. The two awards bearing her name are intended to reach students whose circumstances resemble those from which she began.

To apply, applicants should visit the website scholarshipsja.org, where full instructions and application forms have been uploaded.

Acknowledging that the application window is short, Jamaica’s Promise said students are nonetheless urged to take advantage of the opportunity to ensure they have a chance to benefit.

In previous years, the institutions were required to submit the names of students for the scholarships. This year, however, changes have been made to ensure that students with the greatest need benefit from the funding.

A three-member committee will review all applications and select the scholarship recipients.

In 2022, 16 scholarships valued at more than US$42,000 were awarded.

In 2023, 12 scholarships were awarded, while some of the funds were used to support a 13-year-old burn victim.

In 2024, although there was no Jamaica Independence Gala, eight scholarships were awarded.

Lester Hinds

How to apply

Prospective applicants should:

. Visit scholarshipsja.org and open the Jamaica Independence Scholarships listing.

. Read the instructions, which explain the steps to be followed and the supporting documents to be submitted.

. Confirm eligibility, including Jamaican nationality, enrolment at one of the six named institutions, and final-year status for 2026-2027.

. Obtain the application form from the site, complete it in full, and return it with the required supporting documents.

. Submit the application before the closing date of Friday, September 4, 2026.