John Mitchell Nickerson University of Maine Memorial Scholarship Fund

The John Mitchell Nickerson University of Maine Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University of Maine at Orono was established in 2014 in the University of Maine Foundation with a bequest from John M. Nickerson, a member of the Class of 1959. This fund endows merit-based scholarships to be awarded to those juniors and seniors majoring in political science who are residents of the State of Maine, who have demonstrated scholarship of the highest order, and who have the greatest potential to serve the public unselfishly.

For the 2022-2023 academic year, Nickerson scholarships are expected to cover the full cost of in-state tuition at the University of Maine, less any existing merit or need based scholarships received by the student (up to 15 credits per semester).

Eligibility:

To be eligible for consideration for a Nickerson Scholarship, a student must satisfy the following criteria:

Be a resident of the State of Maine, as defined by the University of Maine’s criteria for establishing residency for the payment of tuition.
Be a matriculated University of Maine student of junior or senior standing as of the starting date of the scholarship.
Have an officially declared major in Political Science. Should a student drop his/her major in Political Science or unenroll as a University of Maine student, his/her scholarship eligibility will terminate immediately and all unspent monies will be returned to the Nickerson Scholarship Fund.
To be considered for a scholarship in the junior year, students must have completed at least 12 credit hours in Political Science at the time of application. Credits “in progress” at the time of application do not count toward this requirement. At least 6 of those credits must have been completed in residency at the University of Maine.
To be considered for a scholarship in the senior year, students must have completed at least 18 credit hours in Political Science at the time of application. Credits “in progress” at the time of application do not count toward this requirement. At least 12 of those credits must have been completed in residency at the University of Maine.
Have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.
Nickerson Scholarships are awarded for a period of two semesters. A student may not receive a Nickerson Scholarship for more than four semesters.

Selection will be made on the basis of overall academic performance; academic performance in Political Science; the submitted application (including a writing sample). Across all of these indicators, consideration will be given to the potential and likelihood of the applicant to serve the public unselfishly in his/her eventual career.

To apply for this scholarship, please submit your application via the form below by the end of the day on Friday, January 27th.

Nickerson Scholarship Application form

Name*
First Last
Student ID #*
Date of Birth
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Email*
Local Address
Local/Cell Phone No.
Home Address
Home Phone No.
When you pay your UMaine tuition, are you considered a Maine resident?
Year in School (according to credits earned)
Please list all scholarships you currently receive at the University of Maine. Please include the source and the annual dollar amount of those scholarships. (Use the button on the side of the form to add additional scholarships).
Please state why you are deserving of this scholarship, your future goals, and how you will use the skills and experiences gained at the University of Maine to unselfishly serve the public in the future (250 words or less).