Eligibility Criteria

Applicants for the scholarship must demonstrate the following to be considered: 

1. Applicants who reside in the United States must meet one of the following requirements: be a legal resident of the United States; have been granted permanent residency; have a valid visa that does not prohibit educational studies; have been granted temporary protected status along with approved Notice of Action issued by Citizen Immigration Services and verified through CIS Form g-845; or have been granted asylum along with the approved Notice of Action issued by the Citizen Immigration Services. 
2. Applicants must be currently employed in any role within the retail industry, defined as at a business that sells a product directly to consumers. 
3. Applicants must not have been convicted of a federal crime in the past ten (10) years and agree to a background check conducted by NRF Foundation if selected as one of the top thirty-five finalists.
4. Applicants, once enrolled, must not receive a total of 100% tuition reimbursement from any source(s) including but not limited to: corporate reimbursement, other scholarships and/or private grants with the exception of Veteran’s Administration GI benefits or Veteran’s Administration Vocational Rehabilitation Benefits and Title IV financial aid funding.
5. Applicants must not be currently enrolled nor in the process of enrolling at any University of Phoenix campus or in any online program at any time prior to the scholarship award date. Applicants who enroll after submitting an application or before the scholarship award date are not eligible to be a recipient of this scholarship.
6. Applicants must meet all admissions requirements of University of Phoenix.
7. Applicants must not be an employee or family member (spouse, dependent child or domestic partner) of an employee of Apollo Group, Inc., University of Phoenix, Western International University, Institute for Professional Development or any other subsidiary of Apollo Group, Inc. Further, applicants who are National Retail Federation or NRF Foundation employees or their immediate family members are ineligible to apply for the scholarship.
8. Applicants must agree to be a national spokesperson for the advancement of retail careers, if selected, for the term of the scholarship. This includes, but is not limited to, being highlighted in special communications, e.g. newsletters, media campaigns, and research studies. There are no fees associated with being the spokesperson and there is no additional compensation to the scholarship recipients. Applicants must be eligible to agree and must agree to the Apollo Group, Inc., Consent and Release form.
9. Applicants must submit a complete, signed application, together with all supporting documentation by the deadline date listed under the Selection Process section. The completion of the application form does not create an obligation to award a scholarship to applicant.
10. Applicants must submit completed essays as described in the Essay section. High importance will be placed on the applicant’s desire to advance in their education, with an emphasis on furthering their careers, and their impact in the community in which they reside. 

Selection Process

1. This scholarship opportunity is made available by the University of Phoenix working together with NRF Foundation, a non-profit organization, and the scholarship process is managed by a staff member at NRF Foundation. The process includes, but is not limited to, application creation, scholarship promotion, selection committee formation and recipient list finalization. The application and any additional information submitted by eligible applicants will be subject to the NRF Foundation privacy and confidentiality policies, if any.
2. The recipient of this scholarship will be selected by the scholarship selection committee consisting of representatives from University of Phoenix, the National Retail Federation, and/or NRF Foundation. Non-staff members may assist in the selection committee process.
3. It is the applicant’s responsibility to submit a complete and signed application along with all the supporting documentation, which must be received on or before the deadline specified below. The scholarship selection committee accepts no responsibility for incomplete applications, applications not in proper form, lost applications, or any other submission in exception to the above instructions. 
4. The scholarship award will be based on the committee’s scores of the overall quality of the application and the scholarship essay(s). The higher the average score, the higher the probability of selection.
5. Scholarship selection shall be made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law. 
6. The decision of the scholarship selection committee is final and not subject to a review process.