Scholarships for Tall People

Are You Tall?

Scholarships and grants reward college students for all kinds of behavior, including outstanding academic achievement and noted athletic accomplishments.  Financial need and ethnic background are qualifiers for tuition assistance programs, as are lstudent ocation and scholastic major.  And financial aid comes from diverse sources, including government agencies, professional associations and other interest-groups.

The lesson for scholarship-seekers? Use everything at your disposal to earn college cash – even your height.  Tall individuals benefit from sports scholarships for volleyball, basketball and other height-friendly athletic pursuits, and of course tall students land academic awards just like their diminutive counterparts do, but some unique scholarships are actually reserved exclusively for tall students.

Tall Clubs International is a federation of social clubs that serves tall people and their concerns. Among its advocacy programs for those individuals who are above average height, the organization maintains an educational scholarship program that provides tuition assistance for tall students.  TCI Scholarships are administered by local chapters, so that college funding is spread across more than 50 TCI chapters throughout the United States and Canada.

Scholarships are generally awarded to first year students, but awards are applied to Fall-semester tuition for second-year students as well.

TCI Scholarship Eligibility Requirements

First and foremost for TCI Scholarship applicants:  Stand at least 5’10″ if you are a woman, and at least 6’2″ if you are a man.

Ideal candidates are entering their first year of college, in the fall semester following application for TCI funding, but all candidates must be 21 years old or younger – without exception.  Sponsorship is also required to participate in the TCI program.  A local chapter, preferably within 100 miles of the student applicant’s residence, sponsors each potential recipient.  Even clubs that do not actively participate in the scholarship program are eligible to put forth sponsored nominees for annual scholarships.

Fifty-three local TCI chapters operate in North America, providing ample regional resources for landing scholarship sponsorship.  Use this list of North American TCI Chapters to narrow your search for a member-sponsor.

The Sacramento Tall Club embodies the TCI spirit, and engages actively with tall scholarship-seekers.  The club honors a past member with the Sharon Heater Memorial Scholarship award.  In addition to meeting club height requirements, successful applicants are asked to submit essays covering the following topic: “What Being Tall Means to Me”.  Handwritten applications are not accepted, and all typewritten submissions must be received by March 1st.

How to Apply

Annual applicants for TCI Kae Sumner Einfeldt and Virginia Linquist Winker Academic Scholarships are required to submit the following materials alongside their official application forms:

• Copy of official high school transcript
• College entrance exam score verification
• Letter of recommendation from academic source
• Letter of recommendation from non-academic source
• One page essay
• Photo
• Photo/essay release authorization

Scholarship administrators evaluate candidates based on application responses and supporting materials.  Areas of attention, which should be outlined on the standard application form, include:

• Extracurricular participation during high school, including athletics and scholastic organizations
• Awards and honors recognition
• Volunteer efforts and community service participation
• Personal achievements not outlined in above categories

Scholarships are valued at $1000 each, and standardized recommendation forms are available for candidate sponsors.  Scholarship winners are announced at TCI convention awards banquets, once they have been selected by the executive committee.  Application materials and annual program information are available, beginning in January of each year.

Do’s and Don’ts

TCI does not accept emails to its main website about scholarship requests.  For up to date information about the scholarship program, interested parties are urged to contact local tall clubs for details. If there is no TCI chapter within 100 miles of your location, you may not be eligible for higher education funding from the organization.

Canadian candidates are referred to tall clubs in Vancouver and Toronto for scholarship program participation.

Club height requirements are set in stone and TCI takes them seriously. The scholarships are exclusive, in that they serve a unique population of tall students.  If you don’t make the statutory cut, don’t attempt to lie about your height.

TCI Scholarships are made possible by the Tall Clubs International Foundation, the non-profit, philanthropic arm of the organization, which establishes funding for the group’s annual educational efforts.  Emails and phone calls regarding TCI scholarships should be directed to Tall Clubs in your area, rather than to the Foundation.