Communication

Scholarship Opportunities

Award Recipients at COM Day 2019

The following scholarships are currently offered through the Department of Communication:

  1. The Shafiqa Rashidi Journalism Scholarship
  2. Legacy Scholarship
  3. Gary Keele Memorial Scholarship
  4. Frank A. Tenant Endowed Scholarship
  5. Ben F Thompson Memorial Scholarship
  6. Kaufman-Yarbrough Memorial Scholarship
  7. Patricia A Kurtz Memorial Scholarship
  8. Wayne Rowe Memorial Scholarship
  9. Cecil B. Brown Memorial Scholarship (CLASS)

All scholarships have an online application process accessed through Bronco Scholarships. To apply, please visit https://csupomona.academicworks.com and search for COM.

Scholarship inquiries can be directed to Dr. Ivana Cvetkovic, student scholarships committee chair, at icvetkovic@cpp.edu.

Note that scholarship calls are typically posted 6-8 weeks prior to the application deadline.

Scholarship FAQs

Scholarships are awarded based on academic merit (GPA), leadership, and/or community service. Financial need is considered for some scholarships. We advise reviewing the scholarship criteria listed in the description section of the application, but students who are active in students’ clubs and organizations on campus are particularly encouraged to apply. 

The Communication Department usually announces the scholarships recipients during the COM Day in April (join us for the COM Day to hear whether you are among the scholarship recipients). The scholarships will be disbursed on recipients’ accounts in late July or early August. Students who are also receiving the financial aid, will receive the scholarship at the same time.  

Yes. We encourage students to apply to all scholarships for which that they are eligible.  Students can check the eligibility in advance on the CPP scholarships website. Once a student logs in, each student will complete the general questionnaire and the system will display all the scholarships a student is eligible for.

The process is not demanding, but we advise that students prepare the application materials in advance. First, each student will fill out the general questionnaire. Some scholarships request additional essays (usually between 250-500 words) and/or a resume. Please read the scholarships criteria in advance.

It depends on a scholarship. Since each scholarship is awarded for the upcoming academic year, current graduating seniors are not eligible to apply. The Frank Tennant Scholarship recipients may reapply for the scholarship if they met the criteria from the scholarship description.

Please check the scholarships description and criteria. Some scholarships require students to be full-time students, whereas the other scholarships can be awarded to part-time students.

Please carefully read the scholarships description and criteria. Some scholarships require full-time status during the upcoming academic year, while others require enrollment in courses only during the Fall semester.

No. Depending on the scholarship description and criteria, some scholarships are annually awarded to a single recipient, while other scholarships are awarded to multiple recipients. We encourage students to apply to multiple scholarships based on eligibility.

The Shafiqa Rashidi Journalism Scholarship

Eligibility: Students majoring in Communication with an emphasis in Multimedia Journalism with a GPA 2.75 or higher. 
Amount of Award: $5000
Date Awarded: August
Application Deadline: April 1

Legacy Scholarship

This scholarship is funded from donations secured by the COM 4446 Event Planning Class.
Eligibility: Junior or senior Communication majors with a minimum GPA of 3.0
Amount of Award: $1,000
Date Awarded: August  
Application Deadline: April 1
Legacy Scholarship Information (PDF)

Gary Keele Memorial Scholarship

Eligibility: Full-time Communication majors in the Communication Studies Option (previously Organizational or Interpersonal Communication) with a minimum GPA of 3.5. Graduating seniors are not eligible to apply. 
Amount of Award: $1,000
Date Awarded: August  
Application Deadline: Look at https://csupomona.academicworks.com
Gary Keele Memorial Scholarship Information (PDF)

Frank A. Tennant Endowed Scholarship

Eligibility: High School Students who are already accepted to Cal Poly Pomona (Proof will be needed before the start of the 2024-25 academic year), first-years, sophmore, and juniors (seniors are not eligible to apply). Minimum GPA 3.25. Only available to students pursuing Communication with an emphasis in Multimedia Journalism and PR.
Amount of Award: Academic Year Tuition
Application Deadline: April 1

Ben F. Thompson Memorial Scholarship

Eligibility: Current Communication majors in the Multimedia Journalism option with a minimum 3.0 GPA and a demonstrated commitment to community service
Amount of Award:  $500
Date Awarded: August  
Application Deadline: April 1
Ben F. Thompson Memorial Scholarship Information  (PDF)

Kaufman-Yarbrough Memorial Scholarship

Eligibility: Current Communication majors with a minimum 3.25 GPA
Amount of Award: $500
Date Awarded: August
Application Deadline: April 1
Kaufman-Yarbrough Memorial Scholarship Information  (PDF)

Patricia A. Kurtz Memorial Scholarship

Eligibility: Current Communication majors with an interest in Journalism, Magazines and Feature Writing (Seniors are not eligible to apply). Minimum GPA 3.0
Amount of Award: $500
Date Awarded: August
Application Deadline: April 1

Wayne Rowe Memorial Scholarship

Eligibility: The Wayne Rowe Memorial Scholarship was created to memorialize Dr. Wayne Rowe, a Cal Poly Pomona Communication Faculty emeritus member from 1990 to 2017. Communication students eligible to apply with GPA of 2.0 or higher. 
Amount of Award: $1000
Date Awarded: August
Application Deadline: April 1

Cecil B. Brown Memorial Scholarship

Eligibility: This is a CLASS Scholarship for current Communication Majors or Minors with a minimum 3.25 GPA. 
Amount of Award: $3,000
Date Awarded: August 
Application Deadline: April 1
Cecil B. Brown Memorial Scholarship Information (PDF)

To see how one of these scholarships helped our students, watch the video below: