The Educational Enhancement Fund supports Kogod students to participate in professional development opportunities, including business-focused professional conferences, case or other competitions, leadership development activities, and other experiential opportunities.

Once approved, students will work with faculty, Kogod's Student Development team, the Kogod Office of Career Engagement, the Kogod Center for Professionalism and Communications, and Kogod Global Learning to prepare for their experience.

To be considered, you will need to:

1. Complete the Educational Enhancement Fund application (note that an application must be submitted at least two months before the opportunity date to be considered).
2. Connect with Kogod's Associate Director of Student Development, Kelsey Wali, to discuss and finalize your application.
3. Depending on the opportunity, meet with your team, a faculty sponsor, the Center for Professionalism and Communications, and/or the Office of Career Engagement.
   1. Students must meet with a career coach in the Office of Career Engagement to get approval for all conferences.

Many opportunities will be highlighted in the weekly Kogod Student News newsletter or Handshake, but these are not all-encompassing lists.

Guidelines

Overall

Students must be undergraduate students with a declared major or minor in Kogod or graduate students enrolled in a degree-granting program through Kogod. NOTE: Opportunities that occur post-graduation cannot be supported.

Students must also be in good standing with the university and Kogod (including but not limited to student conduct probation, academic probation, and academic integrity violations). While the university standards to be in good academic standing are lower, priority consideration will be given to undergraduate students above a 2.5 cumulative GPA or graduate students above 3.25.

Students can receive funding (as outlined below) that is approved in advance by the Associate Director. For priority consideration, requests must be submitted two months in advance of the opportunity. Late applications may be considered for partial funding, but not guaranteed. There are no reimbursements offered through this fund unless there is an unexpected emergency and the Associate Director approves in advance.

We want to encourage all eligible students to participate in opportunities, so preference will be given to those not previously funded in the current academic year. Multiple opportunities for a single student may be available but are not guaranteed.

If you will miss class or other responsibilities due to these activities, you will need to discuss with and get approval from your faculty/supervisors/advisors in advance to plan for missed class time, assignments, exams, or other course-related materials.

After participating, students will be asked to submit the following to the Associate Director:

1. a photo of themselves (either a professional headshot or a photo from experience)

2. Testimonial sharing what they learned through their experience that may be used in marketing, on social media, or other public forums.

Lodging/hotels, meals, and local transportation to and from airports will be the student's responsibility and not be covered by this fund.

If a student commits to an opportunity and then later withdraws, they will be responsible for reimbursing Kogod for expenses already made on their behalf.

In any opportunity where a student must submit a resume, resumes must be reviewed and approved by the Kogod Office of Career Engagement.

Covered Expenses

Professional Conferences and Memberships

Kogod will pay the cost of a student's registration for a conference focused specifically on a business industry or relevant to their program of study at Kogod and/or a career fair. (NOTE: students must get approval from a career coach in the Office of Career Development for all conferences.)

If a student is presenting at a conference, their conference registration, travel, and lodging may be paid for by Kogod.

Memberships in accredited or faculty-sanctioned professional associations that are relevant to a student's academic program and/or career goals may be paid for by Kogod, provided the membership results in a reduced conference or event registration costs.

Round-trip transportation (flight, train, bus) based on the location of the opportunity will be covered for conferences.

Kogod-Sponsored Programs

Programs sponsored by Kogod academic departments or student services offices will be considered for funding. Funding cannot be requested or used for expenses related to cost-of-attendance, such as tuition, course fees, or items included in your AU bill. Funds also cannot be used toward penalties or late fees. Examples of things to request funding for may include, but are not limited to, short-term lodging (less than three weeks) if not included in program fees or airfare. Examples of programs eligible for funding include, but are not limited to:

• Kogod-sponsored short-term international programs through Kogod's Global Learning office (non-program related). Students applying to long-term or AU Abroad programs can apply for funding through the AU Abroad office. Preference will go to students who have not been able to study abroad during their current degree program.
• Career treks through Kogod's Office of Career Development.

The purpose of this fund is to provide financial assistance to undergraduate students who are a major in any program within the Kogod School of Business and seeking to participate in experiential learning opportunities. This fund is not meant to support tuition or related cost-of-attendance expenses. Mr. Kushner established this award to ensure that students who participate in unpaid or low-paid opportunities have fewer obstacles while taking advantage of experiential opportunities.

There will be two cycles of awards, with three students awarded $3,000 in the fall semester and two in the spring. Differentiating this award from existing funds like the Emergency Fund or the Educational Enhancement Fund, the Kushner Experiential Learning Fund can support larger-scale or Kogod-sponsored programs which can include but are not limited to:

• Unpaid internships
• Study abroad or other experiences through Kogod’s Global Learning Programs office (note that while AU Abroad programs will be considered through this fund, Kogod Global Learning programs will take priority. For AU Abroad programs, consider their funding options).

Note that the deadline to apply for Fall 2026 will be on September 28th at 11:59 pm. Those selected will be notified within a week of each deadline.

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The Graduate Excellence Fund aims to recognize Kogod graduate students who have demonstrated academic excellence and leadership outside the classroom at Kogod and American University.  

This is a need- and merit-based scholarship for students who have fully completed six credits in a Kogod or WCL (for JD/LLM/MBA) on-campus or online graduate program. Students must have earned a GPA of 3.5 or higher and will be enrolled in at least six credits (fall/spring) or three credits (summer) in Kogod during the semester/term for which they are applying. Students who are full-time employees at AU and receive tuition benefits are not eligible for this fund. 

Applications will be reviewed two times each year. The deadlines to apply for funding are as follows: 

• Fall semester funding: July 5 at 11:59 p.m. ET 

• Spring semester funding: January 5 at 11:59 p.m. ET

Recipients are typically notified of their award within three business days from each deadline, and funds are added to a student's account within a week. 

The consideration process is outlined below: 

1. Complete the application by the deadline above (note: you must have a GPA of 3.5 or higher to apply). 

2. Leadership and co-curricular involvement at Kogod and American University are weighed heavily in the review of applications. Examples of impact can include, but are not limited to:  

• Student club roles and leadership 

• Student ambassador roles 

• Athletic or club sport team involvement 

• Case competition or other competition participation 
  
  
• Pro Bono projects 
  
  
• Volunteer work, community engagement/service involvement

3. Applicants will be forwarded to the financial aid office to verify financial need (note that these funds are restricted to apply only towards tuition).  

New applicants will be considered with priority over returning applicants who have received funding. 

Note: letters of recommendation are no longer a part of this fund's application process. Please do not request recommendations from faculty.

The Graduate Excellence Fund Review Committee will meet to consider applications within two weeks after each deadline. Recipients will be notified of their scholarship and asked to confirm acceptance. All decisions are final.  

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The Genever Oppong Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance to undergraduate students who major in any program within the Kogod School of Business and seek to participate in experiential learning opportunities. Students must demonstrate involvement in community service. A flat amount will be awarded to 3-6 students each semester who identify as first-generation students and/or who are at or close to Pell Grant eligibility.

The Genever Oppong Scholarship Fund can support larger-scale or Kogod-sponsored programs, which can include but are not limited to:

• Professional/academic conferences
• Case or other competitions
• Unpaid internships
• Study abroad or other experiences through Kogod’s Global Learning Programs office (note that while AU Abroad programs will be considered through this fund, Kogod Global Learning programs will take priority.  For AU Abroad programs, consider their funding options at this site).

Note that selected students will receive awards in late October for the fall semester and early March for the spring semester. 

The application deadline for fall is September 30th at 11:59 pm, and the application deadline for spring is February 7th at 11:59 pm.

APPLY HERE!

1. Complete the application to find out if the exam or prep course would be funded. Students can apply for support of either prep course fees or exam fees, but not both.
2. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of faculty and staff. 
3. Students will be notified of award decision and next steps.  

• Students must be a graduate student enrolled in a degree-granting program through Kogod.
• Students must be in good standing with the university and Kogod (including but not limited to student conduct probation, academic probation, and academic integrity violations). While the university standards to be in good academic standing are lower, priority consideration will be given to graduate students with a cumulative GPA above 3.25.
• Students must provide receipt of payment, demonstrate proof of prep course or certification exam completion, and complete a brief survey to receive funding.
• We expect students to keep all aspects of their application and award confidential and ask you to refrain from discussing the award process with even your most trusted friends. Any breach in confidentiality can result in immediate cancellation of your award.

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Kogod has more than forty donor-funded scholarships available for Kogod undergraduate and graduate students.  Visit the Kogod Donor-Funded Scholarships webpage for more information about these scholarships.

Visit the “Grants and Scholarships” section of the university's Financial Aid website for other funding opportunities and the Office of Merit Awards' website.