Amitabha’s Scholarship is one of the named donor funds in the University of the West’s Golden Benefactor Awards, funded by a group of anonymous Buddhist donors.
It helps monastic students in Religious Studies or Buddhist Chaplaincy degrees at the Rosemead, California campus with financial hardship. Three US$500 awards are made each fall and spring semester.
Benefits & funding
- US$500 per award, used in the semester awarded; three awards each fall and spring.
- Only one Golden Benefactor award per student per semester.
- Cannot be combined with the IBEF, President’s or Lotus scholarships, unless the Financial Aid Committee grants a petition for exceptional need.
- Recipients write a semester report on their academic progress for the donors.
Eligibility
- Monastic students only, enrolled in a UWest Religious Studies or Buddhist Chaplaincy degree program.
- At least one semester already completed in a UWest degree-seeking program.
- Full-time: at least 12 units (undergraduate) or 9 units (graduate); a student who cannot be full-time in their final semester must submit a written petition.
- Minimum GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
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“The scholarship is open to full-time monastic students who are enrolled in either a Religious Studies degree program or a Buddhist Chaplaincy degree program at UWest.” Eligibility
Education required
Bachelor Enrolled · Master Enrolled · PhD Enrolled
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Application process
- 1Register for the next semester before the deadline; the application is not processed otherwise.
- 2Complete, sign and date the Golden Benefactor Awards application form, including its financial need analysis.
- 3Write a Statement of Objectives (typed, double-spaced, up to 500 words).
- 4Deliver both to the Office of Financial Aid by the first Monday after the previous semester ends: in person or by mail (the PDF rules out fax and email, though another line also lists email).
Program timeline
14 Dec 2026
Spring 2027 application deadline (first Monday after Fall 2026 ends on 13 Dec)
11 Jan 2027
Spring 2027 semester begins
16 May 2027
Spring 2027 semester ends
17 May 2027 (expected)
Fall 2027 application deadline