Emerging Media Scholarships

• have completed a ThreeSixty Journalism summer camp beyond a one-week summer College Essay Boot Camp
• apply and be accepted to attend St. Thomas as a first-time, first-year undergraduate
• demonstrate financial need based upon the results of the 2025-2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Minnesota Dream Act application

• November 1, 2024 – Early action application deadline.
• December 15, 2024 – Early action admission decision.
• January 15, 2025 – University of St. Thomas regular decision application deadline. (Last day to apply for admission to the university and remain a candidate for this scholarship.)
• February 15, 2025 – University of St. Thomas regular admission decision, and recommended deadline for submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or Minnesota Dream Act application.
• March 6, 2025 – Deadline for ThreeSixty Scholarship online application.
• Mid March 2025 – ThreeSixty Scholarship finalists will be selected and asked to interview on Saturday, March 15 with the scholarship committee. One scholarship recipient will be chosen from these finalists.
• April 2025 – Announcement of ThreeSixty Scholarship recipient.
• May 1, 2025 – Deadline for acceptance of all scholarships, including the ThreeSixty Scholarship.

The scholarship recipient must continue to express an academic interest in the field of journalism, digital media arts or strategic communication and officially declare a major in the Department of Emerging Media by the end of their second year at St. Thomas. In addition, the recipient is expected to be active in an Emerging Media activity, such as the Crest, student news service, volunteer with ThreeSixty Journalism at least five hours per month and to periodically represent the ThreeSixty program at events.

Recipients must maintain a 2.7 institutional GPA and annually submit a FAFSA to renew their scholarship. The scholarship may be received for up to eight semesters, until graduation, or until the university has defrayed the cost of 132 credits, whichever comes first.

Whalen Scholarships are named for the late Father James Whalen, a long-time faculty member and department chairman who specialized in teaching Media Ethics. Whalen scholarships are given on the basis of academic merit, commitment to community service and career-related activities, and the promise of success in a media career.

Leyden Scholarships are named for the late Donald Leyden, who was a founder of the original Department of Journalism in the 1950s. He also directed St. Thomas’ University Relations office for many years. Leyden scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit, commitment to community service and career-related activities, and the promise of success in a media career.

The Vachon Scholarship is named for John F. Vachon, a member of St. Thomas’ class of 1935 and a world-renowned photographer, and was established by his brother, Robert Vachon. Vachon scholarships are awarded to students who show promise as photojournalists. The awards are made on the basis of academic and photojournalistic excellence as demonstrated by a portfolio. Demonstration of work experience as a visual journalist for TommieMedia.com or other publications is a plus.

The Minnesota Journalists Abroad Scholarship provides study-abroad funds to an Emerging Media major who is intending to work in journalism. The recipient must be a junior or senior during the year the scholarship is received and must be studying abroad that year. Preference is given to students who demonstrate financial need.

• Must be a University of St. Thomas degree-seeking student majoring in an Emerging Media program who will have completed eight Emerging Media credits by the end of the Spring 2024 semester.
• Transfer students coming to St. Thomas as Emerging Media majors with eight credits that fulfill Emerging Media course requirements.
• Students who received a scholarship may re-apply in subsequent years; these scholarships are not renewed annually without successful re-application.
• Students who applied for but were not awarded a scholarship are welcome to re-apply in subsequent years.
• Students who receive 100% tuition remission are not eligible.