TUNA Scholarship Info
The Tsahim Urtuu - American Mongolian Community Scholarship Program recognizes academic excellence among Mongolian American high school students in North America planning to pursue a traditional baccalaureate degree at an accredited four-year college, university or military academy in the United States. TUNA selects well-rounded winners based on several factors, including SAT (and/or ACT) scores, demonstrated leadership, and junior year academic performance. Financial need is not a factor in determining winners. Awards for colleges or universities range from $1,000 to $2,000 per year. The amount for military academies is fixed as a one-time award of $1,000.
The TUNA Scholarship Program is open to all eligible Mongolian American children regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, birth place origin, citizenship status, or disability.
For information on the application process, see How to Apply.
How the program works
The TUNA Scholarship Program is a highly competitive program designed to recognize academic excellence among high school students planning to pursue a college degree. Eligible students must be planning to pursue a traditional baccalaureate degree at a four-year college, university or military academy in the United States.
Eligible students may enter the competition by submitting a TUNA Scholarship application at https://scholarship.tsahimurtuu.org, generally in the fall the student’s senior year of high school. Those in accelerated programs (completion of high school in three years) should submit applications in the fall of their first year in college. Refer to the Timeline for a summary of key events in the application process.
Winners must meet the entrance requirements of their selected school. Winners must also continue to meet eligibility requirements at the time selections are determined. Winners are expected to remain in good academic and disciplinary standing during their course of study.
Award amounts
Scholarship awards may be granted in amounts from $1,000 to $2,000 per year for up to four years of full-time undergraduate study or completion of a bachelor’s degree. The amount of the award is not based on financial need. The scholarship amount is granted for each of four undergraduate years or until baccalaureate degree requirements are met, whichever occurs first. The amount is co-payable to the student and the institution.
Scholarship winners who choose to attend a U.S. military academy will receive a one-time honorary award of $1,000 in the first year.
Scholarship awards may be transferred to another school if the student transfers. However, the award remains constant for the four years and will not be recalculated. The student must notify TUNA of any change in school and provide the name of the new school.
Financial aid information
The minimum award is $1,000.
A winner may accept other scholarships, awards, grants, and student loans. The amount of these other awards, however, will be taken into account to determine the final amount of the Tsahim Urtuu Scholarship.
Tax reporting
If the TUNA Scholarship award and other awards exceed tuition and related expenses, the student may have taxable income reportable to the IRS. Consult your personal tax advisor for details.
How winners are selected
The Tsahim Urtuu Scholarship program is extremely competitive. A limited number of winners are chosen by TUNA's independent Scholarship Selection Committee. Each applicant's complete file is reviewed holistically. The student’s overall academic record, achievements, essays, strong leadership qualities, and involvement in diverse extracurricular and community activities are taken into consideration.
The decision of the Scholarship Selection Committee is final.
Essays:
Two essays of @ 500 words apiece will be required. Topics may change from year-to-year. Below are the current two essay questions:
- Some believe that a person of character demonstrates the following six qualities: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. Pick one of these qualities, describe the value of this quality, and, most importantly, explain how you have exemplified it at some point during your high school career.
- What, in your opinion, is a recurring problem within your community, and how would you propose to solve this problem?
TUNA Scholarship timeline
September - December:
Student may take last admissible ACT offered (9 December 2023).
Student may take last admissible SAT offered (2 December 2023).
January - April:
Tsahim Urtuu Scholarship Program announced. Student completes application online at
https://scholarship.tsahimurtuu.org/.
Application needs to be completed and submitted by April 28th. No application will be
accepted after this date. Students can review their status of application online.
TUNA Application Acknowledgement email sent within 48 hours of application being submitted.
If acknowledgement is not received, please contact TUNA at contact@tsahimurtuu.org.
May:
The Selection Committee reviews applications in late - May. Finalists must also continue to
meet eligibility requirements at the time selections are determined.
June:
TUNA Scholarship Award winners selected. All applicants notified by email at the beginning of
June. If you don’t receive an email by 17 June 2024, contact TUNA at contact@tsahimurtuu.org.
Students accept awards and notified of award amounts in August.
July - August:
TUNA announces Tsahim Urtuu Scholarship Award winners.
How to apply
Students log on to https://scholarship.tsahimurtuu.org, register/obtain a User ID, and complete the application.
The applications must be completed and submitted no later than 11:59 PM of April 28, 2024.
Take the ACT or SAT. Students may include scores from multiple ACT and/or SAT exams; however, the highest combined (verbal and math) SAT score from one test will be considered.
Scores must be reported directly on the TUNA application.
Testing agency websites:
ACT - www.act.org
SAT - www.collegeboard.com
For additional questions, please contact TUNA at contact@tsahimurtuu.org.