The purpose of NESA is to identify Eagle Scouts and to provide a manpower resource for local councils. The primary objective of local chapters is to guide Eagle Scouts of all ages into service within the local council. All BSA councils have membership enrolled in the National Eagle Scout Association.
There are two types of nationally awarded Eagle Scout scholarships. One type is academic scholarships, which include a varying number of $3,000 scholarships awarded each year by the National Eagle Scout Association, and a varying number of Mabel and Lawrence S. Cooke Scholarships. The Mabel and Lawrence S. Cooke Scholarships are awarded annually and include four $20,000 scholarships (payable at $5,000 per year) and one $48,000 scholarship (up to $12,000 payable for four years), plus a varying number of others. Scholarship committees are formed each year in each of the four BSA regions (Northeast, Southern, Central, and Western) to recommend recipients of these scholarships, with the final determination made by the national NESA Scholarship Committee.
The other type of national Eagle Scout scholarship is the Hall/McElwain Merit Scholarship. Each BSA region reviews applications and awards a varying number of these $1,000 scholarships.
NESA academic scholarship applicants must be Eagle Scouts graduating high school and entering college in the year for which they apply for a scholarship. Scholarships are awarded only to those who graduate from high school in the calendar year in which scholarships are presented.
