WIFLE Scholarship Program 2024: Application Details
Women In Federal Law Enforcement (WIFLE), offers a scholarship worth of $2,500 to undergraduates and postgraduate students living in the United States. However, students pursuing Associate degrees are not eligible. The WIFLE Scholarship is open to all interested students studying Criminal Justice or related programs.
The WIFLE scholarship is divided into two parts: WIFLE Regular or Associate Member (or a Regular or Associate Member sponsoring an individual) and a non-member. The scholarship awards may be renewable on subsequent application.
In the year 2020, WIFLE awarded scholarships worth $10,000 to college students studying Criminal Justice or related programs. This scholarship program has been helping hundreds of students get a quality and professional education in the law enforcement field.
As a college student studying a program that is related to solving crimes and seeking justice, the WIFLE Scholarship might just be the perfect Criminal Justice Scholarship for you!
About WIFLE Program
The Women in Law Enforcement, WIFLE was established on the 28th of June 1999. It was founded as a non-profit organization and an outgrowth of ICWIFLE to carry forward the ICWIFLE mission and vision.
The ICWIFLE is an acronym for Interagency Committee on Women in Federal Law Enforcement. It is an organization hosted by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Treasury. The ICWIFLE was formed to investigate the reasons for the low numbers of women entering federal law enforcement.
The then President, Richard Nixon had already signed an Executive order which allows equity in Federal employment for all persons; irrespective of race, color, age, origin, religion, disability etc. But because of the low number of women joining the Federal Law Enforcement, the WIFLE was formed to carry forward the ICWIFLE mission and vision.
Objectives of WIFLE Scholarship Program
The WIFLE offers scholarships every year to talented and interested students who meet the criteria in the field of law enforcement. The scholarship is aimed in establishing professionals in the field of Law Enforcement.
Due to the low number of females joining the Law Enforcement agencies, the WIFLE Scholarship was established to encourage young females who are interested in joining the law enforcement but don’t have the financial power to pursue their dreams.
The mission of WIFLE is to promote gender equity through leadership education that provides research, training, scholarships, awards, and networking opportunities in partnership with federal law enforcement agencies, WIFLE members and WIFLE sponsors.
More goals of the WIFLE Program
- To help Federal agencies recruit, retain and train women in Federal law enforcement.
- To promote the value of communication, collaboration and credibility in leadership styles.
- To investigate and address issues affecting women in federal law enforcement.
- To identify federal agency barriers to hiring, promoting, and retaining women in the law enforcement professions.
- To monitor the progress of women, increase hiring, and retain them in the Federal law enforcement.
Who can Apply for WIFLE Scholarship
The WIFLE Scholarship is available for female college students studying Criminal Justice or related program such as public administration, computer science, social sciences, linguistic arts, chemistry, physics, finance etc.
Any interested student must have done at least one full academic year of college activities at an accredited college or university or community college.
Categories of Scholarship
- WIFLE members scholarship (Regular or Associate)
- WIFLE non-member scholarship
WIFLE Members Scholarship
The Women In Federal Law Enforcement, WIFLE awards one scholarship in the amount of $1,500 every year to a Regular or Associate Member or Regular or Associate Member sponsored applicant. For members of WIFLE, it is much easier to gain a Scholarship award as the main eligibility criteria in such category is being a member.
If you are a member of WIFLE, and you have been selected for the award, you are automatically entitled to an additional $1,500 in the following year without renewing the application.
Applicants sponsored by a WIFLE Regular or Associate Member (in good standing) and WIFLE regular or Associate Members sponsoring themselves (who are members in good standing) are eligible.
Note: Members-only sponsored scholarships are not open to current employees and/or current officers of the WIFLE Foundation and/or Women in Federal Law Enforcement, Inc.
WIFLE Non-member Scholarship
However, students who are not members of WIFLE can also apply for the scholarship, but they must have been considered eligible. To know the requirements for non-members, read the next section.
Requirements for WIFLE Scholarship 2022-2023
- Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited university/college. Or be currently enrolled full time in a fully accredited community college with the intention of transferring to a four-year degree.
- Interested Applicants must be studying a four-year program and must have done at least one full academic year of college activities.
- Applicants must be studying Criminal Justice or a related discipline such as public administration, computer science, social sciences, linguistic arts, chemistry, physics, finance etc. leading to a four-year degree (Undergraduates and Postgraduate are eligible).
- You must have a minimum of 3.0 overall grade point average (GPA).
- Applicants must be a citizen of the United States.
- You must have at least a police official or a community leader to sponsor your application with a written statement vouching for you.
- Applicants are expected to demonstrate commitment to the community through a 500-word essay describing their involvement in a community project, and the results or impact of that involvement to the community; OR if the applicant has already done an internship with a law enforcement agency (preferably a federal agency) such applicant must provide details including the name of the agency and the agency contact, the dates served and describe the value of the experience and the accomplishment through the internship in a 500-word essay. Reference to my previous blog post on how to write a Scholarship essay for guidance.
- You must submit all required documents which includes a completed application form, 500-word essay, school transcripts, and a recommendation letter from a police official or community leader.
Documents for WIFLE Scholarship
- A completed Application form
- School transcript
- 500-word Written essay
- Recommendation letter from a Police Official or community leader
- Evidence of being a US citizen.
How to Apply for WIFLE Scholarship
The WIFLE scholarship opens on the 15th of February every year. To apply, interested candidates are to visit the WIFLE Official website to begin application.
After downloading and completing the application form, send it alongside your recommendation letter, 500-word essay and college transcripts via email before the deadline in May. Recipients will be notified by May 17th each year, and awards will be mailed directly to the educational institutions.
Contact information
Contact WIFLE by email at [email protected].
Mail all applications to the attention of the Scholarship organization’s address.
WIFLE Address
Attention: Scholarship Coordinator
2200 Wilson Blvd, Suite 102 PMB 204
Arlington, VA 22.
WIFLE Scholarship Deadline
The WIFLE scholarship opens on 15th February every year and closes on 3rd May. Selected applicants will get notified on 17th May via the provided email during application.
How to become a Member of WIFLE Organization
WIFLE program is recruiting men and women to join the organization. Before you can be considered a member of the WIFLE Organization, you must submit an application for completeness and be sure you meet the criteria of the membership category selected.
The non-profit organization has different categories for enrollment. Depending on your preference, you can enroll as a lifetime member, a student member, an associate member for a year or three years, group membership etc. Each membership category has a non-refundable enrollment fee. However, you can choose to terminate your membership anytime and also request your WIFLE records to be deleted if need be.
Becoming a member of WIFLE has its advantages. A good example is having easy access to the WIFLE scholarship program. However, you can also choose to become a sponsor of the WIFLE Organization (not necessary to students).
To know more about becoming a member, visit the official website.
What is the Best Criminal Justice Scholarship?
There are several Criminal Justice scholarships, but WIFLE Scholarship can be considered as one of the best Criminal Justice scholarships for international students (resident of the United States).
The WIFLE foundation has been consistent in awarding Scholarships to college students over the past years. A lot of female students have benefitted from this program. What is more interesting is that, you can apply for the scholarship without being a member of the WIFLE organization.
Conclusion
WIFLE scholarship is a good chance for students who are seeking a Criminal Justice Scholarship to get the opportunity of studying for free. It is a good Scholarship for Police Officers Spouses and agencies under the law enforcement. It is also a means of encouraging females to join a Federal Law Enforcement Agency. What is stopping you from applying for a scholarship worth $2,500?
Recommendation
Before proceeding to apply for WIFLE Scholarship, read my previous blog post on how to write a Scholarship essay (with samples). This blog post would help you easily understand how to write a winning scholarship essay by yourself.
Lastly, subscribe to our newsletter for latest scholarship opportunities all around the world!
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