Lowell seniors who have earned a varsity letter and maintained at least a 3.50 grade-point average can apply for the 2026-27 MHSAA/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award. The statewide application deadline is 4 p.m. EST Friday, Dec. 4, 2026.
The program will award 32 scholarships of $2,000 each. The awards recognize achievement and leadership in athletics, school activities and the community, along with applicants’ written responses.
Lowell students should contact the high school athletic office for the required application access code and ask whether the school has an earlier internal deadline. Schools have limits on the number of applicants who can be considered, so students should check the local process before waiting until the statewide deadline.
Who is eligible?
According to the official application portal, students must:
Be enrolled and participating in interscholastic athletics at an MHSAA member school.
Be a senior graduating during the 2026-27 school year.
Have earned a varsity letter before senior year in a sport for which the MHSAA sponsors a postseason tournament.
Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.50 on a 4.0 scale. A GPA below 3.50 cannot be rounded up to qualify.
The MHSAA’s FAQ also notes that early or middle college students are eligible during their final year of athletic eligibility.
What goes into the application?
Applicants complete an activities form and short-answer questions, submit two recommendation letters and write an essay of no more than 500 words about the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics.
The essay accounts for 40 percent of the score, the activities form 30 percent, short answers 20 percent and recommendations 10 percent. The MHSAA encourages applicants to use a personal sportsmanship experience and emphasize meaningful leadership rather than a long list of activities.
How to apply
Start at the MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award page, create an account, verify your email and obtain the access code from your athletic director. Applications can be saved and completed later.
If recommenders upload their own letters, applicants must return to the recommendation section and select “Mark as Complete.” After all sections are finished, use “Review and Submit,” then “Submit Your Application.” Saving a draft alone does not complete the application.
Finalists will be announced in late January, with scholarship winners announced throughout February. Recipients will be recognized during the 2027 MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing.
Information: MHSAA award announcement and official application materials.
