Open Door Scholarship

Kitware will award one $5,000 scholarship for the 2025/2026 academic year for talented Black high school seniors pursuing an education in computer science or a closely related field. Scholarship recipients who continue to meet the eligibility requirements may renew their award annually, receiving up to $20,000 in total ($5,000 per year for four consecutive years).

Who is Eligible?

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must:

• Be a Black or African American high school senior graduating in spring 2025
• Be a US citizen, permanent resident, or asylee
• Plan to attend college in the fall of 2025
• Plan to pursue a bachelor’s degree (or an associate’s degree as a step toward a bachelor’s degree) in computer science or a closely related field (such as computer engineering, computer information systems or software engineering)
• Demonstrate a passion for science and technology and/or a strong academic record

How to Apply?

Applications can be submitted by March 17, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Recipients will be notified by late April.

In the application process, you will be required to supply:

• Basic information about you (name, address, email, phone number, high school you are attending now, colleges you are considering attending in the fall)
• Two letters of recommendation (one must be from a current math or science teacher)
• A high school transcript (unofficial transcript is accepted)
• A statement about your experience/interest in software development, math, and science
• A statement about why you are pursuing a computer science (or closely related) degree
• A short essay on the following: You are given a large team of software developers and significant computing resources to tackle a current problem in the world today. What problem would you try to solve through software? What would the software application do? 

Terms and Conditions

The scholarship funds must be spent on education-related expenses (such as tuition, fees, books, supplies and equipment) required for your degree. Recipients are expected to be enrolled as a full-time student at an accredited, degree-granting institution (under certain extenuating circumstances, part-time schedules may be allowed). Scholarship funds will be paid directly to the student ($2,500 per semester) after college enrollment is verified each semester. Scholarship awards can be renewed (for up to a total of four consecutive years of scholarship funding) as long as the recipient remains in good standing at their college.

Scholarship Recipients