To be considered for any of the English Division’s scholarship awards, students should meet the following general criteria:

• Be currently enrolled in coursework at PCC
• Have an overall GPA of at least 2.0 
• Have earned two or more A’s in transfer-level English classes (not including English 1A or 1B) in the previous academic year.

Individual scholarships and awards may have additional/different criteria. Please carefully review the criteria for each scholarship/award before applying.

For more information about the scholarship application process, please visit the PCC scholarship website.

If you have questions about English Division scholarships or awards, please contact Kristin Kaz (kkaz@pasadena.edu) or Beth Williams (ewilliams33@pasadena.edu).

Available Awards

Below is a list of the scholarships and awards that are available each year. Please carefully read the criteria for each award before you apply.

General Awards and Scholarships

The following awards are available to students from any discipline. Please review the eligibility requirements for each award carefully before applying. 

Mary Alice Fox ($300): Recognizes scholarly achievement. Applicants should demonstrate a record of exceptional work in English with an emphasis in writing, should be currently enrolled in at least 6 units, and should have an overall GPA of at least 2.5. In addition, applicants should have completed at least one semester at PCC and should demonstrate financial need.

The John Q. Copeland Memorial Award ($500): Recognizes scholarly achievement. Applications should demonstrate a record of excellence in literature courses at PCC. Priority is given to students who will transfer from PCC in the fall.

Marion Murphy ($500): Recognizes scholarly achievement. Applicants should demonstrate a record of excellence in English coursework at PCC.

The Susan Isabel Frazee Award ($500): Recognizes scholarly achievement and citizenship. Applicants should demonstrate a record of excellence in literature, creative writing, or the teaching of literature, as well as a record of school citizenship. Applicants must be graduating or transferring from PCC and should demonstrate financial need. 

Ray P. Davis ($500): Recognizes scholarly achievement. Applicants should have completed a minimum of 12 units at PCC, should be currently enrolled in a minimum of 9 units at PCC, and should have an overall GPA of at least 2.75. Students who are graduating or transferring from PCC or who are continuing their coursework in the coming semesters are all eligible for this award. Priority is given to students from underrepresented populations.

The Robert Browning Memorial Scholarship ($500): Recognizes scholarly achievement and citizenship. Applicants should have a good general record of scholarship and school citizenship, and should demonstrate a penchant for English literature. In addition, applicants should demonstrate financial need.

The Jane S. Long Memorial Scholarship ($500): Recognizes scholarly and civic achievement. Applicants should be returning students who are graduating from PCC and who have a satisfactory overall record in both scholarship and citizenship.

Awards and Scholarships for English Majors

The following awards are available to students who are majoring in English. Please review the eligibility requirements for each award carefully before applying.

Scholarship in Honor of Retired English Faculty ($1,000): Recognizes returning students (out of high school for at least ten years) who are continuing their studies as English majors at PCC. Applicants should have an overall GPA of at least 3.5, should have completed at least 30 units, and should have received A grades in English 1A and 1B.

Huang Future Teachers Award ($1,000): Recognizes English majors who plan to pursue teaching English as their future career. Applicants should have an overall GPA of at least 3.2, should be actively enrolled in at least 12 units at PCC at the time of application for this scholarship, and should have completed 15 units at PCC.

Hanvey Scholarship for Excellence in English ($1,000): Recognizes English majors who will be transferring in the following fall semester. Applications should have achieved a GPA of 3.5 or higher in their completed English courses.

Additional Awards

Students who meet the eligibility requirements will be considered for the following awards. Applications are not required.

The Richard Scott Handley Memorial Award ($250): Recognizes creative scholarly achievement. This award is given to the student who has submitted the most distinguished creative writing to Inscape, PCC’s literary Magazine.

Honors for Superior Achievement ($25): Recognizes scholarly achievement. This award is given to students who major in English and maintain a GPA of 3.75 or higher in a minimum of 13 transfer units beyond English 1A.

Honors Extraordinary ($50): Recognizes scholarly achievement. This award is given to a student who majors in English and maintains a GPA of 4.0 in a minimum of 16 transfer units beyond English 1A.

Scholarship applications open each spring semester. You can submit your scholarship application via Academic Works. Please submit all materials, including recommendation letters, online.

Awards are presented to recipients in late April.

The Kathleen D. Loly Scholarship is awarded each spring to a student who has excelled in a Foreign Language and who is transferring to a college or university.

The student applying for this scholarship must:

1. be ready to transfer to a college or university
2. be graduating from PCC having completed at least 30 units at PCC
3. have an over-all satisfactory record in scholarship and citizenship
4. need financial assistance to accomplish his/her educational goal
5. preferably be an outstanding Foreign Language student and a member of Alpha Gamma Sigma

Arthur S. Wiley Scholarship Fund provides an award to students who study foreign languages and who have distinguished themselves in scholarship and in citizenship.
To qualify for this award, a student

1. shall be graduating from Pasadena City College;
2. shall have achieved academic success in the study of one or more languages;
3. shall have contributed some notable service to the Languages Division.

The Clara Bate Giddings Scholarship was established to honor the memory of Clara Bate Giddings, who taught German at PCC from 1926 to 1948. This award recognizes superior achievement in the study of German. Recipients must have completed 30 units at the college and be graduating at the time of the award with an outstanding record in advanced German courses and a superior record in scholarship and citizenship.

The Henry F. Cordelius award was established by Henry Cordelius, a former professor of German at PCC. This award is designed to encourage the study of German languages and limited to graduating students who are planning to continue to do so at a higher institution. Recipients must have attended PCC for at least one year and demonstrate an outstanding record in advanced German courses as well as a superior record in scholarship and citizenship.

This award is for outstanding students majoring in Italian, who are planning to continue studying Italian at undergraduate and graduate level.

The scholarship requires the student to have a minimum of 3.5 GPA, and 18 units of Italian taken. Priority will be given to students who are planning to use Italian in their future career.

The Dr. Hirai Japanese Scholarship is awarded to PCC students who have completed Japanese 4 with high achievements and dedication.

This scholarship, was established by her husband in honor of Margarita Fastabend, a vivacious and accomplished Professor Emerita of Pasadena City College. This is an award for outstanding achievement in Spanish.

To qualify the student, for whom Spanish is a foreign language, must have achieved an outstanding record in Spanish courses and have completed Spanish 4. Also the student must have attended Pasadena City College for at least one year and be transferring to a four year college.

This award is in memory of Yves Magloe, an ESL Faculty member who crossed cultural boundaries to become successful here at PCC. It is designed to honor ESL students who face similar cross-cultural experiences. The student must have taken ESL 33B in the previous calendar year, be currently enrolled in six units and have an overall GPA of 3.0. As part of the process, applicants must also write an essay to qualify.

The Renee Copeland Memorial Award was established to honor the memory of Renee Copeland, a longtime professor of English as a Second Language and French. The award recognizes the academic achievements of F-1 Visa students who are in need of help financially. Recipients must have completed at least two of the following courses: ESL 33A, 33B, English 1A and demonstrate good character and a good academic record at PCC.

Linguistics Scholarship

The Linguistics Scholarship is awarded faculty selection. Criteria: Compare overall GPA, GPA in Linguistics courses, the number of Linguistics courses a student has taken and preference given to Linguistics majors.