Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute - VSI Scholarship Program

A Scholarship opportunity for Virginia criminal justice students

The Virginia Sheriffs’ Scholarship program was established to provide an opportunity for people across Virginia to pursue an education in criminal justice. Accordingly, the Board of Directors has established the application process for students to receive scholarships to assist in their educational endeavors. The scholarships are available only to students in jurisdictions where sheriffs participated in scholarship fundraising efforts. This program is limited to students attending Virginia colleges and universities.

To access the online 2024-25 Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute scholarship application, please click this link: https://webportalapp.com/appform/login/2024virginiasheriffinstitute.

2024-25 Scholarship Program Policies

1- Eligibility:
A. Students must be a permanent resident, and if 18 or older a registered voter, in a Virginia county or city where their sheriff is a member of the Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute (VSI) and has authorized the VSI to conduct a direct mail special appeal to raise funds for the scholarship program.

B. Students, 18 and older, must be registered Virginia voters and provide a copy of their voter registration card. Students under the age of 18 are required to provide a copy of a government issued picture ID with their home address, providing proof of residency.

2- Applications will be available on the Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute website by January 31, 2024.

3- Applications must be submitted online with all required information by May 1, 2024. The deadline will be adhered to.

4- Two types of scholarships will be awarded, one to full-time students and one to part-time students. All the scholarship awards to students will be consistent, i.e. all check amounts will be the same, depending on the type.

5- Only majors in the criminal justice field will qualify for a scholarship. Those majoring in law or pursuing a career as a lawyer will not be considered a criminal justice major.

6- Only students attending Virginia colleges or universities for the 2024-25 school year will be considered.

7- Applications must be completed online and electronically signed or the student will not be considered.

8- Certificates of award will be mailed to the individual sheriffs’ offices by the end of May 2024.

9- After verification by the students of chosen college/major, checks will be made payable to the educational institution indicated on the application. College or university student IDs will be required to issue a scholarship check.

10- Letters of rejection will be mailed to students directly from the VSI office.

Application Checklist
- A Current Letter of Recommendation from the Sheriff where you Live and Vote? The letter must be from the Sheriff. Letters from deputies or other staff members in the office will not be accepted. The letter must be current. Past recommendation letters will not be accepted.
- Application Completed Online and Electronically Signed
- Majoring in Criminal Justice Field (Not pre-law/law)
- Attending a Virginia College or University
- Application and all Required Documents and Information Required Submitted Online by May 1, 2024
- Essay Included
- High School Transcripts submitted (for incoming freshman applicants only)
- College Transcripts submitted for currently enrolled college students (college student’s transcripts must provide major. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted)
- Proof of Acceptance from College or University submitted (for incoming freshman applicants only)
- For Students 18 and older, a copy of voter registration card submitted or for students under 18, a copy of a government issued picture ID with home address submitted

Every year, the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office solicits applications for a scholarship awarded by the Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute through our office. To be eligible, a student must be a criminal justice major (or have criminal justice career aspirations), and his or her permanent residence must be in Fairfax County, Fairfax City, Town of Herndon or Town of Vienna. The scholarship is usually $1,000 for full-time students and $500 for part-time students. Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid talks with each applicant before she writes a letter of recommendation to go with the other application materials.

This scholarship is open to students at the NVCC campuses: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/sheriff/college-scholarship-criminal-justice-majors. Last year, we had seven scholarship winners from our jurisdiction, and we are hoping to get more schools involved. An NVCC student, Karisma Dixon, earned a scholarship from us in 2023 and 2022.

The deadline to contact our office to express interest and schedule a meeting with Sheriff Kincaid is April 4. Students should email Lia.Greenwood@fairfaxcounty.gov for scheduling. The application, including all the attachments, must be submitted online to the Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute by May 1.

The application checklist references an essay. This can be anything the student wants to write about, including their experiences and career goals. It is an opportunity for us and the Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute to learn more about an applicant in his or her own words.