Thoroughbred Scholars Program

Deadline to apply: April 22, 2025 4:00 pm Eastern Time

The Thoroughbred Scholars program is back in 2025 to provide college scholarship awards to the children of railroad employees. The program provides $2,500 per year, renewable up to three years for $10,000, for full-time students pursuing an undergraduate degree at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school.

In addition, Norfolk Southern will award three special scholarships of $10,000 per year, renewable up to three years for $40,000, for students who meet all the criteria for a Thoroughbred Scholars award and have distinguished themselves in the following ways: NS HBCU Scholar, NS STEM Scholar, and NS Community Scholar.

The NS HBCU Scholar will be awarded to an outstanding student who intends to pursue their education at a Historically Black College or University.
The NS STEM Scholar will be awarded to an outstanding student who intends to pursue a degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM).
The NS Community Scholar will be awarded to a student who has distinguished themselves through community leadership and volunteer work.

Reflecting the makeup of our workforce, 80 of the 100 scholarships will be awarded to the children of our craft employees. To ensure the scholarship awards are directed where they can have the most impact, only children of management employees at pay band levels B5 or lower are eligible (T6 or below for Crown Company employees). Please review the following sections; Awards, Eligibility, Required Materials, & FAQs for specific program details.

The program is administered by Scholarship America^®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.

Thoroughbred Scholars Program

$2,500 per year, renewable up to three years for $10,000. Provided there are qualified applicants, recipients will be selected as follows:

80 of the Thoroughbred Scholars awards are designated for the children of craft employees
10 are designated for children of field management who work in locations outside of the 650 WPT headquarters campus
10 are designated for children of employees who work at 650 WPT

Norfolk Southern Scholars Award

Three special scholarships of $10,000 per year, renewable up to three years for $40,000.

One award to an HBCU Scholar – plan to enroll in a Historically Black College or University (HBCU)
One award to a STEM Scholar – plan to major in a STEM field (non-medical)
One award to a Community Scholar – must demonstrate community servant leadership

Norfolk Southern Scholars Awards will be granted without regard to employee job classification.

Renewal Specifics

Awards are renewable up to three years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first, on the basis of satisfactory academic performance. Students are required to achieve a 2.0 GPA to maintain satisfactory academic progress.
Continued parental employment is required. However, parental employment is not required if the employee retires by Norfolk Southern retirement guidelines.
Renewal students must enroll full-time for two semesters during the academic year to be considered. Scholarships are not available for part-time or single-semester enrollment.
If a student receiving the special STEM Scholar award (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) changes to a non-STEM major, they are still eligible for the $2,500 Thoroughbred Scholars award if the student meets all other requirements for renewal.
If a student receiving the special HBCU Scholar award transfers to a school that is not an HBCU, they are still eligible for the $2,500 Thoroughbred Scholars award if the student meets all other requirements for renewal.

Applicants are not eligible to receive both awards in the same academic year.

Awards are for undergraduate study only.

Selection of Recipients

Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:

Academic record
Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
Work experience
A statement of educational and career goals and objectives
Unusual personal or family circumstances
An online recommendation

Financial need is not considered.

Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of Norfolk Southern Corporation play a part in the selection. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.

Notification

All applicants will be notified in June.

Payment of Scholarships

Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of Norfolk Southern Corporation. Payment is made in early August.

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

Student must be i) age 25 or under and ii) the child* of a parent or legal guardian of an active full-time Norfolk Southern Corporation or Norfolk Southern Railway Company (collectively referred to as “Norfolk Southern or NS”) U.S. employee. The parent must be an active employee of Norfolk Southern at the time of the selection and renewal
*Child includes: biological, step- or legally adopted children living in the employee’s household or primarily supported by the employee.
Be high school seniors, high school graduates/those who have obtained a GED certificate, or current college undergraduates
Enrolled/enrolling in full-time** undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming academic year
**Students must enroll full-time for two semesters during the academic year to be considered. Scholarships are not available for part-time or single-semester enrollment, with the exception of vocational-technical certification programs that are less than two semesters in length. Vocational-
technical certification programs are eligible as long as they are at least one semester in length.
Student’s parent must be at pay band level 5 or below at the time of the application to be eligible (T6 and below for Crown Company employees).

Student’s parent must be at pay band level 5 or below at the time of the application to be eligible.

As part of your application, you must upload the following:

A current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display:
- Student name
- School name
- Grades
- Credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.

NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload a copy of your test score report(s) separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.

One online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf no later than April 25, 2025 4:00 pm Eastern Time.

Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the Thoroughbred Scholars and NS Scholars awards renewable?

Yes. Awards are renewable up to three years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first, based on satisfactory academic performance, full-time enrollment, and continued parental employment at Norfolk Southern.

Is the scholarship renewable if the Norfolk Southern parent retires?

Yes. The student can renew the scholarship award if their parent retires according to applicable Norfolk Southern guidelines and the student meets all other requirements for renewal.

Is the scholarship renewable if the parent is a management employee and is promoted to pay band 6 or higher?

Yes, if the student meets all other requirements for renewal.

Is the scholarship renewable if the parent is a craft employee and is promoted to management?

Yes, if the student meets all other requirements for renewal.

Is the scholarship renewable if a student receiving the special HBCU Scholar award transfers to a school that is not an HBCU?

If a recipient of the $10,000 per year HBCU Scholar award transfers to a school that is not an HBCU, they are still eligible for the $2,500 Thoroughbred Scholars award if the student meets all other requirements for renewal.

Is the scholarship renewable if a student receiving the special STEM Scholar award (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) changes to a non-STEM major?

If a recipient of the $10,000 per year STEM Scholar award changes to a non-STEM major, they are still eligible for the $2,500 Thoroughbred Scholars award if the student meets all other requirements for renewal.

Can a student receive more than one of the special NS Scholar awards? For example, could a student majoring in STEM at an HBCU receive the STEM Scholar and HBCU Scholar awards?

No. Applicants are not eligible to receive more than one award in the same academic year.

When will applicants be notified if they have received an award?

All applicants will receive a notification directly from Scholarship America in June of the year they have applied.

Are graduate students eligible to receive scholarship awards?

No. Awards are for undergraduate study only.

All other questions: Please direct any additional questions to norfolksouthern@scholarshipamerica.com

To be considered for one of the scholarships, you and your child first have to apply. The application period for scholarships for the upcoming academic year begins March 18 and runs through April 22. Click below to visit the Scholarship America Hub and apply.

Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address provided below in the footer as safe senders in your email contact list.