How do United Methodist Student Day offerings help students?

United Methodist Student Day is observed annually on the last Sunday of November.

Giving to the United Methodist Student Day offering is directly distributed across the 70 different scholarships under the management of the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

Every dollar donated goes directly into student aid. None is spent on administration of these funds. Scholarships are available to support United Methodist undergraduate, graduate, and seminary students worldwide who fit the criteria for the specific scholarships involved.

Receiving one or more of these United Methodist scholarships helps students not only reduce or eliminate student debt, but also know they are supported in their education by United Methodists across the connection. This is as important for United Methodist students who intend to serve in professions unrelated to the church as it is for those who seek to become clergy or to serve in other ways within the connectional structure — as deacons, pastors, missionaries, communicators, campus ministers, conference staff, general agency staff, educators, chaplains, or in other approved extension ministries.

Annual giving to United Methodist Student Day has represented, on average, 13% of new revenue for these scholarships. In 2023, giving was substantially lower than the previous five- year average ($230,000 versus $420,000, a 45% decline), perhaps owing in part to the number of disaffiliations that occurred prior to the end of that year (74% of all disaffiliations took place in 2023).

Meanwhile, the need for scholarship support for United Methodist students has not changed substantially. Fewer congregations in the United States does not mean lower demand for these funds, either in the United States or worldwide.

This year, and going forward, consider how you will promote increased giving to United Methodist Student Day so United Methodist students will continue to know their Church is behind them during their undergraduate, graduate, or ministerial education and that they will face less student debt after they graduate because of it.

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Ask The UMC is the information service of United Methodist Communications.