Parsec Financial CFP® Certification Diversity Scholarship

Parsec Financial is a fee-only registered investment advisor with $3.6 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2022, providing investment management, financial planning, tax planning, trust services and business retirement services to 2,030 families and businesses in six offices across North Carolina. Parsec Financial has partnered with the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning to offer this unique scholarship as an extension of one of the firm’s fundamental values to give back to the communities in which they serve.

The scholarship awards up to $5,000 to qualified students in the Southeast United States seeking to complete the education coursework at an undergraduate or certificate-level CFP Board Registered Program that qualifies the student to sit for the CFP® exam.

eligibility requirements

• Must be a U.S. resident;
• Must possess or be in the process of completing an undergraduate degree;
• At the time the award is issued, must be enrolled in an undergraduate or certificate-level CFP Board Registered Program at a college or university located in either Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia or West Virginia;

OR

Must be a resident of one of the above states and enrolled in an online undergraduate or certificate-level CFP Board Registered Program at the time the award is issued;

• Scholarship recipients will be required to provide documentation of certificate or undergraduate program enrollment (e.g., academic transcript, official course completion letters) and costs prior to receiving their award;
• If not enrolled at the time of applying, scholarship awardees will have up to 3 months to enroll or forfeit the award;
• Must be from an underrepresented population within the financial planning profession in terms of race or ethnicity, as explained in an essay to be submitted during the application process;
• Must have a demonstrated financial need, as explained in an essay to be submitted during the application process; and
• Must exhibit professionalism and the ability to enhance and maintain the profession’s public image; as demonstrated in an essay to be submitted during the application process.

Applicants who are selected to proceed to the final round of the application review process will be required to pass a background check conducted by CFP Board.

submission requirements

Please note that applications will only be accepted through this webpage. Please do not attempt to submit application materials (other than official transcripts) via mail, fax or email.

When submitting application essays and materials, please pay close attention to spelling, grammar and presentation, as that will be factored into the grading process

award process

Scholarship awards will be disbursed in two equal installments. To receive the first installment, recipients will have to demonstrate proof of enrollment in an eligible undergraduate or certificate-level CFP Board Registered Program. If not currently enrolled in a program, recipients will have up to 3 months to enroll after being notified of the award. The second installment will be awarded either upon completing the program (if the awardee has already started coursework), or when the awardee is half-way through the program (if the awardee has not yet started coursework).

AWARD DECISION

Fall 2022 scholarship applicants will be notified of the award decision via email by mid-December 2022. If you have a question about the status of your application, please contact us at scholarships@cfpboard.org.

Application Window

The next application window will open in 2023.