NRF Foundation Next Generation Scholarship: Empowering Future Retail Leaders

The NRF Foundation Next Generation Scholarship stands as the organization's premier scholarship competition, designed to recognize and support undergraduate students with a passion for retail. First launched, the scholarship is for students of various and diverse academic backgrounds who have demonstrated leadership skills, previous retail experience and a passion for making an impact in the retail industry.

Mission and Impact

The NRF Foundation is committed to recognizing rising retail talent through the Next Generation Scholarship. The scholarship develops skills in retailing, business and critical thinking, and prepares and encourages students to launch their career in retail and earn recognition among the next generation of leaders in the industry. The NRF Foundation and a panel of retail executive judges are searching for high-performing students who demonstrate a passion for retail and a unique, innovative perspective on our industry.

The NRF Foundation provides the skills and resources needed for life-changing careers. As NRF's nonprofit 501(c)(3), it connects people to an industry that’s a great place to start and a great place to grow. Together, they help people build better lives and stronger communities.

Eligibility and Application

The NRF Foundation Next Generation Scholarship is the pinnacle achievement for students interested in pursuing careers in retail. This opportunity was created for students of various academic backgrounds who have demonstrated leadership skills, previous retail experience, and a passion for making an impact.

Each student who fulfills all of the eligibility requirements applies for the Scholarship by having all components of the application-which includes an essay, a personal brand video, one letter of recommendation, transcript, resume, and head shot-completed and submitted.

To be eligible, students must meet several criteria:

Be residents eligible to work in the United States
Maintain a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale
Possess prior or current experience working in a retail job or internship. This could be anything from working as a bagger at a grocery store or a server/host at a restaurant to having a summer internship with a retailer.
Be a junior or senior enrolled full-time at a University Member school at the time when the scholarship is presented

Students in any major are eligible. Possible majors include business, merchandising, supply chain, analytics, entrepreneurship, finance, accounting, retail studies, computer science, marketing, communications, etc.

University Members must have a current membership in NRF at the time when the student submits their application in order for students to submit their application. There is no limit to the number of students who can apply per University Member. Eligible students must be available to attend and participate in the NRF Foundation Student Program in New York City.

Selection Process

The NRF Foundation and a panel of retail executive judges are searching for high-performing students who demonstrate a passion for retail and a unique, innovative perspective on our industry. Each applicant will be evaluated on their demonstrated understanding of the retail industry. Applicants should exhibit original, unexpected and creative ideas.

A selection committee will review completed applications. On June 24, the NRF Foundation will announce up to twenty-five semifinalists to move to the next round of judging. Semi-finalists have seven (7) days to notify the NRF Foundation of their acceptance of the selection or the NRF Foundation will select a replacement semifinalist.

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On June 24, the NRF Foundation will issue the case study project only to semifinalists. Semifinalists must complete and submit a case study assigned by NRF Foundation that will be reviewed by a panel of retail judges. A panel of retail executive judges will then select the top 10 applicants from the semifinalists to move to the next phase of evaluation. The top 10 applicants will complete quick-fire interviews with the NRF Team between September 24-28. From there, the top 5 finalists will be selected and notified by October 6. Finalists have seven (7) days to notify NRF Foundation of their acceptance of the selection or NRF Foundation will select a replacement finalist.

Finalists will be interviewed by NRF Foundation Board of Directors members in the Fall. Retail executives will judge the finalists to decide upon recipients of each scholarship. NRF Foundation will announce the recipients of the scholarships during the NRF Foundation Honors in January. Decisions by the judges are final.

Scholarship Awards

The scholarship amounts available for the five finalists are: One (1) $25,000.00 scholarship for the top-scoring finalist and one (1) $10,000 scholarship for each of the remaining four finalists. These scholarship funds will be distributed in February to each finalists’ respective University on behalf of the finalists.

The 25 semifinalists, as determined by the selection process described above, will receive a travel stipend of up to $1,000.00 to defray the costs of the student's registration for and travel expenses to the NRF Foundation Student Program Convention provided that s/he satisfies all of the eligibility requirements. The NRF Foundation will remit travel stipends directly to each applicant's University. After the University pays for Scholarship applicant's Convention registration and related expenses, the University may use any remaining travel stipend money to help subsidize the attendance of its students at any National Retail Federation conference or educational program that benefits the retail industry.

Key Events and Programs

NRF Foundation Student Program

The NRF Foundation Student Program in New York City gives college students the unique opportunity to launch their future careers in retail and experience all that the industry offers. At the NRF Foundation Student Program, students hear directly from inspiring industry leaders and retail experts on the latest trends, strategies, and innovations taking place in retail today.

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NRF Foundation Honors

The NRF Foundation Honors is an event where the NRF Foundation celebrates the accomplishments of the Next Generation Scholarship finalists and announces the top recipient.

NRF Foundation University Challenge

The NRF Foundation University Challenge isn’t an average business case competition. This unique experience gives undergraduate students the chance to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom in a real-world setting. Since its launch, the NRF Foundation University Challenge, formerly Student Challenge, has provided over $500,000 in scholarship funds to students across the country, and priceless career opportunities.

The 2026-27 NRF Foundation University Challenge - our business competition for teams of three to four undergraduates studying all majors - opens soon. Get real-world experience, make your pitch to retail leaders and your team could earn up to $30,000 in scholarships.

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

The NRF Foundation also offers other scholarship opportunities, including:

NRF Foundation Bright Futures Scholarship: A need-based scholarship that offers the opportunity for students to attend the NRF Foundation Student Program in New York City, free of charge.
CVS Health Scholarship: Students with an interest in store leadership could earn a $10,000 tuition scholarship, a trip to New York City to attend the NRF Foundation Student Program, and the opportunity to meet with CVS Health.
Brand Licensing Scholarship: If you are an undergraduate college student with an interest in careers in the retail industry and brand licensing, you could earn a $5,000 tuition scholarship and a trip to New York City to attend the NRF Foundation Student Program.

NRF University Membership

Accredited public or private colleges, universities or online learning institutions that offer degree programs at the bachelor level or higher are solely eligible for membership at the NRF University Member level. University membership is limited to colleges and universities within the United States.

For an annual fee of $1,000, membership benefits include networking opportunities for educators to build professional relationships, eligibility for student scholarships and special events to educate students on the retail industry and highlight retail’s diverse careers.

These benefits include:

One free educator pass the NRF Foundation Student Program and Retail's Big Show.
Unlimited membership in the NRF Student Association for any currently-enrolled student at your institution.
Ability to nominate a student to be the NRF Student Ambassador for your school, a unique leadership experience that awards a $1,000 tuition award for students that participate.
Student eligibility for NRF Foundation’s Next Generation Scholarship which awards a $1,000 travel stipend to 25 students each year, and up to a $25,000 scholarship for one top recipient ($10,000 scholarship for four other recipients).
Ability for students to participate in the NRF Foundation's University Challenge, a business case-competition designed for students to display their business acumen to retail executives, that awards over $70,000 in scholarships and travel stipends to top teams.
Exclusive, free materials and content that highlight the career opportunities available with the retail industry to supplement curricula and support classroom learning.
University-wide membership with the NRF and NRF Foundation, which includes access to members-only research and webinars.
Ability to receive up to 15 free Business of Retail Operations & Profit credentials for students, and one additional credential for a faculty member. Each credential includes an online-only curriculum and an exam.

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