Raymond F. Gates, Jr. Scholarship Program
The Raymond F. Gates, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 1976 in memory of Raymond F. Gates, Jr. following his tragic death in an automobile accident. Mr. Gates was the Executive Vice President of the Connecticut REALTORS®.
Applying for a Scholarship
The 2024 application process has closed. The deadline was April 10, 2024. Check back in February 2025 for the next application process.
Who is Eligible
Children/step-children of Connecticut REALTORS®, REALTOR-ASSOCIATES® or local Board-Association/CTR staff are eligible to apply. Note that grandchildren are not eligible unless they are the legal ward of the grandparents (documentation required). The parent must be an active dues-paying Connecticut REALTOR®, REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® or local Board-Association/CTR staff member for the one year period from 4/11/2023 to 4/10/2024 (local Board and CT State membership dates will be verified). 2024 dues must be paid in full no later than 3/1/2024.
Applicants must meet either of these conditions:
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High School Senior - graduating high school seniors entering an accredited college/vocational-technical school full-time
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College/Vocational-Technical/Graduate Student - full-time accredited college/vocational-technical/graduate school students with at least one remaining term
Two Categories of Scholarships Available
Students can apply for ONE of two scholarship categories: Academic Excellence which requires a minimum 3.7 GPA and is based primarily on academic factors (i.e. coursework, grades, GPA, academic honors/awards) or Scholastic Achievement which requires GPAs below 3.7 but no lower than 2.0 and is based on academic factors along with the required essay. Both categories will secondarily take into consideration other factors such as extracurricular activities, volunteer/civic involvement, any work experience, etc.
What's NEW:
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Academic Excellence - students with a 3.7 GPA or higher must apply for this category
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Scholastic Achievement - students with a GPA lower than 3.7 (but at least 2.0) must apply for this category
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Current College Freshmen - senior year high school grades are now required
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Scholastic Category Applicants - a second, non-academic letter of recommendation is now required
IMPORTANT NOTE:
COLLEGE/GRADUATE STUDENTS - we do not accept eScript services. You should submit a request to your college to MAIL US YOUR OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT. Exact transcript requirements and the address to be mailed to are available under the “Transcript” section of the application. You do not need to complete/submit your application in order to take care of this now! Transcripts must be received in our office by the application deadline (not just mailed by then).
How Scholarships are Determined
The total amount of money available depends upon contributions received and interest earned as of 4/15/2024. The amount of each individual scholarship is left to the Committee's discretion but in past years has ranged from $500 to $2,500. Priority will be given to applicants in the following order: High School Seniors, College/Vocational-Technical Students and then Graduate Students.
As you would expect, selecting scholarship recipients is a difficult task. To make the final allocation of available scholarships, the Committee will review all applicant information, including courses taken, grades, extracurricular activities, employment/volunteerism, recommendations and other indicators of potential success. Note that the selection of recipients is not based in any way on race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or any handicap.
You will receive notification of whether or not you have been awarded a scholarship in May.
Once a scholarship has been awarded, the Connecticut Association of REALTORS® Foundation assumes no further responsibility for the conduct, personal affairs or debts of scholarship recipients. Likewise, the Foundation specifically reserves the right to modify or discontinue the program at any time.
CTR Past President Tribute Scholarships
Each year, a Gates Scholarship is awarded in honor of CT REALTORS® Past Presidents who have recently passed away. There are currently 5 honorary scholarships in memory of Frank Green, 1995 CTR President from the Stamford Board; Joe Gustin, 1974 CTR President from the Mid-State Association; Bob Kimball, 2012 CTR President from the Eastern CT Association, Larry Story, 1996 CTR President from the New Canaan Board and Bill Vibert, 2000 CTR President from the Greater Hartford Association.
