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CRAEF Scholarship Program

Since its inception in 1981, the California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (CRAEF) has awarded deserving students and educators more than one million dollars in scholarships and grants. Traditionally, these scholarships are allocated to eager and talented high school seniors and undergraduate students who dream of pursuing higher education in the restaurant, food service and hospitality industries.

To qualify for a CRAEF scholarship the applicant must:
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Be a California resident, although students may attend an out-of-state school
- Be enrolled in a minimum of nine credit hours at an accredited postsecondary school
- Have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale; applicants
who don’t have a cumulative GPA or have concerns about their GPA should contact CRAEF
at 800.765.4842 to discuss alternate requirements
- Be enrolled or will enroll in two consecutive semesters or terms
- Have completed at least one grading term of a postsecondary program or be a high school
senior going directly to a postsecondary school
- Satisfy the minimum hours of industry-related work experience, paid or voluntary (all work experience must be verified through paycheck stubs or a signed letter from employers):
- 250 hours for high school students going into their freshmen year
- 400 hours for college freshmen going into their sophomore year
- 550 hours for students beyond sophomore year