PLANO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Rent-A-Center, Inc. announced that its Make-A-Difference Scholarship Program, in which $60,000 is awarded to 60 high school and undergraduate students across the country, is now open to accept applications at www.rentacenter.com/scholarships.

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Some of last year's Make-A-Difference Scholarship recipients (Photo: Business Wire)

Customers and coworkers at all lines of business including Get It Now, Home Choice, AcceptanceNOW and Rent-A-Center Franchising are eligible to participate. Applications will be accepted until midnight Feb. 1, 2018.

The Make-A-Difference Scholarship Program is administered through a partnership with Scholarship America®, the nation’s leading nonprofit scholarship and educational support organization.

Scholarship beneficiaries must pursue their first undergraduate degree at an accredited two- or four-year college, university, vocational school or technical school in the United States or Puerto Rico.

Recipients will be announced in April 2018 and awarded their scholarships in August.

Juan Mercado, one of this past year recipients and the son of an assistant manager of a Rent-A-Center, Inc.-owned Get It Now store in Walworth, Wis., was happy about receiving the money.

"My mother cannot help me with my expenses because of the rent and basic bills that she needs to pay,” wrote Mercado in an email. “This scholarship will be used to fill the missing gap for my college expenses. I am very grateful to receive this scholarship and thankful for Rent-A-Center."

Rent-A-Center, Inc. has donated more than $730,000 to hundreds of students through the Make-A-Difference Scholarship established in 2004.

“Supporting and empowering our customers, their children and our coworkers’ children is an investment in our future,” said Gina Hethcock, Rent-A-Center’s senior public and community relations manager. “Our goals are to help students get a step ahead and give back to our customers and coworkers for their loyalty and support.”

A rent-to-own industry leader, Plano, Texas-based, Rent-A-Center, Inc. is focused on improving the quality of life for its customers by providing them the opportunity to obtain ownership of high-quality, durable products such as consumer electronics, appliances, computers, furniture and accessories, under flexible rental purchase agreements with no long-term obligation.

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