WGU Scholarships

AGENDA

• What is a Scholarship?
• Examples of Offerings
• How to Apply
• After Applying
• Basic Eligibility Requirements
• After Being Awarded

A lot of people get scholarships and grants confused. So we’ll spend a minute explaining the differences between the two. Next, we’ll focus on WGU’s New Student Scholarships. As a prospective or recently enrolled student, this is the best time for you to apply.

• We want to help you understand what the scholarships look like
• How to apply
• What you can expect after you have applied

We will be going over some of the basic eligibility requirements, explaining what you can expect if you are awarded a scholarship, and answering some frequently asked questions. We will also touch on external scholarships and what other financial aid options are available to you.

WHAT IS A SCHOLARSHIP?

Before we get too in-depth about scholarships, let’s differentiate between scholarships and grants.

SCHOLARSHIPS VS GRANTS

New Student Scholarships

There are four types of New Student Scholarships at WGU.

1 General Scholarships:

They have fairly broad requirements and are typically open to any student in any program.

2 College/Program Specific Scholarships:

They require you to be enrolled in a specific college or even a degree program to be eligible. For example, we may have a scholarship designed specifically for students entering the Teachers College or pursuing a Bachelor’s in Health Information Management.

3 Partner Scholarships:

We have scholarships that are designed for students affiliated with our partner institutions. If you are a graduate from a partner community college or are a member or employee of one of our partners, then we may have a scholarship available and designed for you. All of the partners are listed on the applicable scholarship websites, so you can see if you’re eligible to apply.

4 State-Specific Scholarships:

WGU has several state-based universities, and has scholarships specifically for students residing in those states. These scholarships are also only listed on the individual state websites, so please make sure you are looking at the right website for your location.

Routinely changing

The scholarship offerings routinely change, so what may be available now may not be available in a couple of months. For that reason, we require that students be within 90 days before or 30 days after their start date to apply. This ensures that what you apply for will be available for your start date, and gives you a four-month window to see if any opportunities are available to you.

For example, if you are going to start your program on June 1st, you can start applying for scholarships as early as March, and have through the end of June to finish applying. If you don’t see something immediately, please check the website periodically during the 4-month window to see if something opens up that you qualify for.

When working with your enrollment counselor to set your start date, please make sure you keep this policy in mind. We strongly encourage students to apply as soon as possible before their start date.

EXAMPLES OF OFFERINGS

Here is a sampling of some WGU scholarships. Some of these may not currently be accepting applications, but they give an idea of how Western Governors University Scholarships work. All Scholarships are awarded at a certain amount per term, and have a maximum award amount.

BEGINNING THE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS

Once you’ve selected the application link, you will be taken to the application website. To make sure you’re prepared for the process, have the following things ready before you begin.

First, you will need access to the WGU Student Portal. The scholarship application uses the same credentials you use to log in to the WGU Student Portal, so if you do not have them yet, you cannot access the scholarship applications.

If you don’t have these credentials already, your enrollment counselor will send you instructions on how to access them shortly after you complete the admission application. We suggest that you have about an hour of uninterrupted time.

The scholarship application does have several short essay questions, and we want to encourage you to be thorough with your responses. We will look at the content of your application, as well as the grammar and spelling.

On the application, we will ask for the most recent Tax Year Adjusted Gross Income and the number of people in your household. As mentioned before, we do consider need, although it’s not as rigid as Federal Financial Aid. If you complete the FAFSA, you will also need this information.

Although it’s not required, we do suggest that you have an updated professional resume to include with your application. Your career experience is helpful in determining eligibility, and helps give us an idea of how it relates to your field of interest.

Lastly, you may be required to submit additional documents, such as proof of employment, membership, or military verification. Several of our scholarships require you to be affiliated with certain organizations, so we will need to verify documents if you are applying for those particular opportunities.

APPLYING FOR SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

WGU has partnered with Scholarship Universe to administer all of our scholarship opportunities. You can apply for WGU scholarships as well as external scholarships through the same site.

AFTER APPLYING

With our current application volume, the full review process can take up to 3 months. Remember that you can apply up to 90 days before your start date.

You may be contacted via email to schedule a phone interview with one of our counselors, though an interview is not always required to receive a scholarship.

You will be notified via email of your scholarship decision.

BASIC ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Many students ask what factors are considered when we review applications. Here is a Brief outline of what we’re evaluating.

AFTER BEING AWARDED

Let’s say that you go through the process, and you are selected as a scholarship recipient. There are several things you want to be aware of.

First, you must accept and agree to the scholarship terms and conditions within 60 days of being awarded. These outline all of the policies of the scholarship and what we expect from you as a scholar.

As part of those terms and conditions, you must start your degree program within 60 days of being awarded. If you do not begin your program within 60 days, the scholarship funding will be revoked and awarded to a student who is prepared to begin.

Scholarship money posts to your WGU account on the 15th of the first month of the term. This is the same every term you receive the funding.

For the scholarship to renew, you must meet OTP (On Time Progress. This means that you must complete the required full-time CUs, or Credit Units, each term. For undergraduate students, this means 12 CUs per term. For graduate students, it means 8.

This covers most of the major points, but if you are awarded, ensure that you carefully read all of the terms of the scholarship before accepting, and ask our department if you have any questions.

External Scholarships

Now, we’ll share a little information about external scholarships.

These are scholarships that are not offered by WGU, and our involvement with them is extremely limited. Our department does not handle any part of external scholarships. Typically, these are processed through our student accounts office as third-party payments, so you will need to coordinate with them if you are awarded external funding.

If you find an external scholarship that you are interested in and have questions, you will need to contact the scholarship provider directly. They are the ones who set the requirements and fund the scholarship, so they will have the answers about their policies and procedures. Our office does not have answers about scholarships we don’t provide.

Conclusion

Western Governors University scholarships open doors to affordable, competency-based education, empowering students to achieve their academic and career goals. By reducing financial barriers, these scholarships make higher education more accessible, reinforcing WGU’s commitment to student success. Whether you’re a first-time learner or a working professional, these scholarships provide the support needed to turn aspirations into reality.

FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions