First-Year Scholarships

Incoming fall 2024 first-year undergraduate students who wish to be considered for maximum admission scholarships should complete their admission application file† by the Early Action deadline of December 15

Information in the admission application (i.e., extracurricular activities, honors and awards, essay/personal statement) will be used to determine your eligibility for scholarships and will be used in the selection process. Make sure to fully complete all areas of the admission application to maximize your consideration for these opportunities. 

Students with a 3.60+ GPA* at the time of admission will automatically be invited to join Lee Honors College.

fall 2024 admission Scholarships

Medallion Scholarship Program
Value: 
The Medallion Scholarship is WMU’s most prestigious merit-based scholarship offered to incoming first-year students and valued at approximately $90,920 over the course of four years. This includes:

  • Up to $16,000 per year (for four years) for tuition and fees
  • Housing costs in standard double occupancy room (for four years)
  • A one-time engagement scholarship of up to $3,000 to help fund either study abroad or research

Consideration Criteria: Medallion scholars stand out among their peers. Students are selected through a competitive, holistic review of the admission application file. No additional scholarship application is required.  Up to 60 semifinalists will be selected to participate in an interview to select up to 20 Medallion Scholars. 
Deadline:
Complete admission application file† by the early action deadline of December 15.  Semifinalists will be notified in February.
Notes: Please refer to the Medallion Scholarship webpage for further details regarding the use of Medallion Scholarship funds.

Foundation Scholars
Value:
$64,000 ($16,000/year for four years). 
Consideration Criteria: 3.70 GPA* at the time of admission and verified, significant financial need
Deadline: Complete admission application file† and scholarship application due in ScholarshipUniverse by February 15.

Bronco Merit 
Value: $16,000 ($4,000/year for four years)
Criteria: 3.85 GPA* at the time of admission
Deadline: Complete admission application file† by the Early Action deadline of December 15.

Bronco Honors
Value:
$14,000 ($3,500/year for four years) 
Criteria: 3.60 GPA* at the time of admission
Deadline: Complete admission application file† by the Early Action deadline of December 15.

Brown & Gold
Value: 
$8,000 ($2,000/year for four years) 
Criteria: 3.30 GPA* at the time of admission
Deadline: Complete admission application file† by the Early Action deadline of December 15.

Bronco Recognition
Value:
$6,000 ($1,500/year for four years) 
Criteria: 
3.00 GPA* at the time of admission
Deadline: Complete admission application file† by the Early Action deadline of December 15.

Empowering futures scholarships

Bronco Promise
Value: FREE TUITION for up to five years
Criteria: Admitted, full-time, first-year students who are Michigan residents. Household adjusted gross income of $50,000 or less and household net assets under $50,000. No GPA minimum. More information about the Bronco Promise can be found here.
Deadline: Complete admission application file† by the annual application deadline. Complete FAFSA by July 1.

Empowering Futures Housing Scholarship
Value: 
Up to $6,000 
Criteria: Admitted, first-year, undergraduate students who are Michigan residents with demonstrated financial need
Deadline: Scholarship application due in ScholarshipUniverse by March 15. Complete FAFSA by February 15.

Other Scholarship Opportunities

Admitted Broncos are encouraged to review and apply for additional scholarships using WMU's scholarship-matching tool, ScholarshipUniverse, which students can log in to using their Bronco NetID and password. ScholarshipUniverse houses both institutional and external scholarships. Further instructions on how to log in to and navigate ScholarshipUniverse can be found here.

ScholarshipUniverse

WMU Alumni Association Legacy Scholarship
Sponsored by the WMU Alumni Association, the Legacy Scholarship is awarded to all entering students whose parent, stepparent or legal guardian is a WMU graduate.  
Value: one-time, non-renewable award of $500
Criteria: To be eligible for this scholarship, students must meet the following criteria:  Parent, stepparent, or legal guardian must be a graduate of Western Michigan University AND Enrolled as a full-time, degree-seeking student at WMU in fall for the first time as a freshman or as an undergraduate transfer student. 
To Apply:  In the appropriate section of the undergraduate admission application, provide the requested information about your parent, step-parent, or legal guardian.  First-year students will complete this via the Common App; transfer students via the WMU institutional application.

College Departmental Awards
Explore departmental scholarships and awards specific to majors and programs of study. 
Value/criteria: Awards and eligibility criteria vary by department. Supplemental material(s) may be required for consideration.
Deadline: Scholarship applications due in ScholarshipUniverse by February 15. Applications will open on December 1. 

Paper Technology Foundation Scholarships
WMU's Paper Technology Foundation (PTF) awards generous merit-based scholarships to incoming first-year paper engineering students. 
Value/criteria: PTF scholarships are awarded to first-year students based on their GPA* at the time they are admitted to WMU. Scholarships range from $2,400 to $4,000 annually and can be stacked with other WMU merit-based scholarships. 
Deadline: Completed admission application file† by annual WMU application deadline of June 1. Students must list paper engineering as their intended academic major on their application in order to be considered for PTF scholarships. No additional application materials are needed.

MLK GOLD Scholarship
Value: $32,000 ($8,000/year for four years)
Criteria: 3.00+ GPA at the time of admission and at least two of the following criteria: participation in a pre-college/bridge or migrant education program, eligible for participation in the Federal Free or Reduced Price Lunch program, and/or first generation college student. Students are selected through a competitive, holistic review of the admission application file. No additional scholarship application is required. This scholarship is highly selective, and up to 30 MLK GOLD Scholars will be selected and notified in March.
Deadline: Completed admission application file† by February 15. 

Endowed Scholarships
Value/criteria: Award amounts and eligibility requirements vary
Deadline: Scholarship application due in ScholarshipUniverse by March 1. Applications will open on December 1.

Seita Scholarship
Value: Partial tuition scholarship
Criteria: Students who have lived some or all of their teenage years in foster care. Additional criteria.
Deadline: Scholarship application due by May 15.

Notes

Students awarded more than one Office of Admissions scholarship will be awarded the scholarship of highest value. Awards are subject to change.

*Scholarships are awarded based on the transcript GPA at the time of admission. GPA requirements are based on the cumulative GPA on a 4.00 scale. Transcript GPAs that are not on a 4.00 scale will be recalculated accordingly.

†A complete admission application file includes: application (Common App including WMU supplement), official high school transcripts and $40 application fee or fee waiver. Students who wish for an ACT/SAT score to be considered in review must self-report their score on the admission app. Students interested in Aviation Flight Science and direct admission to the Bronson School of Nursing must complete their admission application by the Early Action deadline. Learn more on the Competitive Admission Programs website. 

VIEW FALL 2023 SCHOLARSHIPS

VIEW FALL 2022 SCHOLARSHIPS

View Fall 2021 Scholarships

View Fall 2020 Scholarships