Scholarships and Awards

A student studying.There are a number of sources of financial aid available to graduate students enrolled in counselor education and counseling psychology programs at Western Michigan University.

Departmental assistantships and associateships

Departmental graduate assistantships and doctoral associateships are available and provide opportunities to gain clinical, teaching, research or program development experience while also meeting financial needs.

  • Eligibility: Doctoral students. Open to U.S. and international students.
  • Application: Available in the counselor education and counseling psychology office, 3521 Sangren Hall.
  • Deadline: Feb. 15 for new students beginning fall semester.
  • Conditions: 20 hours of work per week in the department. 
  • Typically offered fall and spring semesters and summer I and summer II sessions.

Departmental Scholarships and Awards

The scholarship application window is December 1 through February 15 for the following academic year.

To apply for these and other scholarships, please access WMU’s ScholarshipUniverse system. To be considered for scholarships with financial need criteria, you must have submitted a FAFSA application for the upcoming academic year. The federal school code for Western Michigan University is 002330. If you do not complete the FAFSA, you are still eligible to apply for consideration for scholarships without financial need criteria.

To view college and departmental scholarships, use the advanced search to filter by organization (College of Education and Human Development). Submitting one CEHD application will consider you for all college-level scholarships you are eligible for. We recommend completing as many matching questions in the system as possible and completing your FAFSA before applying in order to ensure you are considered for as many scholarships as possible. You can also answer matching questions by clicking into individual CEHD/departmental scholarships before submitting your application.

CEHD scholarship tutorial video:

Video of CEHD ScholarshipUniverse Tutorial

View the ScholarshipUniverse instructions.

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Robert and Diane Betz Award for Doctoral Studies in Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology

  • Must be a doctoral student in counseling psychology or counselor education in WMU's Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology.
  • Award may be used to assist with tuition and fees or to support research and travel.
  • Two awards are presented annually: one to a doctoral student in counselor education and one to a doctoral student in counseling psychology.

Kenneth Bullmer Endowed Scholarship for Doctoral Studies in Counseling Psychology

  • Must be enrolled full time in the counseling psychology doctoral program within the Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology.
  • Scholarship is awarded solely on merit.
  • Must hold and maintain a minimum 3.5 GPA.
  • May be renewed for one academic year, providing the recipient remains a full-time student in the counseling psychology doctoral program, maintains a 3.5 GPA and has demonstrated satisfactory progress as specified by the Office of Student Financial Aid and monitored by the Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology.

Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology Alumni/ae Scholarship

  • Must be enrolled full or part time.
  • Applicants must demonstrate professional goals and community service goals.
  • Applicants must demonstrate financial need.
  • Must hold and maintain a minimum 3.3 GPA.

Two awards are granted annually: one to a master’s level student and one to a doctoral level student in CECP. Applicants for the CECP Alumni/ae Scholarship must have submitted a FAFSA application to financial aid. WMU's federal school code is 002330.

Dr. William Wiener Outstanding Student in Rehabilitation Counseling/Teaching and Rehabilitation Counseling Award

  • Students must be enrolled in the master's degree program in rehabilitation counseling or rehabilitation counseling/rehabilitation teaching, with preference given to rehabilitation counseling/rehabilitation teaching students
  • Can be enrolled either full or part time
  • Must maintain a minimum 3.3 GPA
  • Must demonstrate intent to practice in the field

Dr. James M. Croteau Memorial Scholarship

This memorial fund is in honor of faculty member Dr. James M. Croteau to support students enrolled in Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology that endeavor to contribute to at least one of the following fields:  LGBT studies, issues of sexual orientation or race, diversity and inclusion, and social justice.

  • Candidates will be incoming or current master's or doctoral students in Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology.
  • Candidates will have demonstrated a commitment to LGBT studies, and/or issues related to sexual orientation, race, diversity, inclusion, and social justice.
  • The scholarship is renewable.

Dr. James M. Croteau Memorial Dissertation Fellowship

  • Candidates will be a current Doctoral student in Counseling Psychology actively engaged in the dissertation process.
  • Candidates may be pre or post proposal but must have the approval of their doctoral chair to being registering for dissertation credits.
  • Candidates will have demonstrated a commitment to LGBT studies; issues of sexual orientation or race; diversity and inclusion in social systems.

Dr. Lonnie Earl Duncan Memorial Scholarship Award

Award recognizes commitment to social justice, diversity and inclusion, or literacy with an undergraduate degree from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

  • Candidates will have demonstrated a commitment to social justice, diversity and inclusion, or literacy.
  • Preference for candidates who have an undergraduate degree from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), preferably Dillard University.
  • The scholarship is renewable.

For more information about the Lonnie Duncan Memorial Scholarship Award, click here.

Alan and Kristin Hovestadt Outstanding Student in Marriage and Family Therapy Award

  • Award recognizes and honors outstanding students in couple and family therapy who have demonstrated potential for excellence in the profession and practice of MFT.
  • All currently enrolled students in couple and family therapy and those that have completed their degree within the last calendar year are eligible for this award.

Arthur and Margaret Manske Outstanding Master's Student in School Counseling Award

  • Award recognizes and honors outstanding master's degree students in school counseling who have demonstrated potential for excellence in the profession.
  • All currently enrolled counseling students and those recently completing their degree are eligible for the award.

Joseph R. Morris Award for Outstanding Contributions to Multicultural Counseling and Psychology

  • Award recognizes interest and achievement related to race and psychology in the United States.
  • Supports doctoral research activities such as travel expenses to conferences for presentations on topics related to race and psychology, travel expenses to research sites, journal publication expenses, purchase of research materials such as tests, transcription services, software programs, access to specialized data sets and/or incentives for participation in dissertation research.
  • Applicants must be enrolled full-time in the Ph.D. program in Counseling Psychology (eventually the award will also be open to Ph.D. students in Counselor Education)
  • Applicants must have a minimum 3.5 GPA.
  • Applicants must provide evidence of superior academic achievement and a significant degree of promise for continuing achievement as scholars, teachers, clinicians and/or administrators.
  • Preference shall be given to historically underrepresented populations in the field, specifically Alaska Natives, African Americans, Mexican Americans/Chicanas/Chicanos, Native Americans, Native Pacific Islanders, and Puerto Ricans.

For a video about the Morris Award, please click on this link.

Outstanding Alumni Award

  • Award recognizes and honors outstanding alumni who have distinguished themselves as professionals.
  • Recipients have made significant contributions to human services through organizational or professional association leadership, scholarship, research, teaching or direct service to client populations.
  • All departmental alumni are eligible for this award. 

Outstanding Doctoral Student in Counseling Psychology Award

  • Award recognizes and honors outstanding doctoral students in counseling psychology.
  • All current Ph.D. students in counseling psychology are eligible for this award.

Outstanding Master’s Student in Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology Award

  • Award honors promising new professionals in the field of counselor education and counseling psychology.
  • Recipients may demonstrate excellence or professional promise in such ways as scholarship, practice, public service, and by exemplifying compassion, altruism and helpfulness toward others.
  • All currently enrolled master’s students are eligible for this award.

Thelma M. Urbick Outstanding Doctoral Student in Counselor Education Award

  • Award recognizes and honors outstanding doctoral students in counselor education.
  • All current Ph.D. students in counselor education are eligible for this award.

Rehabilitation Counseling Program Grant Trainseeships

Opportunities exist for training grant support for rehabilitation counseling and rehabilitation counseling/teaching (specializing in blindness and low vision) program students. Students in the rehabilitation counseling and rehabilitation counseling/teaching (specialization in blindness and low vision) programs are eligible to receive funding through U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration Long-Term Training Grants in Rehabilitation Counseling. The Long Term Training Grant in Rehabilitation Counseling with an emphasis in employer relations was funded in the amount of $999,782 for the 2014-2019 grant cycle pending annual performance review assessments and continuation funding. This grant provides academic course tuition funding for those students that are committed to: a) rehabilitation counseling with an employer relations training emphasis; and, b) make a formal commitment to attain and maintain employment as rehabilitation counselors in the state/federal vocational rehabilitation system.

Since 2000, the rehabilitation counseling and rehabilitation counseling/teaching programs have yielded approximately $3.3 million in grant support to fund the training of future rehabilitation counselors.

GRADUATE COLLEGE

Fellowships, assistantships, associateships, grants

View opportunities for financial support available through the WMU Graduate College.

Other financial aid