Student Financial Aid

A group of students smiling together on campus.

Empowering Futures Scholarships

Tuition, fees, housing—it all adds up. And for some, the gaps can be the deciding factor in earning a college degree or not. In the spirit of our motto, "So all may learn," the Empowering Futures Gift sponsors several scholarships for students in need, with particular focus on those who are first-generation college students or identify as part of a historically marginalized community. 

Student Financial Aid
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5337 USA
(269) 387-6000

Bronco Promise Program

Students entering 2025-26 and beyond

The Bronco Promise is a last dollar program that covers flat-rate tuition and mandatory fees for up to four consecutive years for freshmen, first-time, Michigan residents in need, not covered by other aid. Eligible students can receive the award in the fall and spring semesters only, for 12-15 credit hours.

There is no application required for this scholarship, but the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed and verified by July 1. The award will be renewed each academic year if students continue to demonstrate financial need via the FAFSA and are making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

  • Full-time, incoming first-year students.
  • Residents of Michigan as determined upon admission.
  • Have a household Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $50,000 or less and household net assets under $75,000.
  • Complete the 2025-26 FAFSA and all financial aid requirements by July 1.
  • Participate in WMU’s financial literacy training. 

If a student was awarded and paid the scholarship after their first-year entry semester but does not meet the qualifications for the award in a subsequent year, they may file an appeal for reinstatement. Appeals will be considered for:

  • Adjusted Gross Income or net income increases.
  • If a student/family’s income and assets on the current year’s FAFSA are not reflective of their current income or assets they are encouraged to meet with a Financial Services Specialist in the Office of Student Financial Aid to discuss the possibility of pursuing an Adjustment of Family Contribution appeal.      
  • A lapse in continuous enrollment.
  • Students who have received the Bronco Promise in previous terms but temporarily left the University may request reinstatement by emailing the Office of Student Financial Aid at @email.
  • Unsatisfactory Academic Progress
    • If students are in Unsatisfactory Academic Progress status, they must submit an SAP Appeal with the financial aid office by the required deadline for the award to be applied.

No appeals will be considered for students enrolled in fewer than 12 credits hours per semester, changes in residency status, an award in a summer session or additional semesters of eligibility beyond the 10 semesters allotted. 

What does the Bronco Promise cover?

The Bronco Promise covers WMU resident (in-state) tuition and can be applied to up to 15 credit hours each semester. Awards may be applied to fall and spring semesters only.

Class fees such as those for instructional resources, laboratories, field trips or industry specialists as well as fees for participating in Lee Honors College are not included in the program. Students will be responsible for tuition costs associated with enrollment in a college with differential station and enrolling in over 15 credits per semester.

What do I need to do to maintain eligibility once I enroll?

Students may receive the award for up to 8 consecutive semesters, for fall and spring only. For the duration of enrollment, participants must complete the FAFSA each year and maintain a family household AGI of $50,000 or less and net assets under $75,000. Students must accept all federal and state need-based scholarships and grants—but not loans—for which they are eligible. They must also accept any offered admissions scholarships and location-based scholarships, such as the Kalamazoo Promise, as well as WMU’s employee tuition benefits program, if they are eligible.

The program begins in the fall term of the year of admittance. To maintain eligibility, participants must be enrolled full time in the fall and spring semester for up to four consecutive years until graduation and remain in satisfactory academic progress.

The Bronco Promise is a last-dollar scholarship, meaning it will cover tuition and fees not otherwise covered by the Federal Grant, such as the Pell Grant, Admissions-based institutional aid, departmental based institutional aid, tuition specific institution aid (i.e. tuition remission or Athletics aid), and/or tuition specific external scholarship (i.e. the Kalamazoo Promise) and State of Michigan aid programs. If any eligible tuition and fees remains after all other aid has paid it will be covered by the Bronco Promise after the add-drop period of each semester.

Admissions-based awards at WMU include:
Director's Scholarship
President’s Academic Excellence Scholarship
Books for Broncos
Brown and Gold Scholarship
Bronco Honors Scholarship
Bronco Merit Scholarship
Bronco Recognition Scholarship
Detroit Promise Scholarship
WMU Foundation Scholarship
Grand Rapids Challenge Scholarship
WMU Incentive Scholarship
Seita Scholarship
Medallion Scholarship
MLK GOLD Scholarship
Michigan Youth Scholarship

Tuition-specific institutional awards include:
WMU tuition remission
3+1 WMU FIRST Scholarship
Athletics tuition scholarships
Anthropology Armintrout Scholarship
College of Education & Human Development Bolte Hopkins Scholarship
Communication Culture & Com. SA Award
College of Education & Human Development ELATE Scholarship
Geography TRC Award Scholarship
Statistics Hearron Scholarship
College of Education & Human Development Howard & Mary Pendell Scholarship
College of Education & Human Development John & Bertha Goodman Scholarship
College of Education & Human Development Margaret Isobel Black Scholarship
College of Fine Arts Monsour/Shubeck Scholarship
Chemistry Nanojar Scholarship
College of Education & Human Development Persistence Scholarship
Paper Engineering, Chemical Engineering & Imaging Robert Caine Student Award
Accountancy Rozelle Scholarship
Geosciences Shirley Aiken Scholarship

Tuition-specific external awards include:
Heyl Nursing Scholarship
Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship

Tuition Specific State of Michigan Aid include:
Children of Veterans Tuition Grant
Fostering Futures Scholarship
Michigan Achievement Scholarship
Michigan Competitive Scholarship
Michigan Indian Tuition
Tuition Incentive Program
Police Officer’s and Fire Fighter’s Survivor Tuition Grant

Please note, these lists may not be exhaustive and are subject to change.

Students entering 2024-25 and years prior

The Bronco Promise offers free tuition and fees for up to five years for Michigan residents in need, defined by eligibility criteria below. Students can receive the award in the fall and spring semesters only for 12-15 credit hours.

There is no application required for this scholarship, but the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed and verified by July 1. The award will be renewed each academic year if students continue to demonstrate financial need via the FAFSA and are making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

  • Full-time students and students who have previously received the Bronco Promise award.
  • Residents of Michigan as determined upon admission.
  • Have a household Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $50,000 or less and household net assets under $50,000.
  • Complete the 2024-25 FAFSA by July 1.
  • Participate in WMU’s financial literacy training. 

If a student was awarded and paid the scholarship after their first-year entry semester but does not meet the qualifications for the award in a subsequent year, they may file an appeal for reinstatement. Appeals will be considered for:

  • Adjusted Gross Income or net income increases.
  • If a student/family’s income and assets on the current year’s FAFSA are not reflective of their current income or assets they are encouraged to meet with a Financial Services Specialist in the Office of Student Financial Aid to discuss the possibility of pursuing an Adjustment of Family Contribution appeal.      
  • A lapse in continuous enrollment.
  • Students who have received the Bronco Promise in previous terms but temporarily left the University may request reinstatement by emailing the Office of Student Financial Aid at @email.
  • Unsatisfactory Academic Progress
    • If students are in Unsatisfactory Academic Progress status, they must submit an SAP Appeal with the financial aid office by the required deadline for the award to be applied.

No appeals will be considered for students enrolled in fewer than 12 credits hours per semester, changes in residency status, an award in a summer session or additional semesters of eligibility beyond the 10 semesters allotted. 

What does the Bronco Promise cover?

The Bronco Promise covers WMU resident (in-state) tuition and can be applied to up to 15 credit hours each semester. It also covers differential tuition as well as the assessment and sustainability fees. Awards may be applied to fall and spring semesters only.

Class fees such as those for instructional resources, laboratories, field trips or industry specialists as well as fees for participating in Lee Honors College are not included in the program. Students will be responsible for tuition costs associated with enrolling in over 15 credits per semester.

What do I need to do to maintain eligibility once I enroll?

Students may receive the award for up to 10 consecutive semesters, for fall and spring only. For the duration of enrollment, participants must complete the FAFSA each year and maintain a family household AGI of $50,000 or less and net assets under $50,000. Students must accept all federal and state need-based scholarships and grants—but not loans—for which they are eligible. They must also accept any offered admissions scholarships and location-based scholarships, such as the Kalamazoo Promise, as well as WMU’s employee tuition benefits program, if they are eligible.

The program begins in the fall term of the year of admittance. To maintain eligibility, participants must be enrolled full time in the fall and spring semester for up to five consecutive years until graduation and remain in satisfactory academic progress.

The Bronco Promise is a last-dollar scholarship, meaning it will cover tuition and fees not otherwise covered by the Pell grant; admissions-based awards; tuition-specific awards, both institutional and external awards; and tuition-specific state of Michigan awards.

Admissions-based awards at WMU include:
Director's Scholarship
President’s Academic Excellence Scholarship
Books for Broncos
Brown and Gold Scholarship
Bronco Honors Scholarship
Bronco Merit Scholarship
Bronco Recognition Scholarship
Detroit Promise Scholarship
WMU Foundation Scholarship
Grand Rapids Challenge Scholarship
WMU Incentive Scholarship
Seita Scholarship
Medallion Scholarship
MLK GOLD Scholarship
Michigan Youth Scholarship

Tuition-specific institutional awards include:
WMU tuition remission
3+1 WMU FIRST Scholarship
Athletics tuition scholarships
Anthropology Armintrout Scholarship
College of Education & Human Development Bolte Hopkins Scholarship
Communication Culture & Com. SA Award
College of Education & Human Development ELATE Scholarship
Geography TRC Award Scholarship
Statistics Hearron Scholarship
College of Education & Human Development Howard & Mary Pendell Scholarship
College of Education & Human Development John & Bertha Goodman Scholarship
College of Education & Human Development Margaret Isobel Black Scholarship
College of Fine Arts Monsour/Shubeck Scholarship
Chemistry Nanojar Scholarship
College of Education & Human Development Persistence Scholarship
Paper Engineering, Chemical Engineering & Imaging Robert Caine Student Award
Accountancy Rozelle Scholarship
Geosciences Shirley Aiken Scholarship

Tuition-specific external awards include:
Heyl Nursing Scholarship
Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship

Tuition Specific State of Michigan Aid include:
Children of Veterans Tuition Grant
Fostering Futures Scholarship
Michigan Achievement Scholarship
Michigan Competitive Scholarship
Michigan Indian Tuition
Tuition Incentive Program
Police Officer’s and Fire Fighter’s Survivor Tuition Grant

Please note, these lists may not be exhaustive and are subject to change.

For anyone who's intimidated by the college experience of going to a brand new place with no one they really know, Bronco Connect is a great opportunity. Not only are you placed in this community with other people who are experiencing the same thing, but the resident assistants and learning community assistants are also very supportive.
—Juliana Smith, computer science major

Bronco Connect Scholarship

We want to make the full Western experience possible for you, including finding a community to navigate this journey with you. The Bronco Connect Scholarship reduces housing and food costs for qualified students for their first year on campus; eligible students may apply for a second year. Recipients will live in the Bronco Connect Living Learning Community, specially designed to provide students a strong start to college by creating belonging and providing enhanced career exploration, community engagement, study skills and campus life.

The Bronco Connect Scholarship is valued at $6,000 per year with an opportunity to apply for a second year.

  • Be a first-year student or member of the Year 1 cohort going into your sophomore year.

  • Be a Michigan resident. Preference will be given to:

    • Kalamazoo Public Schools graduates.

    • Graduates from Detroit high schools that have a Detroit address.

    • Graduates from the Grand Rapids high schools* listed below.

  • File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by April 28.

  • Have demonstrated financial need based on FAFSA.

*Select Grand Rapids high schools

C.A. Frost Environmental Science Academy
Grace Christian Academy
Grand Rapids City High School
Grand Rapids Learning Center
Grand Rapids Montessori High School
Grand Rapids Public Museum School
Grand Rapids University Prep
Innovation Central High School
West Catholic High School
West Michigan Aviation Academy
Lake Michigan Academy
Ottawa Hills High School
Southeast Career Pathways
Southwest Community Campus High School
Union High School
Grand Rapids Adventist Academy
Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School
Grand Rapids Christian High School
Grand Rapids Covenant House Academy
Hope Academy of West Michigan
NorthPointe Christian High School
NexTech High School
Plymouth Christian High School
Sacred Heart Academy High School
Wellspring Preparatory High School

To take advantage of this rare opportunity only Western offers, apply in ScholarshipUniverse for the Bronco Connect Scholarship, which requires short answers (250 words maximum) to two questions. The application is due by April 28; decisions will be announced in April and May.

Apply now
A student sitting at a table with other students.

Tenacity Award

The University will award 800 graduation scholarships up to $1,000 each year to upper-level students in need of funds to complete their degree. These funds are awarded in Student Financial Aid, and there is no application necessary.