• Full-time, incoming first-year 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.