Residents of Michigan may qualify for scholarships and/or grants from the state of Michigan. To be eligible, students must file a FAFSA and login to the MISSG Student Portal. The State of Michigan will notify WMU of student eligibility and the financial aid office will offer students accordingly.
Children of Veterans Tuition Grant
The Children of Veterans Tuition Grant provides undergraduate tuition assistance to students older than 16 and less than 26 years of age who are the natural or adopted child of a Michigan veteran. The veteran must have died or became totally and permanently disabled as a result of military service.
Fostering Futures Scholarship
The Fostering Futures Scholarship provides scholarships to students who have experienced foster care in Michigan on or after age 13. Students must also demonstrate financial need to qualify.
MICHIGAN ACHIEVEMENT SCHOLARSHIP (mAS)
Starting with the class of 2023, high school graduates from the state of Michigan may be eligible for an annual Michigan Achievement Scholarship (MAS) of up to $5,500, for 5 academic years.
Eligibility
To be considered for a Michigan Achievement Scholarship, a student must:
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
- Note that, if selected for verification, this process must be completed to receive the MAS award.
- Demonstrate financial need by having an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $25,000 or less.
- Be a Michigan resident since July 1 of the previous calendar year.
- If a dependent student, parent(s) must also be a Michigan resident since July 1 of the previous calendar year.
- Graduate from high school in Michigan with a diploma or a certificate of completion or achieved a high school equivalency certificate in 2023 or after.
- Enroll full-time as defined by the eligible institution. (Eligible institutions include Michigan community colleges, tribal colleges, and public or private universities).
- Enroll at an eligible institution within 15 months of high school graduation or earning a high school equivalency certificate.
- Students are not eligible if they are incarcerated or are in default on a federal student loan.
Students are also encouraged to create an account in the MiSSG Portal at https://missg.guarantorsolutions.com/StudentPortal so they can track the status of their scholarship. An MiSSG Student Portal account can be created 3-5 business days after completing a FAFSA.
Award Amounts
The Michigan Achievement Scholarship is comprised of two parts: a $2,500 minimum award (per year), and a last dollar tuition award of up to $3,000 (per year). Students who may be eligible will see the award on their financial aid offer for the 2023-24 academic year as an estimated award. Please be advised that these award offers are subject to removal or change as WMU processes other aid received on the student’s behalf.
Award Payment
Students must be enrolled full-time and be in making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for the award to pay to their account. The minimum award portion of the scholarship should pay approximately 10 days prior to the beginning of the term. The last dollar portion of the award may not pay fully until after the add/drop period of the term so that all other tuition-based aid is taken into consideration, per state awarding requirements.
Michigan Competitive Scholarship
The Michigan Competitive Scholarship is available to undergraduate students pursuing their first degree and is based on both financial need and merit. To be considered, a student must take the SAT (class of 2017 and beyond) prior to entering college and achieve a qualifying score of at least 1200. This offer requires financial need, as determined by the State of Michigan. Students receiving this offer at WMU will be offered a preliminary offer which is subject to change, if additional financial aid is received throughout the year.
Michigan Educational Trust
MET is a 529 Prepaid Tuition Plan which allows for the pre-purchase of tuition based on today's rates and then paid out at the future cost when the beneficiary is in college. MET allows parents, grandparents, businesses and others to pre-purchase undergraduate tuition for a child residing in Michigan at any Michigan public university or college, including 28 public community colleges.
Eligibility
- MET contract purchased from the State of Michigan.
- You must notify the State of Michigan you are attending WMU.
- MET notifies WMU on a semester-by-semester basis of eligible students and maximum number of credit hours remaining for each student.
- WMU adds the MET payment to the student account on a semester-by-semester basis (after receiving eligibility information from MET).
- Can be used for study abroad (up to amount of tuition and fees for 12 credit hours at WMU).
Contract covers: Cost of tuition (up to a maximum number of hours as designated by MET). Mandatory fees including enrollment and student assessment fees, the program part of the orientation fee and first year experience program fee. Please note that room, board, books, non-mandatory fees and other expenses are not covered by MET. Contact Michigan Education Trust at (800) 638-4543 or michigan.gov/setwithmet.
Michigan GEAR-UP Scholarship
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is a federal program designed to provide early intervention services and programs to students in middle school and high school. Michigan GEAR UP (MI GEAR UP) scholarship targets low-income students by providing them with support services to increase their opportunity to succeed in post-secondary education.
Michigan Indian tuition waiver
The Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver program is authorized by the State of Michigan and waives the tuition costs for eligible Native Americans in the state's public community colleges and universities.
Police and Firefighter Survivor Tuition Grant
The Police Officer’s and Fire Fighter’s Survivor Tuition Act provides for the waiver of tuition at a Michigan community college or public university for children and surviving spouses of Michigan police officers and fire fighters killed in the line of duty. The program is intended to provide an educational benefit to the spouse and children of police officers and fire fighters who made the ultimate sacrifice for their communities and the citizens of Michigan.
TUITION Incentive Program (TIP) Grant
The Tuition Incentive Program encourages students to complete high school by providing college tuition assistance after graduation. Eligible students are those who have or have had Medicaid coverage for 24 months within a 36-consecutive month period as identified by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). Students may receive a maximum of $2,000 in TIP funds. Eligible students will received $500 in the fall and spring semesters. Students may receive one summer TIP award per academic year for $400. To receive TIP in the summer, students must submit a summer financial aid application and request TIP funding.