Scholarships for Undergraduate Students
While most U.S. federal financial aid is restricted to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, international undergraduate students may apply to other funding sources. For a U.S. university to issue an I-20 or DS-2019, international students must provide evidence of the ability to pay for all tuition and living expenses.
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further their education and can be awarded upon various criteria that might include academic merit and demonstration of financial need.
For questions, please contact us at (269) 387-5865 or oiss-info@wmich.edu
Undergraduate Scholarship Opportunities at WMU
Most scholarships can be combined so we encourage you to apply for as many scholarships as possible!
We are excited to announce the 2025 Western Michigan University (WMU) Global Education Undergraduate Merit Scholarship for international students starting Fall 2025. WMU is proud of its deep and historic commitment to international student success and well-being. We are among only 50% of public universities to offer a scholarship designed for international students.
The Haenicke Institute for Global Education awards the Global Education Undergraduate Merit Scholarship to international undergraduate students admitted Fall semester 2025. This Global Education Undergraduate Merit Scholarship is a scholarship awarded to international undergraduate students based on the criteria of merit and the student’s total estimated cost balance. Scholarship applies only to WMU academic tuition.
Scholarship Value:
Up to $10,000 per year (disbursed in two installments for fall and spring semesters)
Maximum Duration:
Up to eight (8) semesters or until graduation, whichever comes first
Deadline to Apply:
March 1
Complete academic admission with all application materials by March 1 https://wmich.edu/internationaladmissions/apply/undergraduate#requirements
No additional application is necessary.
Award Notification:
Early April
Eligibility:
Initial F-1 or J-1 international undergraduate student applicants admitted for Fall 2025
Undergraduate degree-seeking student entering WMU for the first time after secondary school or transfer from another post-secondary institution in Fall 2025 semester. This includes undergraduate degree pathway programs.
Non resident international status.
Minimum Cumulative GPA: 3.5 out of 4.0 (WMU will convert all international grading systems to a 4-point scale)
Exclusions:
Visa holders other than F-1/J-1 international student
Students fully funded for tuition through Governmental/NGO scholarships or fully funded WMU assistantships.
International undergraduate students applying for and enrolled in fully online degree programs (programs comprised of all online courses)
Terms and Conditions (Fall 2025)
The Global Education Undergraduate Merit Scholarship is a scholarship awarded to international undergraduate students based on the criteria of merit and the student’s total estimated cost balance. The Global Education Undergraduate Merit Scholarship offers annual awards of up to $10,000 per year disbursed in up to 8 semesters for international undergraduate students admitted Fall 2025
Award Duration
Up to eight semesters or until graduation, whichever comes first.
Scholarship Payments
Scholarship will be credited to your student account in two equal installments for fall and spring. Scholarship disbursement is contingent upon full time enrollment (minimum of 12 credits a semester).
Scholarship applies only to WMU academic tuition. This is not a cash payment scholarship.
In the event the account balance of the student’s tuition is less than the scholarship award amount on the date of fund disbursement, then the remaining scholarship value is forfeited for that semester. If the student is funded from another scholarship source, then that scholarship will apply first, and the Global Education Merit Scholarship will apply last toward the remaining tuition balance, if any.
Scholarship funds will cover only academic credits, not any ESL/CELCIS credits during a Pathway Program.
Note: International undergraduate students enrolled in fully online degree programs (programs comprised of all online courses) will not be eligible for the scholarship.
Payment Adjustments After Drop/Add Period:
If your enrollment drops below 12 credit hours after your scholarship has been disbursed, your scholarship for that semester will be canceled and billed back to your WMU student account.
Note: see exceptions herein for students with approved SEVIS Reduced Course Load.
Renewal Criteria
The scholarship will be automatically renewed to the next year if you:
- Earned a minimum of 3.0 GPA during the previous academic year
- Enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits in each of the fall and spring semesters (or approved SEVIS RCL*)
- Successfully completed a minimum of 24 credits per academic year (or approved SEVIS RCL*)
- Continued to hold active F-1 or J-1 student status
- Continued to hold nonresident status for tuition purposes
- Are not otherwise fully funded by a scholarship through third parties or a full assistantship award
The scholarship is usually posted approximately a week prior to the beginning of the semester.
*Students on approved SEVIS Reduced Course Load (RCL) should notify Director of International Enrollment at I3S for scholarship renewal.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Please monitor your semester grades, and the total credit hours you had successfully completed in each academic year. If you are NOT maintaining the required GPA or credit hour requirements, the scholarship will be suspended. You will have one opportunity to explain your deficiency and appeal for re‐instatement of your scholarship. Following is the appeal process:
- You must contact International Student and Scholar Services (I3S) to learn the procedure to submit an appeal form
- An appeal committee will review the documents. You will be notified of the committee’s decision approximately one week after the appeal form and supporting documents are received in the I3S office.
- If you choose not to appeal, your appeal is denied, or you choose to stop attending WMU for a fall and/or spring term, your scholarship will not be reinstated.
Changes in Enrollment
Please notify International Student and Scholar Services of your plans in writing if you will be:
- Enrolled in less than 12 credit hours for academic reasons (i.e. approved SEVIS Reduced Course Load, graduation semester or other extenuating circumstances)
- Taking a leave of absence for one or more fall/spring semesters.
- Scholarship re-instatement may be approved upon return from Leave of Absence only if the absence was for unavoidable official reasons or due to medical problems.
Termination of Scholarship
- You will no longer be eligible for this scholarship if:
- You leave WMU or transfer to another college or university or are academically dismissed
- You fail to meet any of the renewal criteria above
- You fail to timely return to WMU on completion of a mandatory government military service for which you applied and received an approved absence from I3S. (Requests for notice of departure for absence must contain a beginning and end date for consideration for approval by I3S. Failure to timely return by the next semester will result in termination of the scholarship).
Terms and Conditions Subject to Change
Eligibility and award amounts as published here represent currently approved scholarship amounts. However, Western Michigan University reserves the right to amend the scholarship terms and conditions without prior notice, upon approval by the Haenicke Institute for Global Education. Awards of scholarships are contingent upon available funds.
Global Engagement Component
By accepting this award you become eligible to participate in the Haenicke Institute for Global Education’s (HIGE) global engagement promotion and recruitment activities, for which you will be contacted by the HIGE staff.
- Academic colleges and departments offer scholarships
- Deadlines and eligibility criteria vary by colleges and departments.
- Students are encouraged to explore WMU Scholarship Universe for additional opportunities.
Global Education Undergraduate Merit Scholarship - Fall 2024
The Haenicke Institute for Global Education awards the Global Education Undergraduate Merit Scholarship to international undergraduate students admitted Fall semester 2024. This Global Education Undergraduate Merit Scholarship is a scholarship awarded to international undergraduate students based on the criteria of merit and the student’s total estimated cost balance. Scholarship applies only to WMU academic tuition.
Scholarship Value: Up to $10,000 per year (disbursed in two installments for fall and spring semesters)
Maximum Duration: Up to eight (8) semesters or until graduation, whichever comes first
Deadline to Apply: March 1
Complete academic admission with all application materials by March 1 https://wmich.edu/internationaladmissions/apply/undergraduate#requirements
No additional application is necessary.
Award Notification: April 1
Acceptance Deadline: April 15
Note: Terms of acceptance are provided in award letters.
Eligibility:
Initial F-1 or J-1 international undergraduate student applicants admitted for Fall 2024
Undergraduate degree-seeking student entering WMU for the first time after secondary school or transfer from another post-secondary institution in Fall 2024 semester. This includes undergraduate degree pathway programs.
Non resident international status.
Minimum Cumulative GPA: 3.5 out of 4.0 (WMU will convert all international grading systems to a 4-point scale)
Exclusions:
Visa holders other than F-1/J-1 international student
Students fully funded for tuition through Governmental/NGO scholarships or fully funded WMU assistantships.
International undergraduate students applying for and enrolled in fully online degree programs (programs comprised of all online courses)
Terms and Conditions (Fall 2024)
The Global Education Undergraduate Merit Scholarship is a scholarship awarded to international undergraduate students based on the criteria of merit and the student’s total estimated cost balance. The Global Education Undergraduate Merit Scholarship offers annual awards of up to $10,000 per year disbursed in up to 8 semesters for international undergraduate students admitted Fall 2024.
Award Duration
Up to eight semesters or until graduation, whichever comes first.
Scholarship Payments
Scholarship will be credited to your student account in two equal installments for fall and spring. Scholarship disbursement is contingent upon full time enrollment (minimum of 12 credits a semester).
Scholarship applies only to WMU academic tuition. This is not a cash payment scholarship.
In the event the account balance of the student’s tuition is less than the scholarship award amount on the date of fund disbursement, then the remaining scholarship value is forfeited for that semester. If the student is funded from another scholarship source, then that scholarship will apply first, and the Global Education Merit Scholarship will apply last toward the remaining tuition balance, if any.
Scholarship funds will cover only academic credits, not any ESL/CELCIS credits during a Pathway Program.
Note: International undergraduate students enrolled in fully online degree programs (programs comprised of all online courses) will not be eligible for the scholarship.
Payment Adjustments After Drop/Add Period:
If your enrollment drops below 12 credit hours after your scholarship has been disbursed, your scholarship for that semester will be canceled and billed back to your WMU student account.
Note: see exceptions herein for students with approved SEVIS Reduced Course Load.
Renewal Criteria
The scholarship will be automatically renewed to the next year if you:
- Earned a minimum of 3.0 GPA during the previous academic year
- Enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits in each of the fall and spring semesters (or approved SEVIS RCL*)
- Successfully completed a minimum of 24 credits per academic year (or approved SEVIS RCL*)
- Continued to hold active F-1 or J-1 student status
- Continued to hold nonresident status for tuition purposes
- Are not otherwise fully funded by a scholarship through third parties or a full assistantship award
The scholarship is usually posted approximately a week prior to the beginning of the semester.
*Students on approved SEVIS Reduced Course Load (RCL) should notify Director of International Enrollment at I3S for scholarship renewal.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Please monitor your semester grades, and the total credit hours you had successfully completed in each academic year. If you are NOT maintaining the required GPA or credit hour requirements, the scholarship will be suspended. You will have one opportunity to explain your deficiency and appeal for re‐instatement of your scholarship. Following is the appeal process:
- You must contact International Student and Scholar Services (I3S) to learn the procedure to submit an appeal form
- An appeal committee will review the documents. You will be notified of the committee’s decision approximately one week after the appeal form and supporting documents are received in the I3S office.
- If you choose not to appeal, your appeal is denied, or you choose to stop attending WMU for a fall and/or spring term, your scholarship will not be reinstated.
Changes in Enrollment
Please notify International Student and Scholar Services of your plans in writing if you will be:
- Enrolled in less than 12 credit hours for academic reasons (i.e. approved SEVIS Reduced Course Load, graduation semester or other extenuating circumstances)
- Taking a leave of absence for one or more fall/spring semesters.
- Scholarship re-instatement may be approved upon return from Leave of Absence only if the absence was for unavoidable official reasons or due to medical problems.
Termination of Scholarship
- You will no longer be eligible for this scholarship if:
- You leave WMU or transfer to another college or university or are academically dismissed
- You fail to meet any of the renewal criteria above
- You fail to timely return to WMU on completion of a mandatory government military service for which you applied and received an approved absence from I3S. (Requests for notice of departure for absence must contain a beginning and end date for consideration for approval by I3S. Failure to timely return by the next semester will result in termination of the scholarship).
Terms and Conditions Subject to Change
Eligibility and award amounts as published here represent currently approved scholarship amounts. However, Western Michigan University reserves the right to amend the scholarship terms and conditions without prior notice, upon approval by the Haenicke Institute for Global Education. Awards of scholarships are contingent upon available funds.
Global Engagement Component
By accepting this award you become eligible to participate in the Haenicke Institute for Global Education’s (HIGE) global engagement promotion and recruitment activities, for which you will be contacted by the HIGE staff.