Scholarships

Immediately upon acceptance at Western, every student is considered for a Merit Scholarship worth between $2,500-$4,500 per year for in-state students and $8,000-$10,000 for out-of-state students. The amount is based on the student’s cumulative high school GPA. Test scores are not a factor in merit scholarship calculation.

Merit scholarships are renewable for four years.

Scholarship Tiers

Note: If a student is awarded a Merit Scholarship and fails to maintain the required cumulative GPA of 2.75, the student will not default to the tuition-discount program.

Renewal Requirements for Merit Scholarships

A maximum of eight semesters of eligibility will be awarded to first-year students. To continue receiving a Merit Scholarship, students must:

• Enroll and complete a minimum of 24 credit hours each year.
• Maintain a cumulative 2.75 GPA.
• Meet satisfactory academic requirements.

Undergraduate transfer students are eligible for our transfer scholarship program, which honors academic performance.

Scholarships are awarded based on overall academic record and evidence of achievements. Awards are made only to applicants who will attend Western full time. Students seeking an additional bachelor’s degree are not eligible for these scholarships.

Students are considered transfer students if they took college courses after graduating from high school.

Transfer Scholarships

Transfer students with fewer than 24 college credits will be considered first-year students for scholarship purposes and will be awarded based off the eligibility requirements for either a first-year students from Colorado or for a non-resident first-year student. Additionally, they must have a minimum 2.5 college GPA.

The following merit scholarships are awarded automatically to incoming transfer students who meet the eligibility requirements. Merit scholarships are renewable for up to three years.

Transfer Scholarship Tiers

Don’t Have 24 Credit Hours?

Transfer students with fewer than 24 credit hours are evaluated as incoming first-year students and considered for a Merit Scholarship worth between $2,500-$4,500 per year for in-state students and $8,000-$10,000 for out-of-state students. These scholarships are based on GPA and ACT/SAT scores. Use our Net Price Calculator to determine whether you qualify for a merit scholarship.

Watch the video below to guide your scholarship application process

1. Visit https://western.academicworks.com or access the page and instructions from https://western.edu/admissions-aid/financial-aid/scholarships/
2. Search and view scholarship descriptions, award amounts, application requirements and application deadlines
3. Sign in using your Western credentials (Western.edu student email and associated password). You will not be able to sign in until you have been accepted to Western
4. Confirm that the information on your applicant record is correct, found in the bottom left hand corner of the page. Some of this data is used to connect you to scholarships that you may be eligible for. If a correction needs to be made, please contact the registrar’s office to update your information at registrar@western.edu or 970.943.7003
5. Complete the General Application. This application will give scholarship review committees a well-rounded perspective of YOU and will:
   1. Auto-match and apply you with scholarships that need no additional information
   2. Connect you to a program/department specific application to fill out next
   3. Recommend scholarships that you will need to provide additional information to apply for
6. Next, complete the program/department application(s)
7. Finally, apply for any additional recommended scholarship opportunities

Reference Requests

Your applications may require a reference request. You will be asked to provide your reference’s name and email. A request will be sent to them to prompt them to complete their reference. We encourage you to personally reach out to your reference prior to sending them the request inform them to watch for an email from scholarships@western.edu with the instructions to submit their reference.

To view the status of your reference requests, sign in and click the “References” tab at the top of the page.

You can save and return to your applications; however, your applications will not be considered unless you submit them. Once an application is submitted, you can go back in to view and update your application any time before the deadline.
If new opportunities open that you are recommended for you, you will receive an email notification from scholarships@western.edu via your Western email address.

You may also receive via email:

• Reminders to complete drafted applications that are closing soon
• When a reference request has been completed
• Confirmation when an application has been submitted
• When you have received and award offer
• When a scholarship award has been posted to your student account
• When you need to complete a post-acceptance request in order to receive your award
• When you need to fill out a renewal application for a continuing scholarship

Having trouble or questions? Contact scholarships@western.edu

Alumni Legacy Scholarship

The Alumni Legacy Scholarship is a one-time non-renewable scholarship and is only applicable for the student’s first year at Western (incoming freshman or new transfer students are eligible).

Do you have a son or daughter looking at college? Have they considered attending Western? As an alumni, your son, daughter and/or grandchildren are eligible for certain benefits distributed through this scholarship, as follows:

• This is a one-time scholarship of $1,000.
• Nominee must be an incoming first-year student or new transfer.
• The cost of orientation is reduced by half (a $45 value).
• The admission application fee is waived (a $30 value).
• GPA must be 2.5 or above (high school or college of transfer).

The applicant must fill out the application form found below. Application forms are accepted year-round. If the applicant meets the GPA guidelines, the scholarship will be awarded.

Apply

Mountaineer Alumni Recommendation Scholarship (MARS)

Western Colorado University Alumni may recommend prospective students who they feel will add to the community of learning and family that is the Western Nation.

The guidelines are as follows:

• An individual Western alumni may nominate only one student per academic year to receive the $500 scholarship ($250 per semester).
• Application deadline is June 1 for new students enrolling for the following fall semester.
• The scholarship is good for the first year only, and is non-renewable.
• The recommended student must meet university admissions acceptance standards.
• The recommended student must be a full-time undergraduate student, attending Western for the first time.
• The recommended student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Western employees are eligible to recommend a student, but not a spouse or dependent receiving tuition benefits.
• Not available to mid-year transfers or students beginning in the spring semester.
• The nominating alumni or employee must complete all portions of the online nomination form.

The Admissions and Alumni offices will verify the nomination forms before the award is given. If you have any questions, contact the Alumni Relations Office at mabeyta@western.edu or 970.943.3464

To apply, please visit our online web form.

Tuition Exchange Program

The Tuition Exchange (TE) Program is a reciprocal scholarship opportunity for dependents of eligible faculty and staff members who are employed at participating Tuition Exchange schools. Under this arrangement, dependents who apply to participating colleges and universities may be awarded TE scholarships for basic tuition costs. There are more than 660 institutions around the country and the world that currently participate in the program.

“Import” Students at Western

This is for students who are dependents of employees at other TE program schools and who hope to attend Western Colorado University.

If you receive a TE scholarship for Western, whether you are an in-state or out-of-state student, the cost of basic full tuition will be covered.

Steps for Attending Western through the Tuition Exchange Program:

1. Check with your home institution to see if you meet the eligibility requirements to apply for the TE scholarship. You should contact your Tuition Exchange Liaison Officer (TELO), who will be able to guide you through the process. You may need to fill out forms or take other steps to be certified by your institution to participate.
2. Check to see if you meet the eligibility requirements for the program at Western. Incoming students must be first-time, first-year students and be merit eligible.
3. Apply for admission and be accepted to Western by Dec. 31.
4. Fill out the TE application on the Tuition Exchange website and receive certification by Dec. 31.
5. Complete your FAFSA and submit it to Western for the coming school year.
6. For in-state students who are residents of Colorado, apply for and authorize the College Opportunity Fund (COF).
7. If all documents have been completed, the student has been certified by the TELO and accepted to Western by Dec. 31, the TE applicant will receive notification from Western by Feb. 15. This notification will include information about the student’s TE award status.
8. In order to renew the TE scholarship year-to-year, students must:

• Maintain eligibility at their home TE institution.
• Retain full-time status, taking at least 12 credits per semester.
• Be seeking a degree.
• Attend Western in consecutive semesters (excluding summer terms).
• Maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA.
• Live on-campus for their first two years of school.

The Tuition Exchange scholarship is available for up to eight consecutive semesters.

If you have any questions about Tuition Exchange, or if you would like more information, please contact Western’s TELO, Maria BonDurant.

“Export” Students at Western

For students who hope to attend another school that is part of the TE Program:

1. Read Western’s Tuition Exchange (TE) Program Policy (located on the HR page in Collaborate).
2. Start early. In August or September of the year before you hope to attend college, contact Western’s Tuition Exchange Liaison Officer (TELO), Maria BonDurant, to receive information about the steps for the process.
3. Around this time, you should check your eligibility for other schools in the program and get in contact with TELO’s at those institutions. You are responsible for maintaining contact with these other schools and for being aware of their deadlines, application processes, scholarship criteria, etc.
4. Contact the HR office for Western’s TE Program Scholarship Certification & Application form and return the form to the HR Office by Oct. 1.
5. Based on the number of available export candidate positions, you (and your sponsoring employee) will be ranked for scholarship certification priority. The HR Office may request additional documentation during this process to assess student eligibility for the scholarship.
6. In early November, you will receive confirmation of whether you have been certified for a Tuition Exchange scholarship (or placed on a wait list). This is a competitive scholarship and meeting the eligibility requirements does not guarantee certification.
7. Once you have been selected for TE certification, fill out the Tuition Exchange Application on the TE website. Western’s TELO will approve your TE application.
8. If you are certified for TE but do not receive a TE scholarship or decide not to attend a TE school, please notify Western’s TELO by Feb. 1 (or as soon as you know you will no longer pursue a TE scholarship).

If you have any questions about Tuition Exchange, or if you would like more information, please contact Western’s TELO, Maria
BonDurant.

Eligibility

• Full-time
• Colorado resident
• Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA
• Must be able to demonstrate a contribution or promotion of diversity on our Western campus
• Students must remain active with the Multicultural Center for the entire year

Description

This scholarship is provided by Western Colorado University.

Award depends on funds available.

Selected by: the Director of Multicultural Center.

Application:

Contact the Multicultural Center for application and deadline information.

970.943.2150 | University Center 122