Scholarships
Join the Effort
Student First
Discretionary scholarship support to students with financial need or unforeseen circumstances.
Gunnison Valley Promise
Provide students from Gunnison and Crested Butte community schools who qualify for admission with access to a Western degree, regardless of their family’s ability to pay.
Other Scholarship Funds
Contribute to hundreds of other scholarships established to support WCU.
Establishing a Scholarship at Western
The process for establishing a scholarship and distributing the funds at Western is the same for both University Scholarships* and Elevated Scholarships**:
- Western Foundation receives, manages, and stewards private support for the benefit of WCU.
- The WCU Foundation retains a 2% administrative fee from donated scholarship funds
- Western spends private support in accordance with donor intent
- Western students benefit from scholarship support, elevating their potential to become the leaders, innovators, and change makers of tomorrow.
Want to learn more about establishing a scholarship? Email scholarships@western.edu.
*University Scholarships: These are single criterion scholarships with a $15,000 endowed minimum or a $500 annual minimum
**Elevated Scholarships: These are multiple criteria scholarships with a $25,000 endowed minimum or a $1,000 annual minimum
Contact us for more ways to support WCU through scholarship!
Call 970.943.2237 or email scholarships@western.edu
Making a Difference for Mountaineers
Investing in students through scholarship enhances access to education, supports academic excellence, and encourages future leaders. Establishing a scholarship makes a difference for Mountaineers following their dreams while at Western and beyond.
Our Scholarship Philosophy
At Western Colorado University, we pride ourselves on being a close-knit community that values a personalized approach to education and engagement. Our students are essential partners in the stewardship of scholarships, and we actively invite and encourage recipients to share their experiences and the significance of their scholarships through a variety of engaging avenues. While many scholarship recipients enthusiastically embrace this opportunity to connect, participation remains entirely voluntary.
What to expect – In addition to being notified of the scholarship’s recipient(s) and fund status on an annual basis, donors who establish named scholarships receive ongoing communications about the impact of the scholarships, such as impact reports and more. At WCU, it is our honor and privilege to update donors about the incredible difference scholarships make in the lives of our students. Please see the frequently asked questions below for additional information.
Frequently Asked Questions
We sincerely appreciate your enthusiasm for supporting Western Colorado University. We also understand that you may have a few questions regarding your gift to WCU. Below, you will find the most commonly asked questions we receive from donors about scholarships. If you don’t find what you’re looking for or have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the Office of Advancement.
A named scholarship can be established when the amount given meets the minimum funding requirements for an annual or endowed scholarship. Scholarships are often named after donors, companies, organizations, or to honor parents, professors, or other important people in one’s life. Alternatively, gifts of any amount may be contributed to existing scholarship funds.
Endowed scholarships create a permanent fund where contributions are prudently invested and income from investment returns help fund individual scholarship awards. Annual scholarships are not invested and are only awarded for as long as funding is available.
- University Scholarship (Annual): $500 minimum
- University Scholarship (Endowed): $15,000 minimum
- Elevated Scholarship (Annual): $1,000 minimum
- Elevated Scholarship (Endowed): $25,000 minimum
A University Scholarship has a single selection criterion while an Elevation Scholarship can have multiple selection criteria.
When establishing a named scholarship, you can specify the criteria to be used for recipient selection. University representatives from the appropriate academic department will honor the criteria when determining scholarship recipients. Donors cannot participate in the selection of scholarship recipients.
- Annual notification of scholarship recipients
- For endowed scholarships, an annual report about the endowment’s financial status
- For annual scholarships, an annual report about the fund’s status
- Periodic scholarship news, impact reports, and other communications
- Opportunities to engage with leadership, faculty, staff, and students through various events and engagement activities including an invitation to the Foundation’s annual Celebration of Giving Banquet
On an annual basis, University Advancement will notify you of your named scholarship’s recipients.
Student contact information is confidential and cannot be shared without a student’s permission. However, University Advancement is happy to serve as an intermediary. Feel free to send your message to scholarships@western.edu and we will pass your message on to the applicable students. Be sure to include your contact information so students can respond!
All scholarship recipients are invited and encouraged to share what scholarships mean to them. Many students are eager to share their stories, but others may find reflecting on their experiences to be too personal. Whenever possible, University Advancement will share messages from the specific recipient of your named scholarship; however, we cannot require scholarship recipients to write thank you notes. University Advancement also shares scholarship news and impact reports throughout the year.
Several colleges and programs host scholarship events where donors may have the opportunity to meet scholarship recipients. Many students may be excited to attend, while others may find the situation intimidating or uncomfortable, and others still may have obligations that make it difficult or impossible to attend. While we invite and encourage students to attend scholarship events, University Advancement cannot require their attendance.
Please email us at scholarships@western.edu or call (970) 243-2226. We will work with you to understand your vision for the scholarship as well as your financial commitment.
Scholarship Donor Lifecycle Timeline
Fall Semester
| Date | Event |
| August | Recipient report available via donor portal |
| December 1 | Scholarship application opens for students |
| December 31 | Gift deadline for next academic year annual scholarship |
Spring Semester
| Date | Event |
| March |
|
| May 1 | Fund report available via donor portal |
This cycle repeats every year at the start of the fall semester. Exceptions may apply.