Undergraduate Tuition Merit Scholarship

1. You may begin an application by going to the  International Student Services Request Portal, logging in with your WVU credentials, going to “Requests and Documents, and selecting “Undergraduate Tuition Merit Scholarship”.
   
   
2. Fill out all required information and answer all questionnaires.
   
   
3. Please contact at least three individuals in order to receive the recommendations needed to be considered for the OGA Undergraduate Tuition Merit Scholarship and needed to upload with your application request. Applications will not be considered if all three recommendations are not received by the deadline. At least two of the three references should be completed by faculty members at West Virginia University.
   
   In the event that any one of your references wishes to keep their recommendation letter private, they may e-mail a copy of the letter in .pdf format to isss-students@mail.wvu.edu in order for the selection committee to add the letter to your application and record. A placeholder document in the request for one of the letters will then indicate the recommendation was received and the reviewer requested it to remain private. Only the selection committee would then have access to the letter. 
   
   

   The recommender will need to provide in the letter:

   • Their Full Name
   • Who this reference is for
   • Current Employer, department, and title
   • Contact email and phone number
   • In or around 500 words or less, brief comments on the scholastic abilities, special qualities the applicant has as a student at West Virginia University, and involvement in the community of the applicant showing special consideration as to why they believe you should receive the scholarship.
   • Ink or electronic signature
   • Date

   Please note that recommendations that are received not containing any of the above or following the proper format may not be considered. 

   
   
4. Please have the recommender use the guide above to provide information needed in the recommendation.  They will place this information on department or organizational letterhead and then provide to you the .pdf copy of the letter to upload to your application or can e-mail it to isss-students@mail.wvu.edu. Please only have a reference mail the letter in the event that they wish it to be private. The selection committee would like students to upload letters themselves if at all possible.
   
   
5. Once the recommendation letter is provided back to you, please upload it to your application request in the  appropriate sections or have them e-mail it to isss-students@mail.wvu.edu if they wish it to remain private.
   
   
6. Once all three recommendations are received and you have reviewed all information needed for the application to be considered, please be sure to submit your application to us by the deadline.

Important Reminders

• No late applications will be accepted.
• Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• Decisions will made in late summer and recipients will be notified as soon as possible prior to the conclusion of the summer term.
• This is a competitive award and few are chosen. Most who apply will not receive funding or may only receive a partial scholarship amount based on funding and overall budget.
• Applicants will be responsible for arrangement of payment of all tuition and fees to WVU through your student account on stated due dates regardless if a decision has been reached. If awarded a scholarship after payment has been made, recipients will need to make arrangements with the WVU Hub for any refund after payment is made. If awarded a scholarship, funds will disburse directly to your student account in the amount determined to be awarded to you by the committee. 
• The total amount awarded by OGA may vary between recipients based on need and availability of funds. 
• Previous recipients must re-apply each year for the scholarship and renewal of the award is not guaranteed.
• As you apply and await a decision, please remember that this award is for one year only and is not renewable. You must reapply each year to be considered. 
• Selection as a recipient in subsequent academic years is also based on your continued successful academic progress.
  
  The Office of Global Affairs encourages you to apply each year to be considered again for the award, but please also realize that applications each year are competitive and funding for additional years is not guaranteed. In the event that you are awarded funds and apply again for a future award and are not chosen, please be fully prepared to pay your tuition, fees, and other costs should you be interested in staying at WVU beyond the academic year in which you were awarded.
  
  The Office of Global Affairs scholarship is meant to supplement or relieve some of the financial burden of tuition and fee costs for international undergraduate students. It should not be relied upon as the sole means of supporting the total academic costs of attending WVU for the upcoming or subsequent academic years. 

Please contact isss-students@mail.wvu.edu with any questions.