Undergraduate Tuition Merit Award
ATTENTION: The SPRING 2025 application is now OPEN for awards for the 2025-2026 academic year. The deadline to apply is April 25, 2025.
International Students and Scholars Services is currently inviting undergraduate international students to apply and compete for the Tuition Merit Award for the next academic year. The award covers the remaining University Tuition and University Fees for both Fall and Spring semesters for continuing students after any other scholarships apply.
Requirements
Applications are typically available starting in the Spring semester.
Applicants for this Tuition Merit Award must satisfy the following requirements:
- Must be full-time, degree-seeking international student holding a non-immigrant visa;
- Will have earned a minimum of 30 credit hours at West Virginia University by the end of the spring semester with a minimum grade point average of 3.0;
- Must intend to enroll at West Virginia University as a full-time continuing undergraduate student for the next academic year;
- Must submit three references to International Students and Scholars Services through the scholarship application request by the date listed below;
- Must submit the application to International Students and Scholars Services by the date listed below.
A committee of faculty and/or staff from various units within OGA will choose the award winners. The criteria for selection will be based upon scholastic achievements, extra-curricular activities, awards won since beginning student status in the United States, and financial needs of the applicant.
Applicants will be responsible themselves for obtaining three references and uploading recommendation letters to their application* (see application directions below for further steps).
*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. However, you should attempt to obtain the letters first and we will only upload letters for students if a recommender states to us they wish to keep it private. Only the selection committee would then have access to the letter.
*At least two of the three references should be completed by faculty members at West Virginia University.
This is a one-year, non-renewable award and the winner will be notified during the summer semester.
Please note that this is a competitive award. We have a limited number of waivers/funds to disperse annually. Priority is given to both achievements and financial need. There is no appeal and decisions in regard to recipients and amounts are final. Past award winners, or repeat applicants not chosen in a prior year, are not given any advantage or priority. Every applicant should be fully prepared to pay their tuition and fees if not chosen.
The deadline to submit applications is April 25th, 2025 for the following academic year. No late application will be accepted. Questions concerning the application can be sent to isss-students@mail.wvu.edu.
Application Directions:
- 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”.
- Fill out
all required information and answer all questionnaires.
- 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 and you will need to upload these letters yourself to your application. DO NOT e-mail them. If your approver wishes to remain private and not give you the letter, please have them contact us for further instructions.
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.
- 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. The selection committee
would like students to upload letters themselves if at all possible.
- Once the
recommendation letter is provided back to you, please upload it to your application
request in the appropriate sections.
- 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.
- Past award winners, or repeat applicants not chosen in a prior year, are not given any advantage or priority. Every applicant should be fully prepared to pay their tuition and fees if not chosen.
- 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.