WGU Economic Turnaround Scholarship
WGU is pleased to offer the WGU Economic Turnaround Scholarship. These scholarships, each valued up to $5,000, are designed to help adult learners who’ve recently lost their jobs go back to school to finish a bachelor’s degree or earn a post-baccalaureate degree to enhance their skills and opportunities for employment.
Scholarship funds are made possible through WGU and special contributors.
Who the Scholarship is for
This scholarship is for:
- Recently unemployed workers who lost their job within the past 12 months.
- Individuals who can complete a bachelor’s or post-baccalaureate degree in less than two years who can demonstrate the degree will directly help them become more employable.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for this scholarship, a student must:
- Have lost his or her job within the past 12 months and be able to document unemployment status.
- Complete an application for admission and be officially admitted to WGU.
- Enroll in a degree or program that can be finished in 2 years of less.
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine financial need.
- Possess an associate’s degree (AA or AS) or bachelor’s degree.
- Submit official transcripts of all prior college work. (Post-baccalaureate-seeking students must show proof they have earned an accredited bachelor’s degree.)
- Be officially admitted to WGU.
- Interview with a WGU Scholarship Counselor prior to award decision.
Multiple scholarships will be awarded. However, this is a competitive program and scholarships will be awarded based upon a candidate’s academic record, financial need, readiness for online study at WGU, and current competency, plus other considerations.
NOTE: This scholarship is designed for new WGU students only.
Scholarship Value: up to $5,000 maximum
This scholarship will be credited to your account up to a maximum of $1,250 per six-month, renewable for up to four terms.
For most programs, tuition for a six-month term is $2,890, less the up to $1,250 per term scholarship.
Eligible Programs
Bachelor's degrees in the following:
Bachelor's or post-baccalaureate degrees in the following:
Scholarship Policies
Before monies are distributed, the scholarship recipients must read the WGU Student Handbook and agree to and understand the academic progress, tuition, and refund policies. The student will also be required to sign a WGU Scholarship Agreement before monies will be awarded. The student must also meet the university’s Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements to maintain scholarship eligibility.
Financial Aid is Also Available
You may choose to pay for the remaining portion of your degree through federal financial aid (subject to your eligibility). Pell Grants are needs-based grants—meaning you do not have to pay them back—that are available only to students who have not yet earned a bachelor’s degree.
Federal Family Education Subsidized Loans, which are also needs-based, include subsidization of the interest while you are enrolled. Federal Family Education Unsubsidized Loans are NOT based upon financial need and are available to most WGU students.
Click here to learn more about financial aid.
Note: Before you can apply for this scholarship, you must apply for admission.
About the Scholarship
The WGU Economic Turnaround Scholarships are designed to enable recently unemployed adult learners to go back to school to finish a bachelor’s degree or earn their post-baccalaureate degree to enhance their skills and opportunities for employment. Although WGU’s competency-based approach makes it possible for students to accelerate the time it takes for them to complete their degree program, the scholarship awards are based on a reasonable experience (based on the eligible programs listed above) of four six-month terms for completion. Actual time to completion will depend upon the incoming student’s prior experience, academic background, and time commitment to study.
Note: The scholarship will terminate at five terms if the student has not completed the degree program by then; If the student finishes in less than five terms, the scholarship will terminate and remaining funds will go toward scholarships for other students.
If you would like to discuss the scholarship program or WGU’s degrees before submitting an application for this scholarship, feel free to speak to an Enrollment Counselor toll-free at 1-866-225-5948.
Note: Before you can apply for this scholarship, you must apply for admission.
Answers to your questions
Click a question, see the answer below.
- How do you select scholarship winners?
- When will I find out if I’m selected?
- Do I get the scholarship all at once?
- Can I also apply for financial aid?
How do you select scholarship winners?
It depends upon the scholarship. In general, we award scholarships based on the following factors:
- Meeting the basic eligibility requirements
- Answers you give on the scholarship application
- An interview with a scholarship counselor
Some scholarships are also based upon evaluations of prior college transcripts and other tests. We encourage you to apply.
When will I find out if I’m selected?
WGU evaluates scholarship applications on a continual basis because we start new students in their programs every month. Often we are able to make an award decision with two to four weeks of receiving your application. In most cases, you will also need to have applied for admission and been accepted to the university. An Enrollment Counselor can help explain the process.
Do I get the scholarship all at once?
No. Scholarship awards are divided into a set amount per term. This amount is credited against your tuition due for each term. The details are explained in the description for each scholarship.
Can I also apply for financial aid?
Yes. You probably should apply for federal financial aid, too. Scholarship awards will only cover a portion of your school expenses, and financial aid can help pay for the rest. You can apply for financial aid while you are waiting for a decision about your scholarship application. It will not hurt your chances to win a scholarship. Click here to learn more about or apply for financial aid.
