Scholarships are, undoubtedly, the best form of financial aid. They’re free money to pay for college! Follow the tips below to increase your chances of earning a scholarship through our ScholarshipUniverse system at Wichita State.
Finding and applying for scholarships is now FASTER, EASIER and MOBILE with ScholarshipUniverse at Wichita State University.
How to Set Up Your Account
Here's our friendly step-by-step guide for setting up your profile.
Newly-admitted and continuing WSU students are eligible to apply for scholarships through ScholarshipUniverse. Students must have been admitted to WSU and have an active myWSU account to be able to log into the system and submit applications. (For more instructions on how to set up your myWSU account, click here.)
Login: Use your myWSU ID and password to log into ScholarshipUniverse. If this is your first time logging in, review the privacy policy and update your contact details in the platform.
Answer Questions: Click on the "Questions" icon on the menu to answer questions about yourself. These profile-based questions help the system know what scholarship opportunities you may be eligible to apply for.
If you are returning to the system, you can update your existing answers or add new information as long as they are not answers that come directly from your OSU student record.
Use the Scholarships tab on the left side of the screen to view your matched scholarships.
The Scholarships section has several tabs to review:
Here are few tips we have about applying for scholarships.
You don't HAVE to, but the more questions you answer, the better we can match you to the scholarships that align with your interests and other eligibility criteria. More answered questions can improve your odds!
How we try to help: We do our best to pull most qualifying information directly from Wichita State's database, but some scholarships look for information we don't have in our system like, "Are you currently involved in any extracurricular activities?" or "Are any of your family members currently employed by any of the following companies?" Since some scholarships may be looking for students who match to certain answers on those questions, that's where your answers come in!
Why are there so many questions? There are a lot; we know! Many of these questions apply to outside-source scholarships, not just to our internal Wichita State scholarships. We want to connect you to as many scholarship resources as possible. Plus, we wouldn't do so if we didn't know that students actually win outside-source scholarships. Did you know, in 2021-2022, students brought more than $3 million in outside-source scholarships to Wichita State through a combination of local and national scholarships?! Shockers win!
Pro Tip: Break the questions up into groups of 10-20 at time, but make a goal to answer them all.
Yes! You can store your application documents in ScholarshipUniverse on the My Docs tab for easy access! You can use and reuse them! Be sure to update them regularly as your experience and activities change.
Not usually - most of our Wichita State scholarships are linked to the SAME application - the New/Current Students Application. No need to apply for multiple scholarships you match to; complete one app and you're done!
Pro Tip: Skip to the Applications section in ScholarshipUniverse and go directly into the New/Current Students Application. It will pre-select all of the scholarships you match to for that application cycle. It is available from November 1 to February 1 every year!
"Financial need" does not necessarily mean you have to be eligible for the Pell grant. Financial need actually comes in a variety of shapes and sizes! In fact, many of our students who come from middle-income families might be considered to have financial need. The official definition of financial need for federal and state financial aid is based initially on the FAFSA results. It looks at your overall college budget (cost of attendance) and subtracts the results of your FAFSA (the expected family contribution - EFC) and any other gift aid you receive (such as other scholarships and grants). If anything remains afterward, you may have "financial need."
What if I'm not eligible to complete a FAFSA to determine if I have financial need? If you are unable to complete a FAFSA because you are an international or undocumented student and believe you have financial need, you should put together a typed essay that explains you and your family's financial circumstances.
What if my family's financial situation has changed since we completed the FAFSA and now I might have financial need? Changes in finances due to a reduction in income, a change in marital status, death of a parent/spouse, or other special circumstances may greatly impact a family's ability to pay for college. The Department of Education allows financial aid administrators to use Professional Judgment on a case-by-case basis to make adjustments to the data used in calculating the estimated family contribution (EFC) to reflect these special circumstances. If your family is experiencing financial issues (such as the loss of a job, reduction of income, or other extenuating circumstance) and would like to discuss financial aid options and information about the process of a Professional Judgment for the next academic year, schedule an appointment to meet with a financial aid advisor at wichita.edu/finaidappt.
Yes! You will receive weekly emails from ScholarshipUniverse to keep you up-to-date with deadlines and new opportunities.
Scholarships are all about you! We know - your family probably told you not to brag about yourself and your achievements. But, this is the one time that it's okay to shine your own light!
A scholarship essay is your way to connect with the scholarship committee and describe yourself outside the classroom.
An activities chart details your involvement in school, work, and community. It helps describe your activities beyond your major and GPA.
Scholarships can come from a variety of sources, not just Wichita State. Follow these expert tips for how to search, apply for, and win outside scholarships!
Outside scholarships and where to find them
This scholarship seems scammy... how do I know if it's safe to apply?