Scholarship policies

Scholarship and grant policies for all students

Cost of attendance policy

All WSU students are provided an estimated Cost of Attendance (COA). The COA is an estimated calculation of an averaged expenses for student's tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, transportation, and personal expenses for the period of enrollment. COA is also referred to as the financial aid budget. This budget is a key component in calculating your financial aid, and is initially calculated at full-time enrollment status. Your costs will be revised based on your actual tuition and fees. The COA is reviewed each year.

Wayne State policy does not permit a student to receive institutional awards in conjunction with other awards in excess of that student's Cost of Attendance (COA).

If a combination of all sources of aid exceeds the student's COA, WSU will reduce aid to keep the student within their COA. We will start by reducing student loans, but we may need to reduce WSU scholarships as well. Scholarships have no impact on Pell Grant eligibility or amounts.

Students are assigned a cost of attendance based on information provided on the FAFSA. Students without a FAFSA are assigned a COA budget for a student living away from home. You may view your COA figures in Academica.

Student athletes

Award amounts are determined on an individual basis. A student-athlete must meet NCAA, conference and institutional regulations to be eligible for athletic aid. Coaches work with the Wayne State athletics compliance office to ensure all awards meet individual and NCAA team equivalency limitations.

Once a student-athlete accepts an award offer, the information is forwarded to the Office of Student Financial Aid to incorporate into the overall financial aid award package.

The total amount of aid a student receives cannot exceed the financial aid cost of attendance (COA). The financial aid estimated cost of attendance includes the total cost of tuition and fees, and estimated amounts of room and board, books and supplies, transportation, and other educationally related expenses. This COA requirement is the same for all WSU students.

Enrollment changes and course participation 

If a student drops below full-time on our before the census date (usually the 10th day of the semester), any WSU scholarships will be canceled from the student's account. If the student received a refund that included the scholarships, the student will be required to pay that refund back to WSU.

If a student drops below full-time after the census date (usually the 10th day of the semester), the student can still receive their scholarship to help cover any of the charges incurred for their time at WSU.

If a student fails to attend classes, the award will be cancelled and eligibility for the semester will be forfeited.

Withdrawal from all courses 

If a student completely withdraws from WSU on our before the census date (usually the 10th day of the semester), any WSU scholarships will be canceled from the student's account. If the student received a refund that included the scholarships, the student will be required to pay that refund back to WSU.

If a student completely withdraws from WSU after the census date (usually the 10th day of the semester), the student can still receive their scholarship to help cover any of the charges incurred for their time at WSU.

If the student's fees are refunded or waived through a fee appeal, the scholarship will be canceled and the student will not be allowed a refund from the scholarship funds. If this results in a balance owing to WSU, the student is required to pay that money back to the University.

If the student received federal financial aid that is subject to a federal return of funds calculation, the scholarships may be reduced or cancelled to prevent a refund of excess funds after tuition and fees have been paid.

Repeated courses

All attempted courses are counted towards the student enrollment status for scholarship disbursement. This is different from the policy for federal and state aid, which allows for only one repeat of a previously passed course.

Outside scholarships

You are required to notify the financial aid office of all scholarships you will be receiving. This notification should be in writing to the Office of Student Financial Aid, attention: Scholarship Unit. In some cases, you may be required to repay aid that you have already received. The Bursar's Office will notify you of this through a billing statement, which you can view online through Academica.

Scholarship checks are usually made payable to the student and Wayne State University. Checks made payable to WSU or to you and WSU should be submitted to the WSU Cashier's Office. Scholarships will be applied to your account and will be split equally between the semesters unless otherwise indicated by the donor.

  • If the check is made co-payable to you and WSU, you must sign the back of the check and include your student ID number.
  • If the check is payable only to WSU, you do not need to sign the check, but do include your student ID number on the back.
  • If the check is made payable only to you, do not send the check to WSU.
Scholarship checks by mail:
Scholarship checks in person:
Wayne State University
Cashier's Office
P.O. Box 02788
Detroit, MI 48202
Wayne State University
Cashier's Office
Welcome Center 
42. W. Warren, Room 217 
313-577-3650

If a donor requires verification of enrollment, you may login to Academica and print a copy of your class schedule for the semester. You may also contact the Registrar's Office at 313-577- 2100. If a donor requires notification of billing, you may login to Academica and print a copy of your tuition account balance statement.

During our peak processing times (August and January), please allow 2 weeks to see the funds disburse to the student account. If this period causes any problems, please contact our office.


Additional undergraduate scholarship and grant policies

Undergraduate academic merit and WSU need-based grants are awarded only for the fall and winter semesters and are disbursed only to students who attend full-time (12 credits or more). Awards are available for two to four consecutive years of study provided the renewal criteria is met. Failure to maintain any one item of criteria could result in loss of the scholarship.

Renewal criteria for all academic merit scholarships and WSU need-based grants include the following:

  • Meet all Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements
  • Maintain full-time enrollment (12 or more credit hours per semester) during the fall and winter semesters
  • When you earn a bachelor's degree, your scholarship will end
  • You must pass the minimum credit hours and meet the minimum GPA required in order to be considered for renewal in the next academic year

Academic merit recipients - see your terms and conditions for exact renewal criteria.

Wayne State scholarship funding policy

Undergraduate academic merit scholarships

The majority of academic merit awards for incoming students are awarded by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. These awards may be funded by other WSU named scholarships.

Undergraduate scholarships that fund original awards include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • WSU donor-funded scholarships
  • WSU departmental talent awards
  • BUILD Scholar Award

A student may only be awarded one merit scholarship, which includes the following: Anthony Wayne, Athletic Excellence, Detroit Leadership, Gold, Green, WSU Scholar, Math Corps, President's, Wade McCree, Warrior or Wayne Med-Direct.

Undergraduate WSU need-based grants

The Wayne State Access Program and Wayne State Promise Grants are need-based and are awarded by the Office of Student Financial Aid. These scholarships and need-based grants may be funded by other WSU scholarships.

Funding from Wayne Access will cover up to the full cost of tuition and standard fees (matriculation, registration and student service fees) at the in-state rate minus federal, state and other university-based aid.

The Wayne State Promise Grant is a need-based award that may be reduced or cancelled if a student receives other WSU merit, talent or endowed scholarship awards.

RaiseMe awards

RaiseMe is an organization that allows students to earn "microscholarship" funds throughout high school in recognition of their academic achievements and outstanding accomplishments. Students can earn microscholarships during each year of high school.

Students who are eligible for merit awards and/or need-based financial aid based on their FAFSA data, may receive a total scholarship amount that is higher than their high school microscholarship amount. The total scholarship amount will include the microscholarship. It will not be in addition to the microscholarship.

Scholarship enrollment requirements

The majority of WSU undergraduate academic merit and need-based awards require that the student is enrolled full time enrollment (12 credits) each semester the award is granted.

Scholarships are typically split evenly between fall and winter semesters. A student who does not enroll or enrolls less than full time in either semester may result in the forfeiture of the award.

Award renewal

Credit hours from other sources and award renewal

Students that do not earn the required credits at the end of the academic year will have their full academic history reviewed to determine if they making progress towards graduation. IB, AP, transfer credits, credits earned through high school dual enrollment, and credits earned through a study abroad program are considered in the scholarship renewal criteria.

Credits passed for ENG 1010 and MAT 1050

The following passed courses will be reviewed based on the registration credit hours:

ENG 1010, MAT 1050

For example, if you register for ENG 1010, 3 credit hours, and earn 2 credit hours, we will count the 3 credit hours in the renewal calculation.

Timing of renewal

Students receiving renewable scholarships are evaluated at the end of each winter semester to determine if they are eligible for continuation of the scholarship into the next academic year. In most cases, students are required to maintain a certain GPA, complete a certain number of credits, and in some cases remain in an eligible major in order to renew their scholarship.

If a student does not meet the minimum renewal requirements by the end of the winter semester, the scholarship will not be awarded for the upcoming academic year. Eligibility will be reviewed at the end of the summer semester for students who have not met the renewal criteria and are enrolled in spring-summer courses.

Appeal process

If the scholarship is not renewed the student has an option to appeal by completing the appeal form on the financial aid website. Most successful appeals document extenuating circumstances beyond the student's control, which significantly affect the student's academic record. Academic progress will be considered in the appeal process. All students are encouraged to file a FAFSA.

Regaining your award

If an academic merit scholarship is not renewed, eligibility is forfeited. You may file an appeal if you have extenuating circumstances.

If a WSU need-based grant is not renewed, WSU will review eligibility each academic year to determine if the student meets the scholarship renewal criteria. If there is time remaining on the award, the scholarship will be reinstated.


Deferring scholarships

Continuing students who received an undergraduate merit scholarship for at least one semester may complete the deferment request form to request deferment of the award. Reasons for deferment include co-op and military leave. Earning credit through another educational institution is not an acceptable circumstance for scholarship deferment.

Submission of a deferment request does not guarantee approval. If the scholarship is not reinstated, you are responsible for payment of your tuition and fees. To apply for need-based financial aid, file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at studentaid.gov/fafsa.

Wayne Advantage program scholarship proration

Scholarships awarded by one institution may only be applied to tuition, fees and other expenses at the institution that made the award. The combined passed hours and the WSU cumulative GPA will be used to determine eligibility for renewal. Eligibility will not be extended beyond the original terms of the award.

In order to receive a freshman WSU scholarship, a student must enroll their first semester at WSU for at least 12 credits. After the first semester, a student may receive an award proportional to enrollment at WSU.

New transfer students may receive an award proportional to enrollment at WSU in their first semester.

More information

More information about specific awards is available on our websites.

Timeline

2024-25 Timeline
Academic merit awards for incoming first-year undergraduates

For maximum scholarship consideration, you must complete the undergraduate admission application (including submission of all transcripts and test scores) by December 1, 2023

The final deadline for scholarship consideration is May 1, 2024

Academic merit awards for incoming transfer students

For maximum scholarship consideration, incoming students must complete the undergraduate admission application (including submission of all transcripts) by:

  • Winter 2024 semester: October 1, 2023
  • Fall 2024 semester: June 1, 2024
  • Winter 2025 semester: October 1, 2024
Need-based grants for incoming first-year undergraduates

WSU must receive your 2024-25 FAFSA by May 1, 2024. Awards will be given until funding is exhausted. You must be admitted to WSU by May 1, 2024.

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for all available funding.