The Right Choice for Your Success

International Scholarships

  • Graduate Students: Read more about the International Graduate Commitment Scholarship in addition to graduate assistantships.
  • Undergraduate Students: Read more about the International Undergraduate Commitment Scholarship.
  • Transfer Students: Read more about the Transfer Undergraduate Commitment Scholarship.
  • Students receiving a graduate assistantship are not eligible for the Graduate Commitment Scholarship, Country Pioneer Scholarship or the International Presidential Scholarship.
  • Please note some scholarships have new criteria that begins fall semester 2021. Students receiving
    spring semester 2021 scholarships may have different award amounts.

International Undergraduate Commitment Scholarship

Award:

  • $4,000 – 8,000 per year, available fall and spring semester
  • $8,000 per year: 3.5 GPA confirmed by WIU
  • $6,000 per year: 3.0 GPA confirmed by WIU
  • $4,000 per year: 2.5 GPA confirmed by WIU

Criteria:

  • Renewable for up to three years (six semesters) as an undergraduate (8 semesters total) OR until student receives a degree, whichever comes first
  • 3.0 cumulative GPA must be maintained for renewal
  • Continuous enrollment required (Prorated to $750 per 3 SH if an immigration exemption has been awarded for the final semester)
  • 50% will be awarded fall semester and 50% will be awarded spring semester. Not available to students on a government or NGO sponsorship program except with a bilateral agreement
  • Recipients may enroll in summer school at in-state rates
  • Students enrolled in online studies are eligible
  • Scholarship only applied to WIU tuition. No cash refund is available.

International Graduate Commitment Scholarship

  • Award: $4,000 per year, available fall and spring semester

Criteria:

  • Must be a newly admitted graduate, non-sponsored international student enrolling to WIU for the first time.
  • Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (confirmed by WIU)
  • Renewable for a second year with a 3.0 GPA maintained
  • Continuous enrollment required (Prorated to $500 per 3 SH if an immigration exemption has been awarded for the final semester)
  • 50% will be awarded fall semester and 50% will be awarded spring semester
  • Recipients may enroll in summer school at in-state rates
  • Students enrolled in online studies are eligible
  • Students receiving a graduate assistantship are not eligible for this award
  • Scholarship only applied to WIU tuition. No cash refund is available.

International Undergraduate Transfer Commitment

Provides an annual award to incoming transfer, non-sponsored international students enrolling to WIU for the first time.

Award:

  • $4,000 – $8,000 per year, available fall and spring semester

Criteria:

  • $8,000 per year: 3.5 GPA per year
  • $6,000 per year: 3.00 GPA
  • $4,000 per year: 2.5 GPA
  • Renewable for two additional years (four semesters) as an undergraduate (6 semesters total) OR until student receives a degree, whichever comes first
  • 3.0 cumulative GPA must be maintained for renewal
  • Recipients must have earned a minimum of 24 college credits and eligibility is based on college GPA
  • Continuous full-time enrollment (Prorated to $750 per 3 SH if an immigration exemption has been awarded for the final semester)
  • 50% will be awarded fall semester and 50% will be awarded spring semester. Not available to students on a government or NGO sponsorship program except with a bilateral agreement
  • Recipients may enroll in summer school at in-state rates
  • Students enrolled in online studies are eligible
  • Scholarship only applied to WIU tuition. No cash refund is available.

Additional Scholarships

International Presidential Scholarship (IPS)

Award: Full Tuition Cost for a total of Six students worldwide.

  • Eligible candidates will be invited to apply after receiving full admission. This scholarship is next available for fall semester 2022.

Criteria:

  • Renewable for up to three years (six semesters) as an undergraduate (8 semesters total) OR until student receives a degree, whichever comes first
  • 3.0 cumulative GPA must be maintained for renewal
  • 50% will be awarded fall semester and 50% will be awarded spring semester
  • IPS recipients must be available as campus ambassadors and aid our international recruitment efforts
  • Recipients may not earn any other academic or tuition reduction scholarship
  • Recipients may enroll in summer school under the terms of the scholarship
  • Awarded by a selection committee

Country Pioneer Scholarship

  • Closed until Fall

Provides a one-time $2,000 scholarship to a graduate or undergraduate student who enrolls from any country currently not represented at WIU. This scholarship begins fall semester 2021.

Award: $2000

Criteria:

  • Prospective Student must have a 3.0 undergrad, transfer, or graduate GPA on entry
  • First arriving student-or all members of that cohort-- from a country not represented will receive this award in any year that this country is not represented on our campus
  • Scholarship only applied to WIU tuition. No cash refund is available
  • Not renewable---First Year Only
  • Students receiving any graduate assistantship are not eligible for this award
  • Not combinable with Regional Diversity Scholarship
  • 50% will be awarded fall semester and 50% will be awarded spring semester
  • Students may not be recruited by an agency
  • Stackable with other scholarships

Undergraduate Regional Diversity Scholarship

Provides a renewable annual $3,000 scholarship for students from underrepresented South and Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America and Caribbean countries.

This scholarship begins in fall semester 2021.

Award: $3000

Criteria:

  • Prospective Student must be fully admitted to a degree program and enrolled on campus full time
  • Prospective Student must have a 3.0 Cumulative GPA or 3.0 GPA from WIU's Summer Sampler Program
  • Renewable as follows: two additional years for transfer students; and three additional years for freshmen
  • All students must maintain a 3.0 GPA for renewal; Stackable with other scholarships
  • 50% will be awarded fall semester and 50% will be awarded spring semester
  • Regional Diversity Scholarship may not be combined with Country Pioneer Scholarship.

Rodney and Bertha Fink International Women's Scholarship

Award: $1,200 scholarship ($600 awarded in fall, $600 awarded in spring), available fall semester only

  • Closed until Spring

Criteria:

  • Must be a current female international student
  • Financial need will be regarded as an important requisite
  • Preference may be given to applicants based on academic performance and/or demonstrated campus/community involvement
  • Preference will be given to a female student from an emerging/developing country majoring in Agriculture or Agriculture Business.

Bessie Meyers Scholarship

Award: $400 scholarship, available fall and spring semester

  • Closed until Fall

Criteria:

  • Must be current full or part-time international student, male or female
  • Financial need will be regarded as an important requisite
  • Preference may be given to applicants based on academic performance and/or demonstrated campus/community involvement.

Bring a Bestie Scholarship

Award: $1000 scholarship, paid over two semesters

Criteria:

  • Prospective student must be identified and referred prior to applying to WIU
  • Prospective student must be from the same home country as referring student
  • Prospective student must matriculate into a degree program at the undergraduate or graduate level
  • Prospective students must not be eligible for agency commission or applied with an agency reference
  • Prospective and referring student will each receive a $500 scholarship for two successive semesters in which the prospective student has zero balance. Referring students may receive the entire scholarship if enrolled in a final semester. Referral is limited to one earned scholarship.
  • Stackable with other scholarships.

Francis and Peggy Davern International Scholarship

Award: $325 scholarship, available fall and spring semester

  • Closed until Fall

Criteria:

  • Must be current full-time international student, male or female, any major
  • Graduate students must have 3.5 GPA or better; undergraduates must have 2.5 GPA or better
  • Must have a letter of recommendation from WIU international alum.

Ruth Hughes WESL Scholarship

Award: $800 scholarship, available fall semester

  • Closed until Spring

Criteria:

  • Open to a student enrolled at WIU who is preparing to enter the field of ESL and who might be a student assistant in the WESL Institute
  • Open to a graduate of the WESL Institute who has become a regularly admissible full-time student at Western Illinois University
  • Preference will be given to African American students.

Macomb Branch AAUW International Student

Award: $500 scholarship, available fall and spring semester

  • Closed until Fall

Criteria:

  • Must be current full-time international student
  • Financial need will be regarded as an important requisite
  • Must have attended WIU for two or more semesters
  • Must have at least 2.5 GPA
  • Must be undergraduate
  • Preference may be given to applicants based on academic performance and/or demonstrated campus/community involvement

Dr. In-Kon Kim Scholarship

Award: $1000 scholarship, available fall and spring semester

  • Closed until Fall

Criteria:

  • Must be a current full-time international student
  • Must be Korean National, GPA 3.0 or higher
  • Must demonstrate financial need
  • Must be within one year of completing FIRST degree from WIU
  • Must be in good judicial standing

Summer Sampler Scholarship

Award: $2500, towards cost of tuition

  • Coming Summer of 2023

Criteria:

  • Provides access to WIU for four weeks in the July semester for up to 100 students
  • Student should demonstrate intent to enroll full time in a degree program at WIU by submitting an application for admission to be eligible for tuition award
  • Students must be admissible to WIU
  • Applicants must be high school seniors or current community college students or university sophomores or juniors or recent community college graduates
  • No application fee to apply using regular portal and selecting Summer Sampler Program
  • Scholarship application required indicating plans to seek an available degree at WIU
  • Program will allow registration in 6-7 undergraduate or 3 graduate SH plus possible internship experience
  • Program will entail three trips to various points of interest, community service, departmental experience with intended program; and seminar in recruitment and promotion of Western Illinois Bestie Program
  • Tuition will be calculated at in-state rate for the program
  • No refunds on any scholarships; Scholarship awards are for tuition and fees only and may not be applied towards housing, insurance, or other costs

WEOG Awards for International Students

Award: $500 scholarships, available fall and spring semester

  • Closed until Fall

Criteria:

  • Must be current full-time international student, male or female
  • Financial need will be regarded as an important requisite
  • Preference may be given to applicants based on academic performance and/or demonstrated campus/community involvement

Redeemed Student Fellowship Scholarship

Award: $200 scholarship

  • Closed until Fall

Criteria:

  • Be currently enrolled at WIU
  • Demonstrate financial need
  • Be a member of the Redeemed Students Fellowship
  • Be an international student at WIU
  • Be in good academic standing