- Vulcan Villages at the PennWest California campus.
- Students are required to live on-campus and have a meal plan in order to receive and maintain the housing scholarships.
Scholarships are funds awarded to students based on academic performance or other criteria. The best part? Scholarships do not need to be repaid! PennWest University offers a number of academic, athletic and other internal scholarships, and students can also seek external scholarships from other organizations.
Additionally, PennWest automatically considers students for the following scholarships within about two weeks of their admission (no additional application is required).
PennWest Premier Scholarship Award
Entering first-year scholarship from $2,000 to $4,000 and renewable for up to four years (8 semesters), a value of $8,000 to $16,000.
Entering transfer scholarships from $1,500 to $2,000 with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00.
First-Year Students – Associates & Bachelors
| GPA | 3.00-3.49 | 3.50-3.89 | 3.90+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All New Campus Based First-Year | $2,000/year | $3,000/year | $4,000/year |
| Two Year Room Award for All New Campus Based Out-of-State/International First-Year* | $3,000/year | $3,000/year | $3,000/year |
*Two year room award for out-of-state students/international is in addition to the merit scholarship. The 2 year room award is NOT applicable to:
Transfer Students
| GPA | 3.00-3.49 | 3.50-4.00+ |
|---|---|---|
| All New Campus Based Transfers | $1,500/year | $2,000/year |
| Two Year Room Award for All New Campus Based Out-of-State/International Transfers* | $3,000/year | $3,000/year |
*Two year room award for out-of-state students/international is in addition to the merit scholarship. The 2 year room award is NOT applicable to:
- Vulcan Villages at the PennWest California campus.
- Students are required to live on-campus and have a meal plan in order to receive and maintain the housing scholarships.
- Maintain good academic standing as defined by PennWest, at the end of each academic year at PennWest. View Academic Standing Policy
- Earn a minimum of 24 credit hours each academic year (full-time enrollment status).
- This scholarship is available to you for up to 8 consecutive academic semesters for bachelor’s degree students or 4 consecutive academic semesters for associate’s degree and/or new transfer students (fall and spring only) from your original college enrollment. It is only valid during your undergraduate degree program.
- This scholarship is “locked-in” based on your academic credentials at the time of your application and admission decision. No adjustments upward or downward in awarding levels based on final academic credentials from your last school attended will be considered.
- File a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form for each academic year.
- The scholarship is awarded half the yearly amount in the fall term and the other half in the spring term. If a student is graduating in a fall term, they would only be awarded that half of the scholarship. If a student begins in the spring term, they will be awarded half of the scholarship full amount of the scholarship for the spring term and their consecutive semesters requirement would proceed from there.
- Scholarship may be adjusted in the event of an ‘over award’ that exceeds your cost of attendance.
- Scholarship is to be used for face to face or blended academic programming. Students enrolled in a fully academic online program are ineligible for the PennWest Premier scholarship.
PennWest Opportunity Award
Entering first-year award for students with a high school GPA of 2.50 to 2.99. Worth $1,000 per year and renewable for up to four years (8 semesters), for a total value of $4,000.
- Maintain good academic standing as defined by PennWest, at the end of each academic year at PennWest. View Academic Standing Policy
- Earn a minimum of 24 credit hours each academic year (full-time enrollment status).
- This scholarship is available to you for up to 8 consecutive academic semesters for bachelor’s degree students or 4 consecutive academic semesters for associate’s degree and/or new transfer students (fall and spring only) from your original college enrollment. It is only valid during your undergraduate degree program.
- This scholarship is “locked-in” based on your academic credentials at the time of your application and admission decision. No adjustments upward or downward in awarding levels based on final academic credentials from your last school attended will be considered.
- File a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form for each academic year.
- The scholarship is awarded half the yearly amount in the fall term and the other half in the spring term. If a student is graduating in a fall term, they would only be awarded that half of the scholarship. If a student begins in the spring term, they will be awarded half of the scholarship full amount of the scholarship for the spring term and their consecutive semesters requirement would proceed from there.
- Scholarship may be adjusted in the event of an ‘over award’ that exceeds your cost of attendance.
- Scholarship is to be used for face to face or blended academic programming. Students enrolled in a fully academic online program are ineligible for the PennWest Premier scholarship.
Non-Resident University Housing Scholarship
For non-Pennsylvania residents (first-year, international, and transfer students), with a minimum high school or transfer cumulative GPA of 3.00 (on a 4.0 scale), $3,000 per year, renewable for up to two consecutive years so long as the student remains full-time, is in good academic standing and lives in a University-owned residence hall. First consideration will be given to students who apply early, before the March 1 scholarship priority consideration deadline.
Honors College Award Scholarship
This is a one-time $1,000 scholarship that will be offered to Fall 2024 incoming freshmen who are admitted and have accepted their seat to the Honors Program. Students will receive their award split by $500 each semester - Fall 2024 and Spring 2025. Honors awards are limited and for full consideration, students should be admitted to the Honors Program and accept their seat by the February 1 priority consideration date.
New entering freshmen admitted to the Honors Program also may apply for additional Honors Program renewable merit and one-time housing scholarships through the PennWest General Scholarship Application. These awards would be on top of the $1,000 one-time offers.
The Inclusive Excellence Scholarship (IES)
The Inclusive Excellence Scholarship (IES) is a competitive intersectional scholarship awarded by PennWest to incoming first-year Pennsylvania resident students. The Inclusive Excellence Scholarship’s goal is to promote, foster and celebrate an inclusive community by providing academic opportunities for students who represent marginalized populations. This scholarship is by application only for students who have already been admitted to one of our three campuses.T he IES application deadline is March 1, 2025, and priority consideration will be given to students who apply for the IES by December 15, 2024. Awards can be up to full in-state tuition and can be renewed for up to eight consecutive semesters provided renewal criteria are met.
- Maintain good academic standing as defined by PennWest, at the end of each academic year at PennWest. View Academic Standing Policy
- Earn a minimum of 24 credit hours each academic year (full-time enrollment status).
- This scholarship is available to you for up to 8 consecutive academic semesters for bachelor’s degree students (fall and spring only) from your original college enrollment. It is only valid during your undergraduate degree program.
- Must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form for each academic year.
- If offered at the full in-state tuition amount, the Inclusive Excellence Scholarship will replace your PennWest Premier Scholarship due to the greater value of the IES.
- The scholarship is awarded half the yearly amount in the fall term and the other half in the spring term. If a student is graduating in a fall term, they would only be awarded that half of the scholarship.
- Scholarship may be adjusted in the event of an ‘over award’ that exceeds your cost of attendance.
- Scholarship is to be used for face to face or blended academic programming. Students enrolled in a fully online academic program are ineligible for the IES scholarship.
Endowed Scholarships through the General Scholarship Application
PennWest offers its students a wide variety of permanently endowed scholarships. Through the General Scholarship Application, available February 1, 2024, to March 29, 2024, students can apply to be considered for these awards. Each scholarship has its own selection criteria and award amounts, and availability can vary from year to year. Application/nomination requirements may also vary. While there are numerous scholarships available, students are also encouraged to apply for federal aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
To begin applying through the General Scholarship Application log-in to your myPennWest account and then follow these how-to instructions.