Indiana Wesleyan University announces substantial increases in academic scholarship amounts for residential undergraduate students beginning with the 2013-2014 school year.
National Merit Finalists, National Hispanic Recognition Scholars and National Achievement Scholars will receive the $15,000 National Excellence Scholarship.
The next highest award, the President’s Scholarship, provides recipients $12,000. Academic scholarships, developed on a sliding scale based on grade point average and standardized test scores, range from $2,500 to $15,000.
Associate Vice President for Financial Aid Thomas Ratliff says the increased awards demonstrate IWU's commitment to offering students the best value possible in a competitive environment, as well as the University’s expectation for academic excellence.
"This isn't the easiest time to enter college, and we want to give our students and their families the help they need to get the quality education offered at IWU," said Ratliff.
One validation for the high quality of an IWU education is the low IWU student loan default. The IWU default rate for the 2010-2011 academic year was 4.7 percent; the national average student default rate was 9.1 percent.
"Our graduates are consistently demonstrating that they can succeed in the market place and pay back the money they owe," Ratliff said. "We take seriously our commitment to giving our students the full value of every dollar they spend on an IWU education."
The full list of scholarships and awards is as follows:
National Excellence Scholarship: $15,000
President’s Scholarship: $12,000
Dean’s Scholarship: $10,000
Faculty’s Scholarship: $8,000
Achievement Scholarship: $5,000
Recognition Award: $2,500
Opportunity Award: $2,000
Another initiative targeting education cost is the IWU three-year degree program. Residential students can choose from three strategies that allow them to graduate early and reduce educational expenses. Strategy options include earning prior college credits, continuous enrollment and exceeding normal full-time registration. Plan information is available at ind.wes/threeyeariwu.