External Scholarships

Students should seek out external (or private) scholarship opportunities provided by private entities. Students can check with local businesses, organizations, churches, libraries, and high school counselors for local scholarships from their area.

Students may also be "sponsored" by a third-party who pays institutional charges to the school on behalf of the student. Below is information regarding third-parties, scholarship search engines, and FAQs.

• AmeriCorps - Vista Program
• Vocational Rehabilitation Benefits
  
• Scholarship Search Engines
• Tips on Applying for External Scholarships
• Do I need to notify WVU of external scholarships I'm receiving?
• How do I send scholarship checks to WVU?

AmeriCorps - Vista Program

Students who participate in AmeriCorps – Vista may use their AmeriCorps voucher for a variety of education purposes. For information about the benefits of community service through AmeriCorps, visit the AmeriCorps website.

Students can request an education payout for expenses for a current term by logging into their My AmeriCorps account.

To request a payment toward current expenses, the student needs to select “Education Award for Education Expenses” from the menu after logging in. Next, the student needs to fill out the requested information. Please be specific when providing the semester (example: “Fall 2019” as opposed to just “Fall”). The payment can only be applied to semesters which start after the semester in which the student earned their voucher. For example, if the student worked for AmeriCorps in summer, then the voucher can be applied to any semester that beings after their service ends.

Students may also request forbearance from their loan payments while working for AmeriCorps, request a payment of interest accrued on loans, or request a payment directly to loans. However, West Virginia University can only process forbearance, interest payments, and loan payments for Perkins loans held by the University. If a student wants to make a payment to a Federal Direct Subsidized or Unsubsidized Loan, then the online request must be submitted to the student’s loan servicer.

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Vocational Rehabilitation Benefits

Students can contact their local Vocational Rehabilitation Office for information regarding possible scholarships or sponsorships the agency may provide. Please note students should also contact the WVU Office of Accessibility Services to see what services are available for those who need assistance with accessibility options at WVU.

Here are a few common rehabilitation agencies which have provided sponsorships to WVU students who are residents of their state:

• West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services
• Delaware Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
• Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services
  
• New Jersey Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
  
• New York ACCES-VR
  
• Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation

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Scholarship Search Engines

See the Tips on Applying for advice on applying for scholarships.

• Big Future by the College Board
• CareerOneStop
• College Foundation of West Virginia (CFWV)
• Fast Web
• Finaid.org
• GoGrad.org
• Niche
• Peterson's
• Scholarships.com
• Tuition Funding Sources

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Do I Need to Notify WVU of External Scholarships I'm Receiving?

Yes, you must notify the WVU Hub of any external/private scholarships. You can submit an online request for assistance on our Contact Us webpage. Please provide the letter or notification from the scholarship provider (if applicable), include the amount of the scholarship, and include how much of the scholarship applies to each semester. Without this information, any scholarship of $500 or more is automatically split equally between the fall and spring semesters.

To ensure your financial aid offer is accurate, please notify the WVU Hub as soon as possible.

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How Do I Send Scholarship Checks to WVU?

• Checks should be made payable to WVU or West Virginia University.
• If the check is made payable to both you and WVU, the student will need to sign the back of the check before it can be posted to their student account. If the check is mailed to the WVU Hub directly, the student may need to come into the Hub to sign.
• Make sure the scholarship provider knows the student's WVU ID number so they can include it on the check.

Scholarship checks may be submitted to:

For overnight, expedited, priority, or any parcel shipment requiring a signature:

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