Scholarships at Missouri State University-West Plains are designed to recognize and reward students for their academic performance and leadership abilities. They also are an incentive for students to continue to excel during their college years. The Missouri State University-West Plains Scholarship Committee is responsible for administration of the various competitive scholarship programs, both institutionally funded and privately endowed.
Scholarships vary in their academic emphases. Look carefully through the remainder of this handbook to identify scholarships which fit your educational background and interests. Application requirements and procedures for each scholarship are indicated in the individual descriptions. To apply for scholarships, go to: https://wp.missouristate.edu/finaid/ and follow the steps under "Scholarship Application Process". By applying online, your application will be matched with the selection criteria for endowed, restricted and some institutional scholarships. Because some of these scholarships may require letters of reference and/or essays, review criteria for each scholarship and submit any additional paperwork to the financial aid office. If financial need is part of the scholarship criteria, apply on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 1. Unless otherwise noted, scholarship recipients are determined by the Missouri State University-West Plains Scholarship Committee.
Homeschooled students: Students must have a diploma from a high school accredited by the state education agency, a regional accrediting association or a home-school diploma with the core curriculum requirements established by the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education. Homeschooled students, like traditionally-schooled students, will be considered for scholarships based on a combination of ACT scores and GPA.
Many scholarships cover all or part of the required student fees. Missouri State University-West Plains scholarships are awarded for the period of August to May and may not be received for more than two years. (Unless otherwise specified, scholarships are available to Missouri State University-West Plains students who have not yet met the academic requirements for an associate degree.) Scholarships are usually disbursed in two equal installments, one at the beginning of the fall semester and one at the beginning of the spring semester. Recipients must normally be enrolled full time (a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester). Requests for exceptions to this or any other scholarship policy should be submitted in writing to the Scholarship Committee. All applicants, first-time and renewals, are considered only under criteria printed in the most recent edition of the Missouri State University-West Plains Scholarships and Financial Aid Handbook. Endowed and restricted scholarship requirements may differ and are specified in each scholarship description.
Students should be aware that some private, institutional, state and federal scholarship/aid programs might be combined to fund a student's education (required student fees, other fees and books). Once these educational costs have been met, however, the various scholarship/aid sources may be reduced, as required by the respective program's regulations, in order to prevent a surplus of funds and a resulting overpayment to the student.
Scholarship athletes are eligible to receive academic scholarships. Under no circumstances, however, may assistance to an athlete exceed the amount of need established by a needs analysis system approved by the Department of Education or the amount of a full scholarship as described in Article VIII, Section I, of the National Junior College Athletics Association Handbook, whichever is greater.
This handbook contains information about scholarship values and selection criteria. Missouri State University-West Plains reserves the right to change any of these without notice. The University invites applications; however, awards are given annually contingent on funding.
A special note for students planning to transfer to the Springfield Campus: There are several Missouri State University scholarships designated for transfer students. In addition, selected Missouri State University-West Plains scholarships (i.e., Board of Governors, Chancellor's, and Dean's) offered by the West Plains campus may be transferred to the Springfield campus by students who meet the renewal criteria. For more information on scholarships available to transfer students, go to https://www.missouristate.edu/FinancialAid/scholarships/Transfer.htm.