Scholarship Terms & Conditions
Scholarship award
The maximum scholarship award is $3,000 USD per year, with the average scholarship award of $1,395 USD per year.
Each annual scholarship award amount is determined by multiple factors, including but not limited to:
Scholarship funding available within the annual budget for all WMI Scholars (continuing and the new WMI Scholar Class of 2024)
Applicant documented expenses and funds available supplied within the written application and updates provided during the interview
Confirmation of university tuition and fees
Research and organizational knowledge of average expenses within the locality
Internal scholarship award comparison data
The scholarship is not intended to be a full-scholarship.
WMI Scholarship funds are awarded with very clear and specific approved funding uses. This partial scholarship is provided and approved to support the following educational expense areas in which most undergraduate students may face:
Tuition and fees
Books and course materials/supplies
Accommodation
Meals
Transportation
Any unauthorized use of the scholarship award (e.g. paying other personal/family bills, school fees for others, medical/dental treatment, conferences, trips, purchase of phones, laptops or other electronics) may result in termination of the scholarship award or may lead to the deduction of the amount that was misused in the next wire.
Scholarship award amount
The scholarship award is expressed in United States Dollars as an annual amount.
Scholarship funds are sent in two installments of 50%. Once in the month of February and again in the month of September, if all required reporting requirements have been met. Example: A student receives a $1000 scholarship award. In February $500 will be sent and in September the remaining $500 will be sent.
The United State Dollar scholarship award amount will stay constant as WMI is not responsible for global fluctuations in currency exchange rates, inflation, etc.
WMI is not responsible for bank fees once funds are transferred. Depending upon the scholar’s bank this may mean that the following types of fees may be deducted once WMI sends the international wire transfer:
Intermediary bank fee
Receiving bank fee
Exchange rate conversion
Duration of scholarship
The scholarship award is designed to support the scholar for the duration of their undergraduate academic courses. WMI Scholars will continue to receive support throughout their undergraduate education - with the same award amount. However, there are instances in which a scholarship will be terminated before the completion of studies.
Additional scholarship support will not be provided for re-taking failed courses and/or exams.
Funding will not be provided to cover graduation costs.
Funding will not be provided for post-graduate courses including postgraduate internships and postings.
University and/or personal debts
WMI scholarship funds cannot be used to pay off debts that were acquired before the scholarship award. Scholars should look for other ways of paying off debts that were acquired before the scholarship award.
The scholarship should be used strictly for academic expenses incurred from the period when the scholarship is awarded.
How is the WMI Scholarship award sent
WMI’s priority is to assist with providing scholarships to ensure that scholars can attend classes. WMI Scholarship awards may be split between sending funds directly to the university and a portion to the scholar’s personal bank account. In some nations, university tuition is very small (less than $100 USD) and/or the government provides full tuition loans to students (Rwanda), however, the financial challenges related to books, supplies, accommodation and meals remains a heavy burden impacting the ability to attend classes and study diligently.
Each scholarship award terms is specific to the awardee and is confidential.
Scholarship funds sent to universities
Priority of the scholarship award is to pay university tuition and fees. Example: If tuition and other academic costs are higher than the award, the full scholarship award will go to school.
Scholarship funds sent to students
If tuition and fees have been covered, a portion of the scholarship award may be sent to the scholar.
Awardees are required to have a personal bank account. WMI will not send funds to parents, guardians, family members or friends of awardees. For our organizational financial record keeping purposes, scholarship funds must be sent to the awardee.
Complete and correct banking account information
Awardees will be required to complete a WMI New Scholar Form.
It is the responsibility of the awardee to ensure complete and accurate bank account information is provided for the university and also their personal bank account.
If wire transfers are lost due to incorrect bank account information, WMI is not responsible for resending the funds.
Tip: Visit your university bursar/finance/accounting/payments office AND your personal bank to ask for a printed copy of all information needed for an international wire transfer to be sent to their bank.
Name of the beneficiary bank account holder (your school)
Address of the account holder
No P.O. Box Addresses
House number and road name
City, State/region, Country
Beneficiary bank name
Beneficiary bank SWIFT number
Beneficiary bank account number
Name of corresponding or intermediary bank (a US-based bank that receives our money and sends to your bank). You must ask a bank official for this.
ABA number of corresponding bank (this will be a nine-digit number)
Change of financial status
Awardees are required to report to WMI immediately if they receive other scholarships, a government loan or additional financial support from employment/family member/friend. The source, amount of funds and frequency in which they will be received should be declared.
Failure to declare additional educational funding from other sources will result in termination of the WMI scholarship.
Declaring the receipt of additional funding enables WMI to support other deserving scholars with a scholarship. You are passing the opportunity forward.
Required 100 hours of annual community service
Awardees are required to perform minimum 100 hours of community service within their communities per year. These activities enable awardees to impact members of their communities. Awardees can team up with other scholars to share project ideas which they can jointly undertake.
Participating in WMI Fellowship activities
Awardees are required to participate in WMI Fellowship activities taking place near their residences.
Awardees are required to report on the WMI Fellowship activities in which they have participated in as part of the community service report.
Note: This requirement does not apply to scholars who do not have WMI Fellowships in their countries.
Required WMI Student Scholar Academic & Community Service Reports
In accepting the WMI Scholarship, you will be required to submit two reports, twice a year. These reports are designed to share your academic progress, account for the use of scholarship funds (receipts required), and also provide a closer look into the community service work that you are doing within your community through a narrative report and photos.
The Academic Report captures academic progress for a particular period (either January - June or July - December). It also captures accounting for funds sent to scholars in the previous funds transfer.
The Community Service Report captures community service activities a scholar participated in during a particular period (either January - June or July - December).
By January 1 and August 1 of each year scholars are required to submit the following:
WMI Student Scholar Academic Report
A completed Academic Semester Report for WMI Student Scholars (link to the form will be emailed to all scholars by the Education Manager). This is a WMI form sent to scholars to fill out and submit to WMI; it is not a form the university completes. Scholars should not wait for official grades to become available to send in this form.
The Academic Semester Report should have the following attachments:
Official grade report from the university OR if the grade report is not available at the time of reporting, a scholar is required to provide a letter of good standing from the department. The letter of good standing must:
Be printed on university letterhead
Include the scholar's full name and student ID number
State the current academic semester
State that scholar is in good standing with the university
Include an estimated date of when grades will be released
Be ink signed/stamped by a university official.
School ledger showing the fee payments made and the current balance
Filled in scholar expense tracker using the WMI template https://bit.ly/WMIexpensetracker
Receipts from payments related to WMI Scholarship funds
Current academic calendar (semester start/end dates, exams, breaks)
WMI Student Scholar Community Service Report
WMI Student Scholars commit to performing minimum 100 hours of community service within their communities per year. Within the Community Service Report for WMI Student Scholars (link sent by Education Manager) you will provide honest detail for the activities you participate in. Please do not exaggerate or falsify community service activities. Failure to meet the minimum 100 hours of community service per year may result in suspension of sending the next wire to the scholar.
Photos of you at school, volunteering (to supplement your Community Service Report for WMI Student Scholars), or participating in other activities with descriptions. Check out our tips for taking great photos.
Delayed submission of reports and impact on scholarship funds
Scholars are required to submit their reports in July and December. Disbursements of funds are made in September and February.
Scholars are required to report any delay in reporting to the Education Manager through email. The email should indicate the reasons for the delayed reporting and when the scholar expects to submit the report.
No funds will be disbursed for the February scholarship installment period after March 31. Likewise, no funds will be disbursed for the September scholarship installment period after October 31 and the scholar will have to wait for the next cycle of disbursements once these deadlines lapse.
Change of course/university
Once a scholar has received a scholarship award and wishes to change the course or university, the scholar must write an email to the Education Manager detailing the reasons for wanting to change courses/universities.
This request must be approved by WMI before the scholar begins the transition process, as there may be scholarship impacts. For example, a reduction in the scholarship OR the scholarship funds being insufficient to meet the new course/university fees.
There is no guarantee that there will be a scholarship adjustment due to the change in courses/universities. If the scholar transfers to a less costly university, we will reduce the scholarship amount.
Poor academic performance
One of the requirements for being selected as a WMI Scholar is achieving good to excellent grades. The scholarship award is an honor and commitment to continue to excel.
WMI will review all academic reports and scholars who fail courses and have to retake exams will be required to send a written commitment letter on how they plan to improve their grades. Subsequent course failures will result in termination from the scholarship.
Scholars who fail units and have to retake the whole semester will be given only one chance to retake the semester with scholarship support. Subsequent failure will result in termination from the scholarship.
Termination of scholarship
The scholarship award can be terminated on the following grounds (this list is not exhaustive):
Dishonest application data
Falsifying academic/community service reports and required documents/photos
Lack of disclosure of additional educational funds e.g. other scholarship awards, government loan, increased family support
Misuse of WMI Scholarship funds
Scholar receiving disciplinary action from the university
Poor performance in school
Not meeting the minimum 100 hours of annual community service requirement
Scholar convicted in a court of law for criminal acts
Lack of communication with WMI for over a year
Deferral of scholarship (new scholarship awardees)
WMI Scholars are awarded on August 1st each year. Awards are based upon the understanding that a student is currently enrolled, will begin their courses in the current academic year or closest upcoming academic start date.
If an awardee will not start their courses during the upcoming start date, scholars are required to send an email to the Education Manager explaining the reasons why they will delay the start of their studies, provide documentation from the university where they have been admitted and provide the new expected start date.
The scholarship award will be held for up to one academic calendar year.
Scholarship increment requests
Scholars may request scholarship increases. However, there is no guarantee that scholarship increment requests will be approved. Awardees are required to justify any requests for scholarship increments by submitting supporting documentation for review.
Amendments to the terms and conditions
WMI reserves the right to change and update the terms and conditions of the scholarship.
Any amendments to the terms and conditions will be communicated to awardees.
Consequences of breaching terms and conditions
Awardees who fail to comply with the terms and conditions will risk suspension or termination from the scholarship.