It’s that time of the year and, no, I’m not just talking about the winter holidays. It’s time to apply for scholarships at West Texas A&M University.

The priority date for full consideration of awards is Feb. 1. This means you need to fill out and submit the WT scholarship application before Feb. 1. The scholarship application mainly consists of filling out basic demographic and household information that is similar to the FAFSA, as well as many Yes/No questions to determine whether you meet the requirements for different scholarships.

There are also six short answer questions that ask questions like, “Why have you chosen to attend WT?” and “Why is receiving a scholarship important to you?” These are not essay questions and can be answered in a few sentences, but they should be answered thoughtfully.

“We really read those and we use them to match up information for scholarships when they ask for specific criteria, like your goals in the future,” said Dana Melcher, associate director of scholarship services. “A lot of our scholarships want to know what you’re going to do when you get out of school.”

While it does take a bit of effort and time to fill out the scholarship application, the amount of scholarships you are applying for through a single application is definitely worth your time. When you apply for scholarships outside of the university, each individual scholarship typically has a different application and many require essays, letters of recommendation, et cetera. Being a WT student gives you access to consideration for many different scholarships through a single, relatively simple application.

“You never know what new scholarships are going to be created and you could be that person who checks all the boxes,” Melcher said. “By having the scholarship application turned in, you’re already in the system and we can just match you up easy.”

Even if you do not get financial aid from WT, you can still be awarded scholarships. Although some scholarships consider financial need according to the FAFSA, not all do.

According to the Education Data Initiative, 76.7% of full-time undergraduates receive a grant or scholarship. In addition, 87% of students who receive scholarships receive one from their college.

Scholarships are another form of free financial assistance for students. Unlike loans, which must be paid back, often with interest, scholarships are “free money.”

While scholarships are often seen as less significant than financial aid in terms of the financial assistance they provide, they can make a big difference in students’ ability to afford college without going into debt.

WTAMU awards over $5 million in annual scholarship awards, with the average award totaling $1,200. If a student receives $1,200 in scholarships for all four years of their degree, that equals almost $5,000 in total savings.

“The biggest benefit [of scholarships] is being able to pay for your school without, hopefully, taking loans or as many loans,” Melcher said. “Any free money that you can get is always beneficial.”

Go here to fill out the scholarship application.

If you have any questions or need assistance, contact Scholarship Services by email at [email protected] or call 806-651-3330.