Interested in Becoming a WMI Scholar?
Our Ideal Candidate – A student, male or female, from a country in the developing world who:
- Will be 35 years of age or younger as of August 1, 2025
- Has completed or is in the final year of secondary education, with above-average to excellent grades
- Is applying to university or is currently enrolled and taking classes towards completion of their first undergraduate degree
- Will be studying in their home country or another country in the developing world
- Plans to live and work in their own country after graduation
- Has participated in volunteer service before applying for this scholarship and is committed to volunteering within their community during their studies
- Has some funding available for their education but will not be able to go to university or continue without assistance. The WMI scholarship does not always cover the full cost of tuition and associated educational expenses. The scholarship is not intended to be a full scholarship.
Applications must be received by March 1 of each year to be considered for the following academic year. WMI Scholars are selected through an in-depth multi-step review process. The selected WMI Scholars will be emailed on August 1. Their names will also be published on our website homepage and the WMI Facebook page. Those who are not selected will also be notified after August 1.
Family members of WMI Staff and of WMI Scholars are not eligible to apply.
Please note: Use of uncredited ideas and content created by other persons and use of uncredited AI-generated content is plagiarism and goes against the policies and ideals of WMI. Any applicants found to have plagiarized their essays will be considered ineligible for a scholarship.
*Scholars planning to study in the United States, Canada, Australia, UK or Western Europe will not qualify for a WMI Scholarship
Tips for Becoming a Competitive Applicant
The following are suggestions to enhance your application:
- Record all of your service activities (dates, activities, time spent, photographs, etc.)
- Collect your secondary school transcript, national exam results and grading keys to interpret your results
- Request two letters of recommendation on official stationery from two people who know you professionally/personally and can showcase the reasons you deserve this scholarship
- Have all of your documents translated into English
Important Dates
- December 1, 2024 – The 2025 WMI Scholars Program application will be available on our website. Completed 2025 applications will start to be accepted on this date.
- March 1, 2025 – The 2025 WMI Scholars Program application deadline.
WMI Scholars Program 2025
Applications from qualified applicants will be accepted until March 1, 2025. Before applying, we strongly encourage you to read the WMI Scholar Program Information Sheet and also the Frequently Asked Questions for Prospective Scholars document. These two documents will assist you in determining your eligibility and guide you in the application process.
The following are required elements for an application to be considered complete:
- Clear personal photo
- Essay (topic is stated on application form)
- 2025 application form
- Personal essay statement
- Two recommendation letters*
- Official transcript of grades from secondary school
- Official grading key to interpret secondary school grades**
- Official transcript of grades from tertiary studies (if applicable)
- Official grading key to interpret tertiary grades**
- Official results from your national exam
- Official grading key to interpret scores on your national exam**
*Recommendation letters vary throughout cultures. We have created Guidelines for Effective Application-Recommendation Letters to assist applicants in seeking letters that will be supportive of their application.
**Official grading keys must be provided by the school issuing the grades or the government issuing the national exam. Grading keys that are not official will result in your application being disqualified. Contact your secondary school, university, or government for this document.
How to Apply
If you qualify, now is the time to apply for this exciting opportunity! Since 2005, we have supported more than 700 students worldwide. Please note that in our recent years, we have only been able to select approximately 5% of applicants to become a part of this program. The number we select is based solely upon limited funding, as nearly all applicants are extremely deserving. As our organization grows, so will the number of WMI Scholars we can accept each year. We encourage you to apply AND to continue searching for additional ways to finance your education.
APPLYING ONLINE:
You will be redirected to a portal where you will be asked to create a free account (username and password), fill out information and upload documents. Your application, once submitted online, will be received and reviewed. You will receive an email confirming that your application has been submitted.
File format types accepted are: JPG, PNG, GIF, DOC, DOCX, PDF (version 10 or newer).
We wish everyone luck in preparing their applications. We encourage all applicants to remember that acceptance in the WMI Scholarship Program requires a dedicated interest in community service, improving your nation, and working within your country after graduation.
Questions can be directed to info@wellsmountaininitiative.org
Attention Scholarship Applicants!
No matter what you may be told there are NO FEES required to submit a scholarship application to the Wells Mountain Initiative! You only need to submit a complete application through our website, by our one deadline each year of March 1. If someone contacts you saying a fee is required, please forward that email to info@wellsmountaininitiative.org. We would very much like to prosecute this fraud.
