CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Applications for college financial aid are down across the country, and the West Virginia Scholars Program is not exempt from this trend.
The program, in which the grand prize is a full ride to West Virginia Wesleyan College, is not receiving the same amount of interest as prior years.
“Students are facing a lot of challenges relative to the pandemic and relative to school, and of course, a lot of them got going full-time just a few weeks ago,” said John Waltz, West Virginia Wesleyan College’s vice president of enrollment management. “We certainly understand that some students are a little delayed in getting through those processes.”
High school juniors are eligible for the program, in which April 30 is the final day to submit an application. Students apply online, and a winner is selected through an online poll.
Waltz noted while test scores and grades are important, judges also review students’ extracurricular activities and volunteer work.
“It really just shows you the bright future for West Virginia when you see students that are really dedicated to things they want to do in the state, things they want to provide,” he added. “We see students that are actors and athletes. Those things are very impressive and it rounds out the scope of every student’s application.”
Second-place and third-place participants will receive scholarships worth $5,000 and $2,500 respectively.
West Virginia MetroNews is a partner in the scholarship program. Other sponsors include Friends of Coal, West Virginia Farm Bureau, West Virginia Hospital Association, ZMM Architects and Engineers, and Lou Wendell Marine Sales.
Interested students can submit their application at http://www.wvscholar.com/online_entry.cfm?func=onlineentry.