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Diversity and College Access Scholarships and Grants

LET US HELP YOU FUND YOUR EDUCATION THROUGH SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS

LAWTON GRANT

Undergraduate Student Funding Opportunities:

The Lawton Undergraduate Minority Retention Grant is funded by the State of Wisconsin and provides financial assistance to designated under-represented minority undergraduate students to improve opportunity for retention and graduation and to reduce the reliance on student loans.

To be eligible you must be:

  1. A resident of the state of Wisconsin;
  2. A member of one of the following minority groups who are underrepresented in higher education: African-American, Latino/a, Native American Indian or from a designated Southeast Asian minority group (Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian or Vietnamese) and who entered the United States after 1975;
  3. Not have received your first bachelor’s degree;
  4. Will be at sophomore level or higher (have earned 30 credits or more by start of Fall 2023);
  5. Have established and maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better;
  6. Not be on academic or financial aid warning, probation or suspension status;
  7. And enroll for a full-time academic credit load (12 or more credit hours) each semester in which you receive the grant
  8. Demonstrate financial need as evidenced by the results of your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) .

To Apply: Application for Lawton Grant is now open for the 2024-2025 year!

Please read the guidelines first: Lawton Grant Guidelines.pdf

Online application is located here: Lawton Minority Retention Grant application

Priority Application Deadline: July 31, 2024. Applicants will be notified by August 12, 2024. 

For questions, please contact Bridget Victorey at 715-346-3225 or email: DCA@uwsp.edu

​ADVANCED OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM (AOP) FELLOWSHIP

Graduate Student Funding Opportunities:

The Advanced Opportunity Grant (AOP) is funded by the State of Wisconsin, and is intended to encourage and assist graduate minority and/or disadvantaged students with educational costs. According to State statutes, a minority student is defined as a student who is African American, American Indian, Hispanic (person of any race whose ancestors originated in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central or South America, or whose culture of origin is Spanish); or Southeast Asian from Laos, Cambodia, or Vietnam, admitted to the U. S. after December 31, 1975. Socially or economically disadvantaged students may include, but is not limited to, those demonstrating financial need, first generation college students, those that have received some type of public assistance, etc. Funding for this grant is limited. Minority and/or disadvantaged Wisconsin residents obtaining their first post-baccalaureate degree and who demonstrate financial need will receive priority for this offer.

Award amounts and eligibility will depend upon a student’s enrollment (full-time vs. part time), the number of eligible students, as well as FAFSA application date. For a full-time student, the maximum period a student can receive the offer is 4 semesters. Part-time students are limited to 6 semesters. Renewal offers and amounts are not guaranteed from year to year. Applicants are expected to submit a new application each academic year.  

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

  1. Letter of Recommendation (preferred from a professor or applicant’s supervisor)
  2. Personal Statement on how the grant will help support your future career goals (max 1 page)
  3. Resume
  4. Complete the online application HERE*

*We recommend you complete items 1 – 3 before beginning the online application, as you will be asked to upload these three documents into the online application.

DEADLINES TO APPLY:

  • Priority Deadline: MAY 1, 2025
  • Regular Deadline: May 30, 2025 (based on available funds)

NOTIFICATION OF AWARD STATUS: JUNE 30, 2025

AOP award will be submitted to the Office of Financial Aid and Veteran Services in July. By this time, students should:

  1. Be enrolled
  2. Have completed the most recent FAFSA application
  3. Have been offered federal financial aid for consideration.

 

 

OTHER SCHOLARSHIPS AND EMERGENCY GRANTS

Visit the UWSP Financial Aid and Veteran Services Scholarship page here to search for more scholarship opportunities!

If you are experiencing a financial emergency, please contact the Dean of Students to see if you qualify for an emergency grant.

Emergency Grants – Stevens Point Students
Office of the Dean of Students
715-346-2611 or dos@uwsp.edu
To see if you qualify, contact their office via phone or email

Emergency Grants – Marshfield and Wausau Students
Branch Campus Solution Center
Grant Application Form

A student studying in the Multicultural Resource Center.

NOEL COMPASS SCHOLAR (NCS)

The Noel Compass Scholarship Program is a privately funded scholarship established to encourage and reward academic achievement, leadership, and citizenship for students of color from Wisconsin high schools attending UW-Stevens Point. For information on the NCS, please contact Scott West at swest@uwsp.edu.

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