Outside Scholarships

Outside scholarships can significantly reduce a student's debt burden and work commitment.

Many Wellesley students use outside scholarships to help fund their education. Outside scholarships are often provided by private agencies, companies, civic organizations, and churches. Student eligibility for private scholarships are based on criteria established by the donor, which may include merit, need, or special characteristics (such as hometown or area of academic interest).

All scholarships must be reported to Student Financial Services through the MyWellesley portal (for prospective students only) or in writing (email is acceptable). For information on how outside scholarships affect financial aid offers, visit our Understanding Financial Aid page.

Some scholarship organizations require verification of enrollment. Many will accept our enrollment verification (see Maintain My Student Documents in Workday) in lieu of their forms. We suggest students contact their scholarship organization to confirm.

All legitimate scholarship search engines must be free and should not request any credit card or bank information from the applicant. The following free scholarship search engines provide useful information on various types of scholarships.

Other Funding Opportunities

In addition to the search engines above, some students receive outside scholarships from other sources:

Other potential scholarship sources to explore

• High school (Boosters, PTA, band, etc.)
• Students' or parents' employers
• Local businesses
• Town governments
• Religious organizations
• Ethnic and cultural organizations
• Military associations
• Private foundations and charities

ROTC

Army, Navy, and Air Force Reserve Officer Training programs offer substantial outside scholarship opportunities for qualified, selected individuals. Wellesley students interested in ROTC should contact ROTC programs at MIT. For more information, see MIT's website.

Scholarship search website

Student Scholarship Search is useful in helping students develop a plan and conduct an organized search for scholarships. For example, it has useful tips on limiting searches so they don't result in an overwhelming number of results.

Career Education

Fellowships and scholarships provide exciting opportunities for students and alumnae to explore and deepen their academic, personal and professional interest in the U.S. and abroad. Career Education has more information!