Make More Possible
OSD mentors WKU students applying for national scholarships to fund “academic extras” beyond what tuition covers. No other university in Kentucky has as much dedicated support for this work. We help Hilltoppers make more possible by increasing access to study abroad, research, professional experience, and more.
Office of Scholar Development
The Office of Scholar Development helps students make more possible.
The Office of Scholar Development (OSD) team mentors students applying for national scholarships for “academic extras” beyond what’s covered by tuition, such as study abroad, research, professional experience, and more.
From first drafts to final submissions with multiple revisions in between, OSD helps students make more possible regardless of their major or means. By conceptualizing and revising the stories they tell in application essays and interviews, students better understand their strengths, interests, and purpose—and explore multiple possible pathways to that work.
Since OSD's founding in 2008, WKU students and recent alumni have earned over $9.8 million in nationally competitive scholarships that have helped them study abroad, conduct research, complete undergraduate and graduate degrees, and change lives.
405 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships
72 Critical Language Scholarships
63 Fulbright U.S. Student Grants
51 Boren Scholarships for International Study
38 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships and Honorable Mentions
30 Freeman Awards for Study in Asia
16 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships and Honorable Mentions
13 Fulbright United Kingdom Summer Institute Participants
10 SMART Scholarships
7 Morris K. Udall Scholarships and Honorable Mentions
5 EPA Greater Research Opportunity Fellowships
Jul 15th, 2026
153 Hilltoppers submitted 185 applications in the nation’s most prestigious scholarship competitions during the 2025–2026 academic year, earning recognition 49 times and more...
View ArticleJul 2nd, 2026
For the third year in a row, WKU is a top performing institution in Boren Awards. An initiative of the National Security Education Program, Boren Scholarships offer up to $25,000...
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