Cherry Presidential Scholarship

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The Cherry Presidential Scholarship is WKU's top competitive academic scholarship.

Recipients are offered up to $16,000 per year ($64,000 total).

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Eligibility & Application

Students with a minimum 3.8 unweighted high school GPA and a minimum composite 30 ACT (1360 SAT) qualify to compete for WKU’s most prestigious scholarship, the Cherry Presidential Scholarship. ACT Superscores are not considered.

To be considered for the Cherry Presidential Scholarship, students must be admitted by December 1st, 2024.  A complete application package includes the following:

• Must be Applied AND admitted to WKU by December 1st

• Official high school transcript received by December 1st

• ACT or SAT scores received by December 1st

All students that meet the GPA and score requirements and submit the materials listed above by the deadline will be invited to compete for the Cherry Presidential Scholarship.

 

Below is a timeline for the Cherry Presidential Scholarship Process 

 

Award & Notification

Those selected to receive the Cherry Presidential Scholarship will receive an annual award up to $16,000 ($64,000 over a four year period). 

Cherry Presidential Scholarship recipients will be notified of their award no later than January 30th, 2025.

Students selected to receive the Cherry Presidential Scholarship as an upgrade in place of an Academic Scholarship may also be eligible for Supplemental Awards and TOPDollar awards, up to Cost of Attendance.  In the event a student’s total aid package exceeds Cost of Attendance, the Cherry Presidential Scholarship award may be reduced. 

The Cherry Presidential Scholarship requires full-time enrollment (12 or more credit hours each semester at WKU).

Students not selected for the Cherry Presidential Scholarship will still receive their original scholarship offer.

If a graduate of the Gatton or Craft Academy is selected as a Cherry Presidential Scholarship recipient, their original scholarship offer will be upgraded to the Cherry Presidential Scholarship not to exceed four (4) semesters of full-time undergraduate study or receipt of a Bachelor's Degree, whichever occurs first.

We encourage all students to explore additional opportunities at https://www.wku.edu/topdollar/

 

Disbursement

Scholarship awards are applied toward tuition charges that exist on the student’s WKU account. Scholarships often disburse before the semester begins and always show as a credit on the bill, not to exceed the cost of attendance budget. In the event that total awards (grants, loans, scholarships) exceed total charges (tuition, fees, housing, meals, books), a refund will be issued to the student up to the cost of attendance according to the refund preference the student selected at my.wku.edu. For more information about the refund process, please visit the Office of Student Billing & Account Services.

Should a student be determined eligible for any full-tuition waiver mandated by the state and funded by the university, all scholarships offered upon admittance to WKU will be upgraded to meet the requirements of the full-tuition waiver. Students may not receive both a university scholarship and a full-tuition waiver simultaneously. Students may receive other cash scholarships such as third-party, foundation, or other externally-funded scholarships.

 

Renewal

The Cherry Presidential Scholarship is automatically renewable with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (at the end of the spring semester). 

The Cherry Presidential Scholarship is renewable for up to eight (8) semesters of full-time undergraduate study or receipt of a Bachelor's Degree, whichever occurs first.

 

We encourage all students to explore additional opportunities at https://www.wku.edu/topdollar/

 

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