Shepherd Scholarships
Freshmen Scholarships: All first-time freshmen are eligible to receive an academic scholarship from Shepherd University, granted they are not receiving Academic Common Market. The minimum scholarship requirements are a 3.0 cumulative high school G.P.A., an 1,100 SAT Composite and/or a 22 ACT composite. Students must meet both the GPA requirement and one of the standardized test requirements to receive the corresponding award. These scholarships are renewable for three additional years with a 2.75 cumulative Shepherd G.P.A.
| GPA | SAT | ACT | West Virginia Resident | Out-of-State Resident | ||
| Director’s Scholarship | 3.00* | N/A | N/A | $1,000 | $3,000 | |
| Dean’s Scholarship | 3.50-3.74 | 1,200-1,290 | 24-26 | $2,000 | $4,000 | |
| President’s Scholarship | 3.75+ | 1,300+ | 27+ | $3,000 | $5,000 |
Transfer Student Scholarships: The Office of Admissions has several scholarship and discount opportunities available to transfer students, including Dual Admission, Academic Common Market, and a scholarship application.
Multicultural Leadership Team Scholarships: Applications available through the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Academic Department Scholarships: Contact the department of your major and request any scholarship application that may be required.
Honors Program Scholarships: These scholarships are awarded by the Honors Program Office.
Athletic Scholarships: Awarded by the coach of each team.
McMurran Scholars Association Scholarship: The McMurran Scholars Association Scholarship is funded through private donations made through the Shepherd University Foundation. The award was established in 2011 by the McMurran Scholars Association as part of the celebration of the 50th class of McMurran Scholars. Each recipient must be a McMurran Scholar and be attending Shepherd University as a graduate student (full or part-time). For more information, please visit the McMurran Scholars Award webpage.
International Students: Foreign-born students who are neither US citizens nor US permanent residents may be eligible for a variety of scholarships that include merit-based, Honors, athletic, and service (e.g., Multicultural Leadership Team). New students should work directly with International Admissions Counselor Wrenna Dorrer (wdorrer@shepherd.edu) for further information and application. Continuing students should meet directly with the awarding program (Honors, athletics, Multicultural Leadership Team) for general information and assistance.
Scholarships Awarded by the Office of Financial Aid: These scholarships are available to full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate students. Most scholarships require a minimum 2.50 GPA. Some scholarships require a student to demonstrate financial need, which can only be determined by the FAFSA. Without a FAFSA on file, you will be ineligible for those scholarships. Please contact the Office of Financial Aid for additional information. 2024-2025 Application for Scholarships Awarded by the Office of Financial Aid
The Shepherd University Foundation is a great resource to explore the scholarship database by specific eligibility criteria. Try searching the name of your program!
State Scholarships
West Virginia PROMISE Scholarship – Renewal Criteria
GPA Requirement: PROMISE recipients must maintain a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA throughout their collegiate career. However, first year students can retain the scholarship if they receive a cumulative 2.75, but every year thereafter students must meet the minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA requirement. For example, if a student earns a 2.75 cumulative GPA in the first year, he/she will need to earn at least a 3.25 GPA in his/her second year in order to have the required cumulative 3.0 GPA.
Credit Hour Requirement: PROMISE recipients must complete and earn 30 credit hours per academic year and maintain full-time status (12 credit hours) each semester. Any college credit, as well as the GPA for those credits, earned prior to the actual enrollment in college does not count toward the student’s renewal eligibility for the scholarship. Only those credits and grades earned beginning with the first semester of college enrollment after high school graduation will count for purposes of determining renewal eligibility. For example: if a student received college credit while still in high school those credits will not be used in determining renewal eligibility.
If a student falls short of either the GPA or credit hour requirements, he/she can attend summer school in order to meet those renewal criteria. However, PROMISE will not pay for summer school if the student is attending in order to meet renewal criteria. The credits earned during summer school will then be reviewed to determine the student’s eligibility to renew PROMISE.
Additional Renewal Information: Each student is responsible for keeping track of his/her academic progress and eligibility status. PROMISE will not notify a student who is in jeopardy of losing his/her scholarship.
PROMISE Scholarship Summer Provision:
To be eligible for a summer award, a student must be academically eligible for scholarship continuation at the end of the spring semester preceding the summer that assistance is requested. Any summer award under this provision is dependent upon the availability of funds. Priority for summer awards will be based on class rank with the highest priority given to students closest to graduation. Students, other than those graduating at the end of the summer term of enrollment, must be enrolled for at least 12 credit hours. Students graduating at the end of the summer term of enrollment are only required to enroll for a minimum of 6 credit hours. A summer award counts as a semester of utilization toward the maximum number of available semesters.
For more detailed information regarding the PROMISE Scholarship, please visit the College Foundation of West Virginia (CFWV) website.
Underwood-Smith Teacher Scholarship Program
The Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars Program is a competitive scholarship for recent high school graduates with a passion for teaching and a history of high academic achievement, community service, and active involvement in extracurricular activities while in high school. Recipients will receive $10,000 per year for up to four years (up to the cost of tuition and fees, room and board, and other approved educational expenses). In exchange, Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars must agree to teach in a West Virginia public school in an area of critical need (math, science, elementary education or special education) for a period of five years after graduating from college.
The scholarship may be used at any eligible West Virginia public or private, non-profit college or university offering West Virginia Board of Education-approved teacher preparation programs in math, science, elementary education, or special education. Each year, the WVHEPC will accept up to 25 new Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars from a national applicant pool. Applying for the Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars program is a 3-step application process. The preliminary application opens annually July 15.
Additional information on the Underwood-Smith Teacher Scholar Program may be found at the College Foundation of West Virginia (CFWV) website.
Engineering, Science and Technology Scholarship
West Virginia Engineering, Science and Technology Scholarship Program is a student financial aid program designed to enable and encourage academically talented individuals to pursue careers in the fields of engineering, science and technology. Scholarships, not to exceed $3,000 per academic year, are awarded on the basis of academic qualifications and interest in the fields of engineering, science and technology.
To qualify for this scholarship, a student must agree to work full-time in an engineering, science or technology field in West Virginia for one year for each year the scholarship was received, or begin an approved program of community service related to engineering, science or technology.
The student must be willing to repay the scholarship received plus interest and any required collection fees if he/she fails to fulfill the work requirement.
Additional information on the Engineering, Science and Technology Scholarship may be found at the College Foundation of West Virginia (CFWV) website.
NSF S-STEM Scholarship
The NSF S-STEM Grant applies and strengthens evidence-based student support programs that improve the educational success of a diverse community of students by providing scholarships to those majoring in a degree program offered by the Department of Computer Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering (CME): Data Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Information Sciences, Computer Information Technology, Computer Engineering, or Engineering Science. The awards are both merit- and need-based. Both new and continuing students are welcome to apply.
Private Scholarships
Private scholarships are awarded by other agencies, such as businesses, churches, foundations, etc. The following websites are useful in applying online. Notify the Office of Financial Aid of any scholarship that you receive from a private source.
- FastWeb
- SallieMae
- Peterson’s
- Scholarships.com
- Fin Aid on the Web
- GoCollege: The Collegiate Websource
- College Foundation of West Virginia
- Studentscholarships.org
Be aware of Scholarship Scams!
If you detect Scholarship Fraud, contact the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Divisions of the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office at 304-558-8986 or 1-800-368-8808.