New military scholarship offered at Western

College is expensive. According to America's Debt Help Organization, the average college graduate in 2014 accrued a total of $33,000 in student loan debt. Luckily, Western Michigan University offers a number of scholarships which can provide much-needed financial relief to students. This year, that number will grow by one.

The Veterans and Dependents Scholarship is this year's new university-wide military scholarship that is offered to veterans, active military members, and military dependents. It arose due to a lack of financial assistance for individuals whose lives have been impacted by the military in some way, Military Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator Billy Clayton said.

There is a widely-held preconceived belief that military is synonymous with free schooling. This couldn't be further from the truth, Clayton said.

"People just assume that being a part of the military gets your school paid for," Clayton said. "Most individuals on national guard or reserves get very little educational benefit."

The Veterans and Dependents Scholarship aims to solve this problem by being a more inclusive form of financial assistance, unlike other scholarships in the same vein.

"Some scholarships are only for ROTC members. This scholarship reaches out regardless of degree or year in school. It is a needs and merit based scholarship, with more focus on the needs," Clayton said.

Any student that is currently serving, has served, or is a military dependent may apply for this scholarship. There is a minimum GPA requirement of 2.5 to apply. Applications can be found online and will be accepted by the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs until April 1. Decisions for awards will be made in the following fall, Clayton said.

The Office of Military and Veterans Affairs is the heart of a network of support lines created for the benefit of military students, Clayton said. Scholarships compose merely the tip of an iceberg-sized wealth of assistance offered by this organization.

"We're the first stop any military member should make," Clayton said. "We provide assistance with housing, employment, childcare, and not only that but with dependents as well. We limit the barriers for students transitioning into school and help make this transition as fast as possible."

This organization also created the bold, iconic tagline which encapsulates the essence of its new, comprehensive scholarship in a single question; Are you a Western Warrior? Any student that can respond with a 'yes' to this question would benefit greatly from applying to the Veterans and Dependents Scholarship today, Clayton said.

 

Source: New military scholarship offered at Western