Supporters can contribute in a variety of ways. Paying through Populi or sending checks directly to Westminster are the preferred methods.
Payments for the matching grant are due before the first day of class to qualify for any given term. If they are received after the first day of class, they will be applied to the next eligible term. Currently applying the match is manual process so please allow time for our financial aid team to review your matching payment and apply the WTS match to your account.
Preferred Methods
1) Populi – Your ministry partners are able, and encouraged, to give directly through Populi’s tuition payment system via your Ministry Match link (see instructions below). This is the simplest method for all parties involved, as the outside funds are immediately applied to your tuition and require no additional evidence to be counted towards the matching scholarship. The WTS matching portion is still a manual process, however and it can several days for that to be added to your account.
2) Check – Your ministry partners can write a check directly to Westminster Theological Seminary. If this method is used, the memo line of the check should have your full name and a note designated that the money is for tuition. This could be included in a note accompanying the check.
Alternative Methods
For alternative methods, it is important to note that you, the student, are responsible for reporting the gifts you raise to Financial Aid (support@wts.edu) so that they can ensure that the payment gets matched through your partnership scholarship. You need to document the name of the partner, the amount of the gift, and material evidence of the gift (e.g., a picture, scan, or screenshot of the payment method verifying its purpose towards your tuition):
1) Personal Check – Your ministry partner may write a check to you, which you can then deposit and use to pay your tuition through Populi yourself. Send Financial Aid a picture of the check before you deposit it as proof that the funds were received through your support network.
2) Payment Apps – Payments can be made to you via services such as Venmo, Cash App, etc. Be sure to send screenshots of the payments to Financial Aid and Note that the subject line of the payment must demonstrate that the gift is made to you to support your education at Westminster (e.g., “Westminster Tuition”).
3) Third-party Fundraising Platforms – You are welcome to use third-party fundraising platforms such as Fundly, GoFundMe, etc. to build support. Your fundraising campaign on these platforms must show that their purpose is to support your education at Westminster. Send relevant links/screenshots to Financial Aid as evidence of these gifts.
Locate your Custom Payment Link
1) After Logging into Populi, click “My Profile”
2) Once in your profile, click “Financial”
3) On the right side of the financial page, you will see your current outstanding balance:
At the bottom of this column is a new section where you will find the weblink to your personal payment page:
This new link doesn't expire and can be used by anyone paying your tuition bill.
Viewing Your Scholarship In Populi
The match for gifts you receive for your tuition before the first day of a term will be applied towards that term. After the first day of class the match will be applied to the next eligible semester, so take note of the tuition deadline each semester and ensure you raise the support in time. The matching funds will be disbursed to you at the end of the add/drop period of each semester. If you raise more than the maximum match in a term, funds may roll over to the next eligible term. Any support funds raised remaining upon graduation will be donated to Westminster's general scholarship fund.
The Matching Scholarship will appear initially in your Populi account with a "0.00" balance. As funds are raised & documented (as noted above), we will update your balance on at least a monthly basis. Final match amounts will be added to your account the day following the add/drop period each semester.
