100% Scholarship Requirements for Residential Students

Up-to-date information about what is expected of Residential MDiv/MAR recipients of a full-tuition scholarship, as communicated in official Scholarship Award Letters.


Scholarship Details

  • 100% scholarships cover all tuition costs for residential courses, not including fees for students enrolled in a full-time course load, unless otherwise specified.
  • Scholarships do not apply when withdrawing from a class. Withdrawals are billed on a prorated basis depending on the timing of the withdrawal. Students are responsible for any balance on their account as a result of a withdrawal. See the academic catalog for further details and withdrawal deadlines.
  • Westminster awards two kinds of Scholarships: (1) Machen Merit Awards, and (2) Named Scholarship Awards, which may have specific requirements or benefits that go beyond the standard Machen Merit Award. If you are unsure whether you are a recipient of a Named Scholarship, you would have received an email from a member of the Admissions and/or Stewardship team. You can also view this information in your Financial Aid tab in Populi.

Scholarship Requirements

With this scholarship, you will be asked to join Westminster’s Stewardship team in building relationships with those who have generously provided the funds for your award. Westminster receives thousands of gifts every year, and one of Stewardship’s most important jobs is thanking our donors for their generosity. It is a true blessing to connect with donors in this way; lifelong friendships have been gained by this simple act. Our Stewardship team will assist you as you engage in this meaningful activity. Honing this skill will benefit you long after you graduate from Westminster and begin your ministry.

Any questions about required Stewardship activities can be directed to Zachariah Darrow at zdarrow@wts.edu.

Machen Merit Award Requirements

  • Cultivate relationships with 20 of our generous ministry partners.
    • This will involve writing one thank you letter per semester to each of the 20 donors* assigned to you. You will maintain communication with those same 20 donors throughout your time at Westminster, providing them regular updates on your progress and goals, and engaging in mutual prayer. Our Stewardship team will connect you with your designated scholarship donors.
    • Step 1: Write a digital draft of a thank you letter including a personal update about your studies and ministry calling. An example letter is available here or your reference. This letter should be 5–10 sentences in length.
    • Step 2: Email your digital draft to zdarrow@wts.edu for approval (i.e., a quick read-through to be sure we are engaging thoughtfully with donors) by October 24, 2025.
    • Step 3: Following your digital draft, produce 20 handwritten copies of this letter to send to your 20 designated donors. The campus community will come together once per semester to write cards by hand (see the next bullet point about donor acknowledgment events).
  • Participate in two campus-wide donor acknowledgment events per year.
    • In an effort to carve out time for cultivating those 20 relationships and writing 20 letters per semester, students receiving the 100% scholarship will participate in ‘Thanks-4-Giving’ in the fall semester and a similar event in the spring semester. This is the built-in time for students to handwrite their 20 letters, therefore attendance is mandatory for students. (There will be prizes!)
  • Volunteer at WTS events throughout the year.
    • From the Preaching Conference, to the Gaffin Lecture, to Graduation, and Donor Visits, our Events Team hosts guests at Westminster with superb hospitality. It is always particularly impactful for those attending such events to interact with current students such as yourself, and student volunteers often note how rewarding and fun it is to be a part of executing these special events.
  • [Optional] Record a student testimonial in your first and last year.
    • You make Westminster what it is. Prospective students, donors, alumni, prayer partners, churches, and other ministries are interested in you as you train for gospel ministry. Our network of tens of thousands of saints wants to know your story and how you plan to glorify God and expand the kingdom of Christ in your studies and future ministry. Our communications team will let you know of these opportunities and will coach you in your response and provide professional videography.
  • Other opportunities as available.

Church Partnerships

The Stewardship team will pair some scholarship recipients with a church that has made contributions toward Westminster scholarships. Students placed in a church partnership will follow the scholarship requirements for Named Scholarship Awards, below.

Named Scholarship Award Requirements

As a recipient of a named scholarship or participant in a church partnership, you have the great joy and privilege of connecting with ministry partners in a deep way. A member of the Stewardship team will coordinate with you to facilitate engagement with whomever has generously donated the funds for the award that covers your studies.

The main difference between your requirements as a recipient of a named scholarship or participant in a church partnership is that instead of writing to 20 of our donors each semester, you are required to write to 10 donors in addition to completing the specific requirements associated with your named scholarship or church partnership. In other words, writing a semester update, attending Thanks-4-Giving, and handwriting cards are still required of you, just in a reduced amount to offset the more intensive engagement you will have with the donors behind your award.

Continued Eligibility and Renewal Conditions

To maintain your scholarships, you must:

  1. Remain enrolled full time, residentially, in the program & emphasis in which you were admitted
  2. Maintain adherence to Westminster's Honor Code
  3. Maintain a term GPA of 2.75 or above each term
  4. Maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above
  5. Maintain a completion rate of 75% or above
  6. Complete all required Stewardship activities

Your scholarship will be renewed each year, as long as you continue to meet the requirements specified above. Failure to meet any of the requirements will result in a one term probationary period within which corrective action must be taken. Failure to take corrective action during the probation term will result in loss of your scholarship. If, for any reason, you lose eligibility during the semester, you will be expected to pay any remaining balance.