To be considered for 2026-27 MoWest Competitive Scholarships, ALL students should complete the General Scholarship Application requirements no later than April 1, 2026. An additional application is required for scholarships offered by the Music Department.
Graduate and undergraduate students who complete the General Scholarship Application requirements by the deadline will be considered for over 250 scholarships offered by the Missouri Western State University Foundation.
NOTE: Unless indicated in the scholarship description, posted scholarships are intended for undergraduate students and require full-time enrollment.
Information for Scholarship Recipients
Direct Cost Rule Limitation
The combined total of MoWest and Foundation scholarships may not exceed the recipient’s actual charges for tuition and related fees, course-related fees, admissions fees, campus housing and meal plan costs. No portion of MoWest and Foundation scholarship funds may be disbursed to the recipient in the form of cash or a ‘credit balance’ check. Scholarships specifically allocated for the payment of book costs will be exempt from this policy. A student with documentable circumstances beyond his or her control or personal choice will have the option to appeal this rule. Contact the Financial Aid Office for additional information.
Equal Opportunity
The selection of MoWest scholarship recipients will follow a policy of nondiscrimination in regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy or parental status, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, disability, and all other legally protected classes.
Access Missouri Program
Access Missouri is a need-based program designed to provide students with a simplified financial aid process, provide predictable, portable awards and increase access to a student’s school of choice. Eligibility is determined by the student’s Student Aid Index (SAI) as calculated through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). To be eligible, students must complete the FAFSA by February 1 each year, be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident and also a Missouri resident, have an SAI less than $12,000, be enrolled full-time (12 hours) as an undergraduate student, maintain a 2.50 GPA, maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress and not have exceeded 150 attempted credit hours. Awards range from $1,000 to $2,150 per year and are subject to the availability of state funding.
Application Procedures: Must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and submit any additional requested documents to the Office of Financial Aid no later than Feb. 1 each year.
Contact Information: Visit MDHEWD
Advanced Placement Incentive Grant
This is a nonrenewable grant designed to encourage high school students to take and score well on Advanced Placement tests in mathematics and science.
To be eligible for the grant you must meet the following requirements:
- Achieve two grades of three or higher on Advanced Placement exams in the fields of math and/or science while attending a Missouri public high school. Qualifying Advance Placement exams in the fields of math or science include Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Physics B, Physics C and Statistics.
- Receive an award under the Access Missouri Student Financial Assistance Program or the A+ Scholarship Program in the academic year in which the Advanced Placement Incentive Grant is awarded. Students who are eligible for the Access Missouri or A+ Scholarship programs but have a calculated award amount of zero are eligible for the Advanced Placement Incentive Grant.
- Submit a complete application for the Advanced Placement Incentive Grant.
Contact Information: Visit MDHEWD
Division of Family Services/Rehabilitation Services for the Blind
Rehabilitation Services for the Blind (RSB) provides services to people with varying degrees of visual impairment, ranging from those who cannot read regular print to those who are totally blind. These services are provided on the premise that with adequate preparation and reasonable accommodation, each blind or visually impaired person will be able to achieve his or her maximum potential in the home and community, in educational settings, and in employment.
Contact Information: www.dss.mo.gov/
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Eligible individuals are provided with services needed to enter, remain in, or return to suitable employment. Services include diagnosis and evaluation,; counseling and guidance; physical or mental restoration; training, including college or university, technical or trade; job development and job placement; rehabilitation engineering; and follow-up services to ensure that the rehabilitated person is performing satisfactorily on the job.
Contact Information: Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (816) 387-2280 or online at here
Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant
The Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant is a financial aid program to provide adults with the education and skills needs to enter high-demand fields. The grant is designed to ensure, when combined with other governmental financial aid, that your tuition and fees are fully covered. Grant recipients must report their employment and residency to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development for three years.
Contact Information: Visit MDHEWD
Kids’ Chance Scholarship Program
The Kids’ Chance Scholarship is a program for students with a parent who was seriously injured or killed in a work-related accident compensable under Worker’s Compensation.
Contact Information: Visit MDHEWD
Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program
This is a scholarship designed to assist academically talented minority and underrepresented individuals pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in an environmental course of study.
Contact Information: Visit MDHEWD
Missouri Higher Education Academic Scholarship Program (Bright Flight)
This merit-based program encourages top-ranked high school seniors to attend approved Missouri post-secondary schools. To be eligible, you must have earned a composite score on the American College Testing Program (ACT) or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) in the top 3 percent of all Missouri students taking those tests. New legislation allows students whose ACT or SAT composite scores are in the top four and five percent of all Missouri students taking those tests to be eligible to receive an award beginning in the fall of 2010 (conditional on sufficient state appropriations). Students must maintain a 2.5 GPA and be making Satisfactory Academic Progress to be eligible for renewal.
Contact Information: Visit MDHEWD
Missouri National Guard Educational Assistance Program
Missouri National Guard Educational Assistance Program is a state-sponsored program. The program will pay 50 to 100% of the tuition costs per semester. This covers up to 30 hours per academic year. Applicants must be a member of the Missouri Army or Air National Guard, maintain a 2.5 GPA and not have completed a Baccalaureate Degree.
Contact Information: Visit MO Guard
Missouri Returning Heroes’ Education Act Tuition Reduction
The Missouri Returning Heroes Act provides reduced tuition for certain combat veterans attending public institutions of higher education. Combat veterans must be enrolled in a program leading to a certificate, associate, bachelor, or graduate degree. They also must provide documentation of veteran status (DD-214 Member 4) as well as proof of Missouri residency (Driver’s License or other documentation). Students must maintain at least a 2.5 GPA to remain eligible.
Undergraduate tuition will be reduced to $50 per credit hour. Graduate tuition and fees will be reduced to 30% of the actual cost. Under the Heroes’ Act, eligible veterans will not receive more than the actual cost of attendance when the limitation is combined with other aid made available to such a veteran.
Application Procedures: Complete the Missouri Returning Heroes Tuition Reduction Request Form
Missouri Savings for Tuition (MO$T) Program
With the MO$T Program you are able to save for future higher education costs and save on taxes, too. Open a MO$T account under the Program on behalf of a designated beneficiary. The amount contributed each year can be deducted from your Missouri state taxable income (up to a maximum of $8,000 per taxpayer per year). The investment earnings on the money you contribute to the account will be able to build on both a federal and state tax-free basis. Then, when your beneficiary is ready to go to school, withdrawals from your account to pay for qualified higher education expenses at eligible schools in Missouri or anywhere in the country will be federal and state tax-free.
Contact Information: Visit MO$T
Missouri Student Loan Repayment Program
Recipients can earn forgiveness of their loan repayment award through a service obligation. The obligation is two years of service per award, which is based on full-time qualifying employment.
Contact Information: Visit MO Department of Health and Senior Services
Public Service Officer Survivor Grant
The Public Service Survivor Grant is a tuition grant for eligible Missouri residents who are dependent children or spouses of a public safety officer or Department of Transportation employee who was killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty.
Contact Information: Visit MDHEWD
Wartime Veteran’s Survivors Grant
These grants are available annually to children and spouses of Veterans whose deaths or injuries were: a result of combat action or were attributed to an illness that was contracted while serving in combat action, or who became 80% disabled as a result of injuries or accidents sustained in combat action since September 11, 2001. The total number of veterans that may receive a grant in any year is limited by statute to 25. The veteran must have been a Missouri resident when first entering the military service or at the time of death or injury.
Contact Information: Visit MDHEWD

