Merit Scholarships

 

Wyoming Catholic College awards a number of scholarships based on academic merit with dollar amounts ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 applied toward tuition. The applicant must have scored at least 1800 on the SAT or at least 27 on the ACT, and must submit a high school record that shows substantial achievement and a willingness to work and to succeed in an academic curriculum. (A transfer student seeking admission to the freshman class must also submit a record of his or her previous GPA and current course transcripts.) Aptitude and zeal for learning, as demonstrated in the required essays, the special letter of recommendation, and the interview with an Admissions Office staff member, will play significant roles in determining a Merit Scholarship. The recipient of such a scholarship will be guaranteed the same scholarship money for each of the four years of college, provided he or she maintains a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or better.

The Application for Merit Scholarship should be submitted around the same time as the application for admission.

 

In order for the College to award financial aid truly representative of the needs of the student and his or her family, financial information regarding the income and expenses of the family must be submitted. Each student seeking financial aid other than a Merit Scholarship must submit the Application for Financial Aid, obtainable from the Admissions Office or from the WCC website.

Complete financial aid may be obtained by proceeding through the following sequence of steps:

Step 1. Outside Sources of Assistance
The College encourages its students to apply for as many sources of aid as possible: academic scholarships, business scholarships, local service club scholarships (such as those offered by the Knights of Columbus), National Merit Scholarships, and Social Security benefits.

Step 2.  Payments from Parents
A student’s parents must indicate on the Application for Financial Aid what they judge to be their maximum possible effort towards the cost of their child’s collegiate education. Parents are encouraged to view educational expenses not only as part of their general obligation to provide for their children and prepare them adequately for their adult lives and vocations, but also as the material support of a spiritual work of mercy, and therefore as part of tithing and charitable giving. Based on the information disclosed in the said Application, the College will then verify that the amount proposed is a reasonable one, all things considered. A questionnaire concerning changes in relevant financial circumstances will be sent out to parents for each subsequent year, so that due adjustments may be made in the overall financial aid package.

The costs remaining after Steps 1 and 2 may be covered by the following sequence of Steps 3, 4, and 5. Of course, it is understood that the College will exercise its own judgment in determining the amount of assistance offered to a prospective student.

Step 3. Student Loans
Before students may receive financial aid from the College, they are expected to obtain loans for part of their costs. Freshmen and sophomores are expected to borrow $3,000 per year, juniors and seniors $2,500 per year. This amount may not be borrowed from one’s parents (because of the conflict with Step 2), but may be borrowed from other members of one’s family, if this is a possibility. The total debt incurred after four years is $11,000, an amount that should not prove overly burdensome.  Compared to the higher loans that other private Catholic colleges require, and the still higher amount that the federal government permits students to borrow, this amount is, and is intended to be, reasonable and modest. The College believes that this practice of borrowing wisely and then repaying a modest debt promotes responsibility and builds the virtues of prudence and temperance.

Until WCC is eligible for federally-sponsored loans (i.e., Title IV programs such as Stafford Loans), students who do not have other loan sources should inquire at a local bank about a “personal loan for educational expenses.” In most cases, if such a loan is available, the parent(s) will be required to co-sign with the student. At the end of the year, the student will have to pay at least the accumulated interest.  When this interest is paid off, the principal can be folded into the new loan that is required for the following year.

 

Students are to make a diligent and honest effort to obtain loans from outside sources such as banks and credit unions, or from private individuals (such as relatives other than parents) or foundations. If institutional or private loans are not available, and only as a last resort, the College can provide student loans. In the event a student needs a loan from the College and any additional requested aid is less than $3,500, the College reserves the right to require the student to accept a service scholarship award (work study) in lieu of all or part of the loan. Please contact the Financial Aid Office if you need a loan from the College.

Step 4. Service Scholarship (Work-Study)
After fulfilling the loan requirement, the student will then be considered for work-study. The maximum number of hours required will be ten hours a week for 35 weeks. Jobs will be in food service, maintenance, library, office work, and so forth, and will make a genuine contribution to the common good of the entire college community. Recompense will be up to $3,500 against room and board per year. (A number of work-study recipients are needed during Thanksgiving and Easter vacations since basic services are provided to students who elect to remain on campus during those holidays. The College will enter into arrangements with workers on a case-by-case basis.) The work that students are assigned will not interfere with class times. As work-study is an official scholarship, failure to complete the weekly hours or to do the work adequately may result in disciplinary action, up to and including the withdrawal of that scholarship.

Step 5. Grants
If, after all the preceding steps have been taken, the student still needs additional money to cover tuition, room, and board, the College will make every effort to award an outright grant, which need not ever be repaid. Grant amounts for any student will be assessed yearly, on the basis of the family’s financial situation

How to Request Financial Aid:

Please read carefully, complete thoroughly, and return in a timely manner the Application for Financial Aid, along with the required attachments for first-time applicants. Additional information may occasionally be required to clarify unusual circumstances. At a certain stage in WCC’s development, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may be a necessary item to submit. When that becomes the case, the student and family will be notified well in advance.

Discounts and Payment Plans

 

The College offers three payment plans:

Plan 1: Single-Payment Plan. A student receiving neither a grant nor a Service Scholarship (work-study) from the College and who pays for both semesters by July 1 will receive a discount of $500. This payment is to include all sums due, minus the WCC Merit Scholarship or outside scholarship awards. If the student is receiving a grant or Service Scholarship from the College, he may still choose Payment Plan 1, but with no discount.

Plan 2: Two-Payment Plan. A student receiving neither a grant nor a Service Scholarship (work-study) from the College and who pays for each semester by August 1 and December 1 respectively will receive a discount of $300. These payments are to include all sums due, minus the WCC Merit Scholarship or outside scholarship awards. Half the discount will be credited to the student’s account each semester. If the student withdraws during the semester, the discount for that semester will be charged back to his/her account. If the student is receiving a grant or Service Scholarship from the College, he may still choose Payment Plan 2, but with no discount.

Plan 3: Ten-Payment Plan. Charges are paid in ten equal monthly installments beginning on July 1. No discount is given with this payment plan.