Winter 2024 > Financial Policies and Information > Financial Aid Programs > Institutional Scholarships and Grants > Online Division Scholarships and Grants

Online Division Scholarships and Grants

To establish eligibility for  an initial offer, a candidate must meet all WCU's admission requirements, be admitted to the university, identify their Health Services Partner affiliation when completing the online application for admission, and allow for verification of eligibility.  Verification of eligibility may require the student to submit documentation of proof of employment by the Health Services Partner, active CCNA membership documentation, or proof of graduation from an educational partner.  A current list of eligible Health Services Partners is available in the Admissions Office.  The Health Services Partner Grant will be automatically renewed each academic year unless the recipient withdrew or extended an approved Leave of Absence in the prior academic year.  

The WCU Health Services Partner Grant may not be combined with any other WCU scholarships or grants except for the WCU Alumni Pathway Grant.  There is no cash value to the grant.  Students who withdraw prior to the end of a trimester will have their grant reduced proportionately to the percent of tuition earned.  

*Will not exceed 5% of tuition charges for students who who also qualify for an Alumni Pathway Grant.  If a new student entering as part of a group of three or more from the same Health Services Partner also qualifies for a WCU Alumni Pathway Grant, the combined grant award may not exceed 25% for each individual student. 

Alumni Pathway Grant: The Alumni Pathway Grant is available to American Career College or West Coast University alumni who graduate from any WCU or ACC program and enroll in online programs at WCU. West Coast University has established an Alumni Pathway Grant to promote online higher education to the alumni of West Coast University or American Career College. Grant amounts will vary but will not exceed 20% of tuition charges each term. To establish eligibility for an initial Alumni Pathway Grant, a candidate must meet all of WCU's admissions requirements, be admitted to the university for enrollment in an online degree program and have graduated from a program at either American Career College or West Coast University. The Alumni Pathway Grant will automatically be renewed each academic year. Please contact the WCU Financial Aid department for additional information.  

The Alumni Pathway Grant may not be combined with any other WCU scholarships or grants except for the WCU Health Services Partner Grant (see above). There is no cash value to the grant. Students who withdraw prior to the end of a trimester will have their grant reduced proportionately to the percent of tuition earned.

Effective beginning Fall 2 2023 Online Term - Should American Career College or West Coast University Alumni choose to enroll in WCU Online programs within six months after their graduation date, the Alumni Pathway Grant will be increased by an additional 5% will be awarded resulting in a 25% reduction of tuition charges. The alumni pathway grant will not exceed 25% for the individual student.

WCU Performance^* Scholarship: The WCU Performance Scholarship is a merit-based program available for students enrolled in a WCU online degree program.  To qualify for the scholarship, students must meet all program admissions requirements (conditionally admitted are excluded) and have a minimum CGPA for all coursework attempted at other institutions prior to the enrollment at West Coast University of 3.0 if enrolling in a WCU undergraduate program, or 3.25 if enrolling in a WCU graduate program.  

The applicant's CGPA must be documented by submission of all academic transcripts to  WCU before the start of the first term of study.  For the purposes of this scholarship, initial determination of eligibility may be based on unofficial transcripts, pending verification of official transcripts.  Official transcripts must be received before the end of the first term of study or the scholarship will be forfeited.  

If the applicant has attempted less than 18 semester hours of study at a postsecondary institution, the scholarship eligibility will be evaluated based on the applicant's high school CGPA.  If the applicant has attempted 18 or more semester hours of study, the evaluation will instead be based on the CGPA for all prior postsecondary institutions.  

Scholarships for approved applicants may be offered as a 15% reduction of tuition for the program incurred for each academic year.  This scholarship may not be combined with any other WCU scholarship or grant.

WCU Continuing Education Grant:  WCU has established the Continuing Education Grant to promote new and different opportunities for military undergraduate students who no longer meet the academic requirements to continue their pre-licensure nursing or dental hygiene program but remain in good standing with the University. Pre-licensure Nursing and Dental Hygiene students who are no longer eligible to return to their program may choose to pursue an online undergraduate degree program at WCU. 

To be eligible for this grant, students must have been academically dismissed from a BSN, LVN/LPN to BSN, ADN or BSDH program and meet all requirements for admission into an online undergraduate program at WCU.

Grants amounts will be awarded as a 20% reduction of tuition charges incurred for each academic year. The WCU Continuing Education Grant may not be combined with any other WCU scholarship or grant. There is no cash value to the grant. Students who withdraw prior to the end of a trimester will have their grant reduced proportionately based on the final tuition determined at the time of withdrawal.

WCU Partnership Grant: WCU periodically offers grants to selected Clinical Partners to propose a select number of currently licensed RN employees to begin the WCU online RN to BSN program on specific Grant Cohort start dates.

Grant Recipients are eligible to receive a full grant towards tuition and required fees of the Program. Clinical Partners are selected periodically and offered a specified number of slots for which they may propose eligible Grant Recipients. Grant Recipients must meet all the initial and ongoing eligibility requirements of the WCU Partnership Grant. Including:

1. Meet all requirements for admission to the RN-BSN program at WCU as outlined below and in the WCU catalog.
2. Remain actively employed and in good standing with your employer, the Clinical Partner, until completion of the RN to BSN program.
3. Complete the WCU Partnership Grant Student Acknowledgement and Attestation of Affiliation forms.
4. Possess and maintain a current unencumbered RN license;
5. Begin with and remain continuously enrolled with their Grant Cohort. Students that elect to take a leave of absence or withdraw from the program, or have to repeat a course for any reason and fall out of progression with their Grant Cohort will no longer be eligible for the Grant. Students who lose eligibility for the Grant are responsible for the remaining cost of the Program.

The full details of the WCU Partnership Grant are available from you Human Resources Department or the WCU Department of Student Financial Services.

The WCU Partnership Grant may not be combined with any other WCU scholarships or grants and has no cash value. 

WCU-ACC Partnership Grant

WCU, in partnership with American Career College offers a grant to employees of eligible WCU and ACC partners (please speak to an admissions representative for a list of eligible WCU and ACC partners) for the RN to BSN, MSN-Advanced Generalist, MSN-Nurse Leadership, MSN-Nurse Educator, or MSN-Informatics programs.  Award amounts may vary but will not exceed for the remaining balance at West Coast University after applying the sponsored tuition credit from American Career College. The grant is applied toward tuition and fees only. Recipients are selected by the applicant's employer. To qualify, the following criteria must be met:

1. Meet all requirements for admission to the RN-BSN, MSN-Advanced Generalist, MSN-Nurse Leadership, MSN-Nurse Educator, or MSN-Informatics program at West Coast University as outlined below and in the university catalog.

2. Remain actively employed and in good standing with your employer until completion of the RN to BSN, MSN-Advanced Generalist, MSN-Nurse Leadership, MSN-Nurse Educator, or MSN-Informatics program at WCU.

3. Complete the WCU-ACC Partnership Grant attestation regarding employment and allow for verification of eligibility. Verification of eligibility requires the student to submit documentation of proof of employment.

The WCU-ACC Partnership Grant will be renewed each aid year if there has been no break in enrollment in the past academic year.  For purposes of this grant, a break in enrollment is defined as a student withdrawal from the program, or a Leave of Absence.  Students must also remain employed and in good standing with their employer.  Verification of employment is required each academic year at the time of repackaging.

Students that elect to take a leave of absence or withdraw from the program will no longer be eligible for the grant and will be responsible for the remaining cost to complete the program if they desire to return. Students who withdraw in the middle of a trimester will have their offer reduced proportionately to the percent of tuition earned.  Course repeats for failed courses are to be paid for by the student.  For more information concerning the scholarship, please contact your Human Resources Department.

The WCU-ACC Partnership Grant may not be combined with any other WCU scholarships or grants.  

WCU SEIU Grant: WCU has established an SEIU Grant to promote online higher education to the members of the Service Employees International Union. Grant amounts vary but will not exceed 20% of tuition charges each term. To be eligible for the SEIU Grant, a candidate must enroll in a West Coast University online undergraduate degree program. The candidate must meet WCU's admissions requirements, be admitted to the university, complete the SEIU attestation confirming current SEIU membership, and allow for verification of eligibility. Verification of eligibility may require the student to submit documentation of current member status with the SEIU. The WCU SEIU Grant may not be combined with any other WCU scholarships or grants. SEIU Grants will be renewed each academic year if there has been no break in enrollment in the past academic year. For the purposes of this grant, a break in enrollment is defined as a student withdrawal from the program, or an extension of an approved Leave of Absence return date. 

WCU Nursing Partner Scholarship: WCU provides a limited number of full scholarships to employees of WCU's premier Nursing Partners.  Nursing Partner Scholarship awardees are selected by the individual Nursing Partner.  Students must meet all WCU admissions requirements and be admitted to the University.  A list of participating Nursing Partners is available in the Admissions Office.  Continued employment by the Nursing Partner is required for renewal of the scholarship each academic year.  There is no cash value to the scholarship. Students who withdraw prior to the end of a trimester will forfeit any unused scholarship funds.

WCU CHOC Scholarship: Annually, WCU offers RN-BSN and RN-MSN full tuition scholarships to CHOC Children's Hospital. This is a five-year scholarship commitment between WCU and CHOC to assist CHOC in their continued pursuit of nursing excellence. Recipients of the WCU CHOC Scholarships are selected by CHOC committee members with WCU recommendations if requested. Scholarships are offered during Nurse Week celebration events at CHOC. Interested applicants must apply directly to CHOC's Clinical Education Department via the PAWS intranet. To qualify, CHOC associates must meet the following criteria:

1. Meet all requirements for admission to the RN-BSN or RN-MSN programs at West Coast University.  
2. Graduate from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education or professionally accredited nursing program with a Diploma, ADN, or BSN degree.
3. Employed as a CHOC associate for more than 2 years.
4. Have no disciplinary action within the past 12 months.

In addition, applicants must meet the following requirements:

RN-BSN applicants:

• Applicants must have an active unobstructed license as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the state they currently practice.
• Provide official transcripts demonstrating an ADN or Diploma from a program licensed by the Board of Nursing.

RN-MSN applicants:

Note: Nurses with an ADN or BSN may apply for the RN-MSN scholarship.

• Provide official transcripts demonstrating proof of graduation from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education or professionally accredited nursing program with a Diploma, ADN, or BSN degree.
• Applicants must have an active unobstructed license as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the state they currently practice.
• Have a minimum of one year of full-time experience as a Registered Nurse.
• Satisfactorily complete a Statistics course (MATH210 or equivalent) within the past 5 years and before NURS 540 Research Utilization. ADN applicants will have opportunity to take Statistics at WCU.
• Submit three academic/professional letters of recommendation (one from a professional in the RN-MSN track of choice).
• Submit a resume or Curriculum Vitae.
• Complete an essay.
• Meet on of the following:
  • Pass the HESI A2 at the 90% level
  • Achieved eligible totals on the GRE
  • Achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in their postsecondary degree program.

WCU Nicklaus Scholarship: WCU offers RN-BSN and RN-MSN full tuition scholarships to Nicklaus Children's Hospital. Two scholarships will be offered each academic year - one to an RN-BSN student and one to an RN-MSN student. Recipients are selected by Nicklaus Children's Hospital with WCU recommendations if requested. To qualify for the scholarships, Nicklaus Children's Hospital associates must meet the following criteria:

• Applicant must provide proof of an active unobstructed license as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the state of Florida.
• Provide official transcripts demonstrating an ADN or Diploma from a program licensed by the Board of Nursing.