WCC Foundation offers over 90 individual scholarships in addition to our large general scholarship fund. Students can apply for all these opportunities using a single online application. The general application is the only application for WCCF scholarships.
You do not need to research individual scholarships or apply for them individually—we do this part for you! We will contact you if we need additional information after you submit your application.
Who qualifies for the WCC Foundation Scholarships?
WCC Foundation scholarships are available to students who will attend Whatcom during the upcoming academic year. While there are some scholarships with specific criteria, most of our awards are available to any student in good academic standing, including full and part time students, Running Start students, and international students. Last year around 60% of our applicants were offered a scholarship.
Awards typically range from $1,000 to $17,989.
Is this the only time I can apply for scholarships?
Currently, we only have one scholarship cycle, January through April. This is when we’ll award our available funding. Students can use the awards for any quarter in the upcoming academic year (Fall 2026, Winter 2027 and Spring 2027.)
What is the scholarship application like?
Our application is brief and takes most students 1-2 hours to complete. We will ask you for some basic information that helps us understand which scholarships you qualify for. We will also ask you to upload an unofficial transcript (WCC preferred), request a recommendation survey, and write short essays.
If this is your first time applying for our scholarships you will need to create an account. This account isn’t associated with any of your existing WCC logins. You may save your progress and make changes to your application until the deadline.
How do I get a copy of my unofficial transcript?
Some scholarships require a 3.0 GPA or above. To qualify please pick your most recent transcript. If you have recent transcripts from two schools, pick the transcript that you are most proud of.
If you’re a WCC student, you can look up your unofficial transcript here. If you have trouble downloading your transcript, you’re welcome to use screenshots.
If you have no recent transcripts you may upload a document briefly explaining why you don’t have access to a transcript.
How will I know if I was awarded a scholarship?
We will notify WCC Foundation Scholarship recipients by email from the end of May through June.
If I am awarded a scholarship, how do I get the funds?
You must accept your scholarship online via Award Spring. This will require you to go back to your application and complete the follow-up questionnaire and click submit.
Claimed WCC Foundation scholarships that are awarded in the primary cycle are split between Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters. (For summer distribution please contact the Foundation).
Financial aid applies your scholarship to tuition and fees first and remaining credit balances are provided to students via one of three disbursement methods through BankMobile.
Review your CTC Link Financial Aid account after the first day of each quarter to confirm your distribution amount.
I haven't received my scholarship and it's time to pay tuition. What do I do?
Contact Financial Aid (finaid@whatcom.edu). WCC Foundation notifies Financial Aid of your award schedule. After that, Financial Aid administers the funds via CTC Link.
Do you plan on enrolling in less than 12 credits? If so, once your class schedule is set and you do not plan to add or drop credits, you will need to submit this Quarterly Adjustment Form to Financial Aid. DO NOT submit unless you have already received a Financial Aid Offer Letter from the WCC Financial Aid Office and can see your awards in your ctcLink account (otherwise there is no aid to be adjusted). Processing may take up to two weeks, and changes to your schedule near the start of the quarter may delay your aid.
What can I do to improve my chances of receiving a scholarship?
The most important part of your application is your short essays. We are looking to see that you are committed to your goals at WCC, that you can persist in your education when challenged, and that a scholarship will be an investment in your success. The easiest ways for you to be successful are to:
Make sure that you understand and have responded to the full essay prompt. We want to get to know you. Answer the questions, give examples, let us see you and your work.
Reread and revise what you have written. Are your responses clear? Have you responded to the whole question?
Reach out to the Writing Center. Student staff are standing by to talk with you, to help you plan, and to read your writing for this application.
Check your email. We will reach out to you throughout the application process if we need additional information from you, and all award decisions will be announced via email.
How does the WCC Foundation scholarship assessment and awarding process work?
Each application for WCC Foundation scholarships is reviewed by a committee of reviewers and the average of the scores is used in the awarding process. Staff are supported in this work by volunteers from the WCC Foundation Board of Directors, WCC retirees, WCC Alumni, and community members which make up the Review Committee. All applications are reviewed without identifiable student data using the same rubric, which is based on the criteria. Each named scholarship is awarded to the highest scoring student who meets its specific criteria, and general scholarship funds are awarded based on review score.
