Western Digital We.care Scholarship Program
The Western Digital We.care Scholarship Program was established in 2018 to encourage the high-achieving dependents of our talented workforce who plan to continue their education at a four-year accredited college or university.
Western Digital We.care Scholarship Program
The Western Digital We.care Scholarship Program was established in 2018 to encourage the high-achieving dependents of our talented workforce who plan to continue their education at a four-year accredited college or university.
The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.
Eligibility
Applicants to the Western Digital We.care Scholarship Program must meet these eligibility requirements:
- Be a legal dependent* of a regular, full-time Western Digital employee as of the application deadline. Please note, the employee must hold a support, professional or management track position level of 109 or below, or be a member of our manufacturing staff (levels 201-205).
*Dependent children are defined as biological, step- or legally adopted children living in the employee’s household or primarily supported by the employee.
- Enrolled or plan to be enrolled as an undergraduate student on a full-time basis at an accredited four-year college/university for the entire upcoming academic year.
- Preference will be given to students with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent).
- All majors are eligible to apply.
- There are no geographical restrictions, students from all regions are eligible to apply.
Awards
If selected as a recipient, the student will receive an award ranging from $2,000 to $5,000. Award amounts are determined based on the annual budget and the country in which the recipient attends college.
The program will be administered in full compliance with IRS Revenue Procedure 76-47. No more than 25% of eligible applicants may receive awards.
Awards are not renewable, but students may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements.
Students are eligible to receive a maximum of two Western Digital scholarships in a lifetime.
Per IRS Revenue Procedure 76-47, the employment requirement does not apply to previous recipients. Students selected as recipients do not need to meet the parent employment requirement of the program if/when applying to the program again in future years.
Awards are for qualified education-related expenses (tuition, fees, books, and required supplies) only.
Awards are for undergraduate study only.
Selection of Recipients
Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:
- Academic performance
- Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
- A statement of educational and career goals and objectives
- Unusual personal or family circumstances
Financial need is not considered.
Academic evaluation of applicants will include a review of the grade/mark average based on the grading system used in the applicant’s country and a review of the results of academic examinations.
Preference will be given to students with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent).
Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of Western Digital play a part in the selection. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.
Notification
All applicants will be notified in late May.
Notifications are sent via email. When setting up your account, avoid using a school or work email. Instead, use an active, personal email address that you will continue to have access to.
Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address as safe senders in your email contact list.
Payment of Scholarships
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of Western Digital.
For scholarship recipients attending college in the U.S., payment is issued by check in early August. For scholarship recipients attending college outside of the U.S., payment is issued by wire transfer in September.
Requirements
As part of your application, please be prepared to upload the following:
- A current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display:
- Student name
- School name
- Grades
- Credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.
- Upper secondary school diploma or certificate, if earned (Applicants based outside of the U.S.).
- Results of examinations (Applicants based outside of the U.S.).
- English translations for any non-English documents.
NOTE:
- If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed in your high school transcript, you will need to upload a copy of your test score report(s) separately.
- If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.
Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.
Please Note: Applications for We.care scholarships should be completed by the student and not a Western Digital employee. Applications submitted from a Western Digital email address may be disqualified pursuant to IRS regulations.
