WIHI Exceptional Learner Scholarship Program
The Exceptional Learner Scholarship has been established to assist Washtenaw International High School seniors who intend to further their education by pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree (4-year degree) upon graduation.
WIHI Exceptional Learner Scholarship Program
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 WIHI Exceptional Learner Scholarship Program must:
- Be high school seniors in the International Baccalaureate Program (IB) at WIHI in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
- Have been a WIHI student since at least their sophomore year in high school.
- Be preparing for and taking the IB exams in May.
- Plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited four-year college or university for the entire upcoming academic year.
- Have a minimum unweighted grade point average of 3.4 on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent).
Awards
If selected as a recipient, the student will receive a $12,500 award, payable to the college/university of attendance.
Up to two (2) awards will be granted. Awards may be renewed for up to three additional years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first. Renewal is contingent upon satisfactory academic performance (3.0 cumulative GPA or the equivalent) in a full-time course of study.
Awards are for qualified education-related expenses only (tuition, fees, books, and required supplies/equipment, and undergraduate study only.
Notification
Applicants will be notified in April of senior year. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients.
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 the program sponsor. Payments are made in equal installments in early August and mid-December.
Selection of Recipients
Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:
- Academic performance
- Two personal statements (statement of goals and statement of challenging experience)
- An online recommendation
Financial need, as calculated by Scholarship America, must be demonstrated for the student to receive an award. Program administrators will review financial need of recipients.
Selection of finalists is made by Scholarship America. Selection of recipients will be made by the WIHI Scholarship Fund selection committee.
Requirements
As part of your application, you must upload the following:
- A current, complete transcript of grades. WIHI staff recommends that students upload the “self view” transcript accessible through students’ parchment.com accounts. 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.
- opy of the FAFSA Submission Summary from your 2026-27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on 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.
Also as part of your application, one online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf by your counselor, Mrs. Kiser, no later than March 17, 2026 4:00 PM Eastern Time. Once you have started the application on the Scholarship America Hub, assign Mrs. Kiser as your Recommender using her email address.
Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.
