2021 Wells Mountain Initiative Undergraduate Scholarship Application for Developing Countries

Wells Mountain Initiative (WMI), began in 2005 with the sponsorship of a single scholar from Kopeyia, Ghana. In our first full year of operation in 2006, we increased our support to eight students from Ghana and Senegal. Today, WMI supports scholars from over 47 countries with 268 scholars currently studying and 211 graduate scholars.

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WMI not only funds scholarships, but also seeks to build the next generation of change-makers in the most impoverished and under-resourced areas.  We have a particular emphasis on women and girls. 

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Through our three main program areas— Education, Global Collective Action  and Community Development Grants— we are fostering a small but mighty and growing global community of engaged leaders and social entrepreneurs who are tackling issues such as gender inequity, educational access, health disparities and health care generally, agriculture,  climate change, civil society.

Category: Undergraduates

Eligible Countries: Developing Countries 

Benefits: Full Scholarship

Deadline: March 1, 2021

Details of Scholarship:

As we continue our story, we stand ready to scale our impact. Not only will we fund more scholarships, better facilitate networking and training of our scholars and assist more social entrepreneurship projects, but we will also continue to elevate the voice and leadership of WMI Scholars to be effective change-makers at all levels.

Scholarship Requirements:

Our Ideal Candidate – A student, male or female, from a country in the developing world who:

• Successfully completed a secondary education, with good to excellent grades
• Is 35 or under on March 1, 2021
• Will be studying in his or her country or another country in the developing world*
• Is pursuing his or her first bachelor’s degree or diploma
• Will be enrolled in a program of study that will benefit the community and/or contribute to the continued growth and advancement of his or her home country 
• Plans to live and work in his or her own country after graduation
• Has demonstrated his or her commitment to giving back and has volunteered prior to applying
• May have some other funds available for his or her education, but will not be able to go to pursue his or her tertiary degree without financial assistance.

Important Dates:

• December 1, 2020 – The 2021 WMI Scholars Program application will be available on our website. Completed 2021 applications will start to be accepted on this date.
• March 1, 2021 – The 2021 WMI Scholars Program application deadline.

Required Documents:

Applications from qualified applicants will be accepted until March 1, 2021. Before applying, we strongly encourage you to read the WMI Scholar Program Information Sheet and also the Frequently Asked Questions for Prospective Scholars document. These two documents will assist you in determining your eligibility and guide you in the application process. 

The following are required elements for an application to be considered complete:

• Clear personal photo
• Essay (topic is stated on application form)
• 2021 application form
• Personal essay statement
• Two recommendation letters*
• Official transcript of grades from secondary school
• Official grading key to interpret secondary school grades**
• Official transcript of grades from tertiary studies (if applicable)
• Official grading key to interpret tertiary grades**
• Official results from your national exam
• Official grading key to interpret scores on your national exam**

*Recommendation letters vary throughout cultures. We have created Guidelines for Effective Application-Recommendation Letters to assist applicants in seeking letters that will be supportive of their application. Read this document and share it with the individuals who will be writing your letters of support.

**Official grading keys must be provided by the school issuing the grades or the government issuing the national exam. Grading keys that are not official will result in your application being disqualified. Contact your secondary school, university, or government for this document.

Duration of Scholarship:

• The Scholarship period will run between September 2020 and September 2021 for the September set and;
• January 2021 to January 2022 for the January set.

Scholarship Benefits:

The scholarship will provide a full tuition fee waiver for the year, plus a stipend of £8,000 which will be paid over 12 months.

Applicants who can evidence their refugee status will be considered a priority group, however the University may extend the invite to apply to further applicants.

The following are suggestions to enhance your application:

• Record all of your service activities (dates, activities, time spent, photographs, etc.)
• Collect your secondary school transcript, national exam results and grading keys to interpret your results
• Request two letters of recommendation on official stationery from two people who know you professionally/personally and can showcase the reasons you deserve this scholarship
• Have all of your documents translated into English

Method of Application:

If you qualify, now is the time to apply for this exciting opportunity! Since 2005, we have supported more than 418 students worldwide. Please note that in our recent years, we have only been able to select approximately 5% of applicants to become a part of this program. The number we select is based solely upon limited funding, as nearly all applicants are extremely deserving. As our organization grows, so will the number of WMI Scholars we can accept each year. We encourage you to apply AND to continue searching for additional ways to finance your education.

There are two ways to apply: Online, or by mailing in a completed application packet to our office.

APPLYING ONLINE: You will be redirected to a portal where you will be asked to create a free account (username and password), fill out information and upload documents. We strongly suggest that you apply online as it will provide you with the opportunity to save your work and return multiple times. You will also guarantee that your application, once submitted online, will be received and reviewed.

File format types accepted are: JPG, PNG, GIF, DOC, DOCX, PDF (version 10 or newer).

Applications must be received by March 1 of each year to be considered for the following academic year. WMI Scholars are selected through an in-depth multi-step review process. The selected WMI Scholars will be emailed on August 1. Their names will also be published on our website homepage and the WMI Facebook page. Those who are not selected will also be notified after August 1.

*Scholars planning to study in the United States, Canada, Australia, UK or Western Europe will not qualify for a WMI Scholarship

Deadline: March 1, 2021

APPLY NOW