Neihardt Scholars Program
The Neihardt Scholars Program is Wayne State’s most premiere and selective scholarship. The scholarship is named after John G. Neihardt, a WSC alumnus and Poet Laureate of Nebraska and the Plains. Neihardt Scholar students are required to fully participate in the WSC Honors Program.
Scholarship benefits
Provided the eligibility and scholarship retention requirements are met, recipients receive:
- Free tuition for up to 128 credit hours
- An on-campus double room waiver for four years
- An annual stipend of $500 for a maximum of four years
This stipend will be payable in two equal installments, renewable through four years, while the student remains in the program. The total amount of the stipend shall not exceed $2,000 for any one student. A student who withdraws, or is withdrawn, from the program between the beginning of the fall semester and the beginning of the spring semester in any year will not receive the second installment of the award for that year.
Also, each scholar will receive a waiver for free housing for for year (must be a double-occupancy room on campus). The student is required to live on campus to receive this waiver.
Scholars who have not met the requirements for continuation are automatically removed from the program, and all associated benefits will end. However, if a student appeals to the Scholarship, Honors, and Financial Aid Committee and is reinstated, benefits will continue beginning in the semester of reinstatement under the same terms as above.
Award of this scholarship is annually made by the WSC Scholarship, Honors, and Financial Aid Committee. Neihardt Scholar students are required to fully participate in the WSC Honors Program. Application deadline each year is Dec. 1.
Eligibility requirements
Must have an ACT of at least 25 or an SAT of at least 1200, and have a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale for six semesters. Program offers special classes and advising. Must maintain a 3.25 GPA to renew.
Retention requirements
Neihardt Scholars are expected to:
- Enroll as full time student (a minimum of 12 semester credit hours per semester).
- Take 12 hours of Honors General Studies courses usually during the first two years
- Complete two independent study projects in the major: Independent Study 395 and Senior Honors Colloquium 499.
- Enroll in the special 1-credit-hour seminar course "Shapers of the Modern Mind." The seminar will (1) provide a vehicle for dialogue among the scholars and the faculty; (2) form the basis of an integrated study of ideas commonly considered an essential part of one’s liberal education; (3) provide direct and stimulating confrontation with great minds of the past and present; and (4) develop the desire for the lifelong pursuit of knowledge. Three semesters of the Shapers seminar course are required for Neihardt Scholars. Credit for the Shapers seminars will count toward the number of hours required for graduation but will typically not satisfy any other requirement.
- Maintain an overall 3.25 GPA and a 3.5 GPA in the major during the first three years. By the beginning of the senior year, the GPA must be at least 3.5 overall and in the major/endorsement area. Under exceptional circumstances, students who do not to meet the above requirements may appeal to the Scholarship, Honors, and Financial Aid Committee to remain in the program.
Graduation and Administration of the Program
Recognition of successful participation in the Neihardt Scholars Program will be given on diplomas and transcripts.