Frequently Asked Questions

To apply for a donor scholarship, you must complete and submit the general application. Go to wpunj.edu/scholarships. On the menu, click on “Apply for a Donor Scholarship.”  There is a link on that page that will take you to the donor scholarship portal.

When you complete the general application, based on the information provided, you will automatically be placed into the applicant pool for any scholarships for which you are qualified. These “auto-match” opportunities will not appear in the list of recommended scholarship opportunities.

After you submit the general application, you may have additional scholarship opportunities recommended to you. The additional opportunities that you will see require you to answer an additional question or questions specifically for that opportunity. You can self-select to apply or not apply, as the scholarships pertain to you.

Applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm EST on the deadline specified on the website.

If you are a current student, log in using your William Paterson username and password.

You can access your application to make edits at any time before the deadline. Just make sure to save and resubmit your application by 11:59 pm EST on the deadline specified on the website.

When you log into the donor scholarship portal and access the application, you will see the specific requirements for the essay. Please make sure to provide all required information.

If you need help with writing the essay, we encourage you to contact William Paterson’s Writing Center.

Make sure that you are using Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (or Mozilla Firefox or Apple Safari if using a Mac) web browsers.  Internet Explorer is not fully compatible with the donor scholarship portal and can prevent the website from functioning correctly.

In the general application, scroll towards the bottom of the page. Above the “Certification” section, it says “Add a New File” to upload your resume. Click on “Add a New File” and then select the file that you want and click “open.” It will ask you to provide a description. Just say something simple, like “Resume.” Then click on “save” on the bottom of the screen.

If you continue to have difficulty uploading your resume, the issue may be caused by the file name. Please be careful when naming the file. If you have special characters or a period in the file name, it may prevent it from uploading correctly.

The majority of donor scholarship awards are not automatically renewed. Students must complete the application, including the essay and letter of recommendation every spring, in order to be considered for scholarship support for the upcoming academic year.

You can view the list of scholarships here.

Students who are awarded a donor scholarship are notified over the summer via their William Paterson University email. The award notification email will be sent by IAScholarships@wpunj.edu and will include instructions on how to accept the scholarship. The scholarship will also be included in the financial aid award letter and the tuition bill that students receive from the University.

In order to receive the scholarship, recipients must complete the online post-acceptance requirements by the deadline, as outlined in the award notice. Failure to complete the requirements by the stated deadline may result in the cancellation of the donor scholarship offer.

For any questions relating to financial aid, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at 973.720.3945 or FinAid@wpunj.edu.

The donor scholarship can only be used for the fall and spring semesters.

Students who are awarded donor scholarships receive half of the scholarship for the fall semester and half of the scholarship for the spring semester. The scholarship is posted to the student’s account and is used to help pay the student’s tuition and fees and other education related expenses.

Donor scholarship notifications are sent by email and are visible in the donor scholarship portal and under Financial Aid and Scholarships in WPConnect. If you have not received a notification email, then you have not been selected for a donor scholarship.

Please keep in mind that eligibility does not guarantee selection. You will have the opportunity to apply for donor scholarships each spring for the upcoming academic year.

Due to the limited number of scholarships available, and with the number of applicants for scholarships far exceeding the amount of scholarship funding available, there are many worthy students who are not awarded any scholarships.

It is recommended that you complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Additional scholarship opportunities can be found through the Office of Financial Aid.

For any questions relating to the FAFSA and financial aid, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at 973.720.3945 or FinAid@wpunj.edu.

The majority of donor scholarships are awarded to enrolled (not incoming) students, as they require students to have a GPA on record through classes taken at William Paterson. The Office of Financial Aid has information about funding your education. You can also contact the Office of Financial Aid at 973.720.3945 or FinAid@wpunj.edu.

The scholarship criteria varies from scholarship to scholarship. However, most scholarships require students to be enrolled full-time while receiving the scholarship. You can review scholarship criteria in the donor scholarship portal.

The scholarship criteria varies from scholarship to scholarship. You can review scholarship criteria in the donor scholarship portal. If you do a keyword search for your major, you should be able to see the criteria of all of the scholarships for students in that major, so you can determine if you may be eligible for those scholarships. 

Please note that when you complete the general application, based on the information provided, you will automatically be placed into the applicant pool for any scholarships for which you are qualified.  However, please also keep in mind that eligibility does not guarantee selection.

Donor scholarships are available for graduate students. You can view the criteria for the scholarships in the donor scholarship portal to determine if you would like to apply. Please note that we typically do not award donor scholarships to students who receive graduate assistantships.

We typically do not award donor scholarships to students who receive graduate assistantships.

Donor scholarships are not available to students enrolled in WP Online. For any questions relating to financial aid for WP Online students, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at 973.720.3945 or FinAid@wpunj.edu.

You must be enrolled at William Paterson in order to receive a donor scholarship. If you would like to be considered for a scholarship for the upcoming academic year, you will need to submit the application by the deadline.

Yes, you can apply for a donor scholarship if you will be enrolled at William Paterson for the upcoming fall semester.

Most donor scholarships require students to have a GPA on record through classes taken at William Paterson. If you would like to be considered for a scholarship for the upcoming academic year, you will need to submit the application by the deadline.

The reference should be someone who knows you well and can speak about why you would be a worthy donor scholarship recipient. It could be a William Paterson professor or staff member, external supervisor (from work or an internship), mentor, instructor, or coworker. Make sure that you ask that person before you list them in your donor scholarship application as a reference.

You can only have one person as your reference. When you provide the reference’s name and email address, that person receives an automated email with the link to the form that they will need to complete. The reference should be someone who knows you well and can speak about why you would be a worthy donor scholarship recipient.

If you entered more than one reference into your scholarship application, the one that is “selected” as your reference (as indicated in your application) will be the person who can provide the recommendation for you. If you want to change your reference, you can do so by going back into the scholarship application, providing that person’s name and email address, and then saving and resubmitting the application. Please note that you will only be able to make changes to your application before the stated deadline.

You can change your reference by going back into the scholarship application, providing that person’s name and email address, and then saving and resubmitting your application. Please note that you will only be able to make changes to your application before the stated deadline.

In the donor scholarship application, you will provide the name and email address of someone who can provide a recommendation. That person will receive an automated email from IAScholarships@wpunj.edu with a link to the form that they will need to complete. Make sure that you ask that person before you list them in your donor scholarship application as a reference.

All application materials must be submitted online through the donor scholarship portal. If your reference needs assistance with submitting the recommendation, they can contact the Office of Donor Scholarships at IAScholarships@wpunj.edu or 973.720.2934.

Log into the donor scholarship portal and check the email address that you provided for your reference.  You can find that information under “References.” Often, references do not receive the email notification because the email address provided was incorrect or contained typos. In order to correct the email address for your reference, you must go into the general application, provide the correct name and email address, and then save and resubmit the application. Once you have done that, your reference will then receive the email with the link to the recommendation form. Please note that you will only be able to make changes/corrections to your application before the stated deadline.

If the email address is correct, you can click on “Resend Request” to send another email to your reference. Also, please ask your reference to check their junk/spam email folder.

Information and instructions for references can be found here. If your reference needs further assistance, they can contact the Office of Donor Scholarships at IAScholarships@wpunj.edu or 973.720.2934.

Log into the donor scholarship portal and check the email address that you provided for your reference. You can find that information under “References.” Often, references do not receive the email notification because the email address provided was incorrect or contained typos. In order to correct the email address for your reference, you must go into the general application, provide the correct name and email address, and then save and resubmit the application. Once you have done that, your reference will then receive the email with the link to the recommendation form. Please note that you will only be able to make changes/corrections to your application before the stated deadline.

If the email address is correct, you can click on “Resend Request” to send another email to your reference. Also, please ask your reference to check their junk/spam email folder.

You will be able to see if your reference submitted the recommendation in the donor scholarship portal.  You can find that information under “References.”

Often, references do not receive the email notification because the email address provided was incorrect or contained typos. If you need to correct the email address for your reference, you must go into the general application, provide the correct name and email address, and then save and resubmit the application. Once you have done that, your reference will then receive the email with the link to the recommendation form. Please note that you will only be able to make changes/corrections to your application before the stated deadline.

If the email address is correct, you can click on “Resend Request” to send another email to your reference. Also, please ask your reference to check their junk/spam email folder.

Donor scholarships are scholarships that are supported by people who make donations to the University. On the donor scholarship portal, you can read the criteria of the various donor scholarships that are offered to learn more about the donors who support those scholarships. These scholarships are administered by the Office of Donor Scholarships in the Division of Institutional Advancement.

Donor scholarships are scholarships that are supported by people who make donations to the University. These scholarships are administered by the Office of Donor Scholarships in the Division of Institutional Advancement.

The Trustee/Presidential/NJ Stars Scholarships are administered by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. More information about these scholarships can be found here.