Scholarships:  Transforming Lives through a Tradition of Private Support

The deadline for Scholarship Applications for 2013-14 Academic year has passed. Please check back Fall 2013 for more information. ​

For over a century, Northern Michigan University has dedicated itself to providing the widest possible access to uncompromising excellence in education and student enrichment. As a result, NMU graduates have gone on to become leaders in the arts, the sciences, business and industry and to demonstrate a commitment to civic and global engagement and to the health and welfare of their neighbors and the world.

A key to this success has been the growing private support provided to students through scholarships.

The critical role of scholarships in sustaining this legacy of access, service and achievement has never been more important. Consider:

Nearly 80% of students at Northern rely on some form of financial aid;

Three-quarters of Northern undergraduates enrolled in six or more on-campus semester hours work an average of 20 hours a week while attending school;

In 2010, the average student debt level in Michigan was over $18,000.

And scholarships accomplish even more than providing significant financial aid. They also:

• Expand access to higher education and build on the university’s commitment to affordability and recognition of leadership and scholarship;

• Attract the best and the brightest students to NMU;

• Provide donors with opportunities to support specific programs and areas of study and to honor friends, mentors and loved ones who have had an impact on their lives and careers;

• Furnish our students with donors who are models of leadership, generosity and profound dedication to the transforming power of higher education;

• Create an environment where the student’s main focus is on the pursuit of academic excellence and commitment to service;

• Free up university resources to address critical institutional needs and goals that benefit the students, faculty and community;

• Allow the career choices of graduates to be driven by expertise, not by burdensome debt.

Whether they are providing opportunities for students to research the molecular profile of cancer, develop new business models or bring the gift of reading to impoverished communities, scholarships are stepping stones to a safer, healthier, more prosperous life – not only for our graduates, but for us all.

The NMU Foundation offers donors several options for contributing to the funding of scholarships.

You can choose to give a gift to an existing scholarship or decide to establish a new annual or endowed scholarship. Please click on the links on the left to learn more about donor options.

If you are a student who is interested in learning more about privately funded scholarships that are available through the NMU Foundation, please log in to MyNMU and find the Financial Aid - Foundation Scholarships link on the left hand side under Student Services.