INFORMATION FOR
Phase II
MaCS II Scholar Selection Criteria
Area of Consideration
Criterion Measure
Citizen/Residency Status
All applicants must be US citizens, nationals, legal permanent residents, or refugee aliens.
Declaration of Major
All applicants must declare a major in one of the four S-STEM degree programs.
Full-Time Status
All applicants must be enrolled as full-time degree-track students.
Financial Need
All applicants must demonstrate a high level of financial need, determined by the WPU Financial Aid Office and defined by the FAFSA.
High School/Undergraduate Academic Performance
Preference will be given to applicants who have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA. For those applicants whose GPA is 2.75-3.0 factors such as successful completion of AP STEM courses, dual enrollment classes, and participation in extracurricular and co-curricular STEM-related activities will also be considered.
Letters of Recommendation
Applicants may optionally submit two letters of recommendation, including one from a STEM teacher/professor.
Essay or Video
Applicants may optionally submit a short essay or video in which they introduce themselves and discuss their personal and career goals and interests.
MaCS II Scholarship Retention Criteria
Academic Performance
MaCS II Undergrad Scholars maintain cumulative and major GPAs of at least 2.75.
Academic Progress
MaCS II Undergrad Scholars remain on track to graduate in four years.
Participation
Scholars demonstrate continued interest in STEM careers or graduate programs and are active members of the S-STEM cohort, as determined by participation in S-STEM activities.
Phase I
High School Student Selection Criteria
All applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, legal permanent residents, or refugee aliens.
Recipients must be PELL-eligible (as determined by the FAFSA application). Selected candidates will receive scholarship funding towards cost of attendance (up to $10,000 per year for up to four years).
High School Academic Performance
Applicants must have a minimum cumulative 2.75 GPA. Completion of AP STEM courses and participation in extracurricular and co-curricular STEM-related activities will also be considered.
Applicants must submit two letters of recommendation, including one from a STEM teacher/professor.
Essay or Video Submission
Applicants must submit a short essay or video submission in which they introduce themselves and discuss their personal and career goals and interests.
Interview
The selection committee will interview all final applicants—in-person interviews with applicants who live within 50 miles of campus and web-based interviews with those who live outside the local area.
The selection criteria for transfer students into the MaCS program will be identical to the selection criteria for first year students with the addition of a measure of college academic performance (bold faced and underlined in table below).
Transfer Student Selection Criteria
Transfer Student Academic Performance
Transfer applicants must have a minimum cumulative 2.75 college GPA. Completion of and performance in any college-level STEM courses will be considered.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under NSF Phase I Grant #2028011 (2020-2026) and Phase II Grant #2527737 (2026-2032).
