The Western Washington University scholarship portal closes to student applications on April 27. The portal awards over $5 million to students after each annual cycle.
The scholarship portal is a centralized application process that allows students to fill out a single annual form that matches them to any scholarship they are eligible for. By providing information like their demographic background, academic achievements and essays, students can be automatically considered for hundreds of scholarship opportunities based on merit, financial need, majors and other factors.
“Prior to the implementation of the portal, students often missed scholarship applications and deadlines due to the decentralized process across campus. With a centralized application, students who submit an application will be considered for all scholarships they qualify for,” said Dina Murphy, Western’s assistant director of financial aid.
This is only Western’s second year implementing the centralized application, but the Scholarship Center hopes the new streamlined process will create a more equitable selection process that encourages more students to access the financial aid available to them.
“Having one portal was helpful because then you didn’t have to think about which scholarships you were actually eligible for, you just kind of, like, threw your name into the hat,” said Tara Duong, a first-year teaching graduate student at Western Washington University, who won two scholarships in the 2025-26 application cycle.
While pursuing her bachelor’s degree in English at Western, Duong won the $750 Ethel Grady Church scholarship and the $4,250 Washington Education Association Promise scholarship by completing the portal application last spring. Although Duong receives financial support from their parents, they still believe filling out the application was worth it.
“Everything that I do that helps my parents feels worth it to me. I think building generational wealth is really important, especially as a person of color in America,” Duong said. All current Western students are encouraged to turn in scholarship applications, regardless of their situations, according to Murphy. If they don’t, they may miss out on extra financial support they are eligible for.
According to the Scholarship Center, a strong application may take up to four hours of work. Students can find support for the application process by attending the drop-in sessions hosted by the Scholarship Center in Haggard Hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“I went to the Woodring application workshops. They were really helpful. It’s really hard to apply for scholarships because sometimes it feels like you don’t deserve it,” said Duong. “Thinking so much about yourself is kind of uncomfortable. So it’s nice to go to a dedicated place where, like, everyone’s doing that so you can talk to each other and, like, figure out what you’re actually gonna write about.”
Many universities across the country have been adopting their own centralized application systems over time. Eastern Washington University, for example, has always used a single application to distribute financial aid to its students, according to Eastern’s University Relations senior writer Melodie Little.
“We simply added software, which WWU recently implemented, to help facilitate our work,” said Little. Eastern’s system distributes over $9.7 million to 1,500 students annually through one portal application. Western’s system, while newer, is already reaching similar levels of student outreach.
“In 2025-2026, we had almost 2,500 student applications and continue to enhance the student experience,” said Murphy. “The new portal not only provides a centralized application, making it easier for students at WWU to apply for all scholarships, it will help monitor application submissions over the coming years.”
Awarding is typically done in late spring or early summer, and students can expect to hear back through their Western email address.
Atlanta Moss (she/her) is a city news reporter for The Front this spring. She transferred to Western this year and is excited to jump in as a third-year news/editorial journalism major. She can usually be found at the movies, the bowling alley or the Viking Union cafe. You can reach her at atlantamoss.thefront@gmail.com.
