WSC offers a variety of scholarships and grants to our students that are awarded on the basis of several factors including financial need, previous academic performance, denominational affiliation, and ministry interests. All available resources will be used to determine eligibility, including the student’s initial admissions file and references, the student’s current records, faculty and staff consultation (when appropriate), and the information provided on the WSC Application for Financial Aid. Additional criteria for individual scholarships and grants are listed in the Academic Catalogue.
This need-based grant is awarded on an annual basis and applied equally each semester towards tuition. If the student’s financial situation changes during the year (up or down), a recalculation of the grant may be done. Provisional awards are made on a rolling basis after the FAFSA and WSC Application for Financial Aid are received.
Applications submitted by June 1 for new students (March 15 for continuing students) will receive full consideration. For those students who are beginning their studies in the winter or spring, we recommend that all applications be submitted by December 1. Continuing students must apply each year to be considered for this grant.
Forms Required:
The Haan Family Scholarship Fund was established through the generosity of Richard Haan and his family to promote the furtherance of the gospel through the preparation of men for pastoral ministry at Westminster Seminary California. This fund shall be used by the Westminster Seminary California Financial Aid Committee to provide scholarships to WSC students each year. Recipients will be full-time students in the Master of Divinity (MDiv) program who have demonstrated financial need, evidence of previous academic achievement, and potential for future leadership within the church. The scholarship is renewable for up to four years in the M.Div. program provided the recipient continues to make satisfactory academic progress, demonstrates financial need, and maintains a clear vocational calling to the gospel ministry.
This fund will provide a credit at the Westminster Seminary California Bookstore that may be used to purchase necessary textbooks, Bible software, and supplies. Recipients will be selected based on the FAFSA and WSC Application for Financial Aid. The Psalm 113:3 Fund is given to students with financial need who are studying to preach the gospel.
As a former trustee (Herbert) and longtime friends of Westminster Seminary California (WSC), Herbert and Bernace Korthuis, with their love for the Reformed tradition, have established this scholarship to encourage students to attend WSC. The scholarship(s) will be awarded to students who desire to teach and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and who demonstrate a financial need to attend the seminary.
Recipients are chosen each year by the WSC Financial Aid Committee and must be Master of Divinity (MDiv) students with financial need who maintain a 3.0 GPA and plan to be ordained after graduation.
Alexander and Janet Ramig established this scholarship fund to express their love and appreciation for the teaching of Westminster Seminary California. Their intent is to “honor the Lord” by giving through their God-given resources to help students in need of support for studies in pastoral ministry.
Recipients are chosen each year by the WSC Financial Aid Committee and must be full-time Master of Divinity (MDiv) students with financial need who plan to be ordained after graduation.
The Veterans Assistance Fund has been created to provide additional support for United States Veterans who are receiving educational benefits. This program provides additional assistance to cover a portion of the student’s cost of attendance that is not already covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill® (GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site). Please note: Because the seminary’s tuition & fees are below the state funding level, WSC students are not eligible to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program. This fund is designed in part to help fill that gap.
To be eligible, students must be concurrently receiving VA benefits and enrolled full-time in a degree program. A FAFSA and the WSC Financial Aid Application must be submitted each year indicating veteran benefits that will be received in the next academic year.
Spouses of full-time students, who have also been admitted to a degree program at WSC, may take courses for credit at 50% of the standard tuition fee. If both students are full-time, the spouse taking the lesser number of credit hours will receive the discount. Full-time students enrolled in 12 or more credit hours per semester and their spouses may audit courses without charge.
The Im Family Grant is awarded to one M.Div. student each year who is married and has children. The $1,000 grant is designed to encourage students in need by helping them with seminary costs.
The Light & Life Scholarship’s purpose is to provide funds for the education of future pastors for Christian churches and to provide theological education for others who will serve in the Christian community and the larger society.
The Presidential Merit Scholarship is awarded to students based upon prior academic performance and the potential for future leadership in both ordained and non-ordained vocations. This scholarship is renewable on an annual basis for students enrolled in a minimum of 12 units per semester who maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA.
Established in honor of William Joseph Watson and Sic Way Wong, the Watson-Wong Scholarship Fund provides scholarships to full-time Master of Divinity Students (M.Div.) at Westminster Seminary California who are committed to a career as a pastor or missionary, with preference given to those who intend to serve within the United States.
Established in honor of Peter H. & Myung S. Kim, the purpose of the scholarship is to serve as a testimony in the lives of the Kim’s through the provision of financial assistance to WSC students so they too will testify to God’s care throughout their seminary education. The scholarship will be awarded to one full-time student in the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program with preference given to a student whose father is or has been a pastor.
In Commemoration of the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in 1517, the Reformed Anniversary Scholarship is presented to one student enrolled in the Master of Arts in Historical Theology program who has a stated interest in original academic work in Reformation or Post-Reformation Studies. The scholarship will be awarded by the WSC Financial Aid Committee upon interview/recommendation of the Historical Theology faculty.
This award was funded by Mrs. Johanna Awes to serve as a testimony of God’s faithfulness to her and her husband.
The grants are awarded on the basis of the following criteria, but not limited to:
This fund was established through the generous gift of Marjorie McGill who desired to aid the furtherance of the gospel. Her desire was that the name of our exalted Lord be glorified in the lives of those who are trained to travel to the ends of the earth bringing the Word of life to a lost and dying world. This fund shall be used to make grants to students studying for the gospel ministry.
The recipient of this grant will be a full-time student who has completed the first year of studies, continues to make satisfactory academic progress, has a clear vocational calling to the gospel ministry, and demonstrates financial need.
The Minnie Gresham Machen Scholarship was established to encourage and enable talented women to take advantage of advanced theological education at Westminster Seminary California in order to equip them to answer God’s calling in the home, the academy, and the church.
The scholarship is named to honor the memory and legacy of Minnie Gresham Machen, a woman who was valiant for the truth of the Reformed faith throughout her life. She profoundly influenced her son, J. Gresham Machen, during his formative training with the richness of Scripture and the confessional tradition of the Reformed faith.
The Minnie Gresham Machen Scholarship will provide tuition aid for up to three years of study to one or more recipient each year who meets the following criteria:
Admitted students desiring to apply for the scholarship must submit a 250-500 word essay on why they wish to study at Westminster Seminary California, and how they plan to use their theological and biblical education after graduation. Applications should be addressed to the Minnie Gresham Machen Scholarship Committee and should be submitted by April 1 to receive full consideration.
The CF/WSC Scholarship is a full tuition and fees scholarship that can be awarded to returning full-time students who show leadership promise as a pastor, missionary or teacher. It is intended for students who come from underrepresented groups in confessional Reformed and Presbyterian churches that are part of NAPARC or an equivalent denomination overseas.
A candidate should have above average grades, a Godly character and intend to be ordained in a confessional Reformed/Presbyterian denomination. The ecclesiastical reference submitted for admission may be used for consideration.
The Reformed International Missions Scholarship is designed to provide tuition assistance for
This matching Grant brings congregations and the Seminary together to support students during their first full year at WSC.
The number of grants from this fund is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Seminary will match the contribution of a congregation up to a maximum of $1,000 per student. (Although WSC will match the contribution up to $1,000, the church’s contribution may exceed this amount.) This grant is not based on financial need.
These grants for first-year students were established by friends of the Seminary to encourage students from Reformed and Presbyterian churches to attend WSC.
The African American or Hispanic American Leadership Scholarship is a full-tuition scholarship awarded to one first-year Master of Divinity (MDiv) student at Westminster Seminary California who has experience in and/or an expressed desire to minister in an African or Hispanic American or another multiethnic or urban context. Though not required, priority consideration will be given to applicants who are members (or intend to become members) of a Presbyterian or Reformed (NAPARC) denomination.
The Reformed Campus Ministry scholarship will be awarded to a full-time master’s (MA or MDiv) student with an interest in pursuing campus ministry. Preference will be given to applicants with Reformed University Fellowship intern experience or the recommendation of an RUF Campus Minister.
The New Life Fullerton Great Commission Scholarship Fund provides scholarships to full-time students in the Master of Divinity (MDiv) program with a stated interest in a career as a missionary. Preference will be given to candidates in their final two years of study interested in serving as a missionary affiliated with the PCA’s Mission to the World (MTW).
The Elijah and Elizabeth Owens Scholarship Fund was established in honor of the ministry of Pastor Elijah Owens who served for more than thirty-six years as a chaplain in the California State Prison system. Chaplain Owens’ ministry through both the spoken as well as the written word has influenced the lives of many inmates to come to a knowledge of the doctrines of God’s sovereign grace.
The purpose of this Scholarship Fund is to provide assistance to students entering the Gospel ministry who are not able to cover all of their expenses while attending Westminster Seminary California with preference given to students interested in the chaplaincy.
Students meeting the qualifications may make a formal request to the Westminster Seminary California Financial Aid Committee. In addition to the regular student aid application form, the student must submit a written statement of no more than three pages in length describing goals and plans for ministry. Applications should be received by April 1 of each year for full consideration.
This scholarship was instituted in honor of the ministry of Rev. Walter Swets, who served as pastor of Christ Reformed Church from 1959 until his retirement in 1997.
The recipient of this scholarship will be:
In a year where there is no Hispanic student meeting the above criteria, the scholarship may be awarded to another student who has interest in pursuing Hispanic ministry, either as a missionary, pastor of a congregation, or serving a congregation that is seeking to reach out to Hispanics. The award will be reviewed annually and can be renewed. The application consists of a letter (no more than two pages, typed) describing the applicant’s spiritual background, demonstrated financial need, and goals and plans for ministry.
By providing financial assistance for promising Hispanic students from churches associated with the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC) and other Presbyterian and Reformed churches abroad, this scholarship is instituted to encourage leadership development among Hispanic communities traditionally under-represented among Reformed churches.
The scholarship will be awarded annually to one student by the WSC Financial Aid Committee. Candidates must have demonstrated financial need, evidence of previous academic achievement, and potential for future leadership within the church. Preference will be given to first-year students and the scholarship is renewable for students who are continually enrolled at WSC and maintain a 3.0 GPA. Priority consideration will be given to students who have a stated intention to minister in Hispanic communities in the United States or abroad upon graduation, and a preference will be given to students who are able to secure matching funds through their local churches (evidenced by a written commitment from their church to contribute to their education if the applicant is awarded the scholarship).
The family of Mrs. You Kye-Soon instituted this scholarship as a memorial of her life of faith in her savior Jesus Christ and of her concern to make the Gospel known. Its purpose is to provide an annual scholarship for a deserving full-time student in the Master of Divinity program. The award can be renewed.
Each year, grants from the International Student Financial Aid Fund are available to international students who are committed to ministry in their own country after studying at Westminster. Students receiving these grants must pursue full-time studies in one of WSC’s degree programs. Because these grants never exceed the amount of tuition, the student’s living expenses must be supplied from other sources.
Only students admitted to a WSC degree program will be considered and applicants are encouraged to submit the WSC International Student Application for Financial Aid no later than May 1 for full consideration.
Recipients must sign an agreement to return to their country of origin after graduation to be eligible for the International Student Grant.
The Bielema Foreign Student Tuition Grant was instituted by Mrs. Doris Bergsma and Mrs. Sandra Kolk in memory of their parents, Martin and Alice. It serves as a memorial to the Bielema’s lives in service to our risen Lord and love for foreign missions.
Recipients of this award shall be non-American or Canadian students who have demonstrated financial need. Priority will be given to those students who sign a pledge stating they shall return to their native country to apply their WSC education.
The Trinity URC Scholarship is awarded annually to one or more international students at Westminster Seminary California who intend to return to their country of origin to strengthen the ministry of their home churches.
Recipients of this award will be non-American/Canadian students who have demonstrated financial need and who are selected by the WSC Financial Aid Committee. Students who have received this award and have maintained a 2.5 grade point average may reapply to the Financial Aid Committee in successive years until they graduate. Renewals are made at the discretion of the Committee based upon its knowledge of a student’s financial situation, fitness for ministry, or change in ministry goals.
Applications for the scholarship should be made to the Financial Aid Committee by May 1 in order to receive full consideration. The application is in the form of a one-page essay describing the applicant’s previous educational and church experience and future ministry goals in their home country.
• WSC International Student Application for Financial Aid • One page essay as described above
This scholarship is funded annually by the family of the Reverend Yune-Sun Park as a memorial to Rev. Park’s prayers and constant support for Westminster Seminary California. Preference is given to students (non-American or Canadian) preparing for service in their home country upon graduation.
The Samuel and Anne Van Til Student Scholarship Prize has been instituted by the children of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Van Til to honor their parents’ love for the Reformed faith and its witness to the world through Westminster Seminary California. The fund was established in 1994 through an estate bequest of Mr. and Mrs. Van Til.
The prize is used to encourage exemplary Reformed scholarship. One prize is awarded each year for the best major paper (15-20 pages) submitted in each of the Seminary’s departments: Biblical Studies, Theological Studies, and Practical Theology. The faculty, through a process coordinated by the Academic Dean, selects the recipients.
This was established in 1980 in memory of the Rev. Arthur Forest Wells, a Presbyterian minister in St. Louis and Baltimore. Each year a graduate receives this awarded for the purchase of books for his professional theological library.
To qualify, you must:
