Wisconsin Regents Opportunity Scholarship for Incoming First-Year Students

The Wisconsin Regents Opportunity Scholarship is intended to recognize underrepresented and underserved students who have overcome adversity, demonstrated financial need, and possess records of merit that include strong academic performance, significant personal achievements, and service to their communities. The scholarship is awarded through the President’s Office to students who have been admitted to or are currently attending a university in the UW System.

The overall objective of establishing the Wisconsin Regents Scholarship is to provide financial support for deserving students at key points in their educational journeys, as they are being recruited, persisting, or nearing completion of their baccalaureate degrees. Among the important outcomes of this scholarship program will be an increase in the number of underrepresented and underserved students who enroll, persist, and graduate from our UW System universities. This scholarship is open to:

• New incoming students who have been accepted to UWM and will be enrolled as an undergraduate seeking a bachelor’s degree and show the potential to be productive and contributing members of the university community.

Awards ranging from a minimum of $2,500 to a maximum of $10,000 will be made to undergraduate degree-seeking students in recognition of their academic promise, academic progress, or their ability to complete their degrees in a timely manner. Award recipients will be publicly recognized at a fall meeting of the Board of Regents at UW-Madison.

Eligibility Criteria:

• A Wisconsin resident
• Inclusion in an underserved or underrepresented community including African American, Latinx, Native American/American Indian, Southeast Asian, or low-income populations
• Demonstrated financial need (filed a FAFSA for the upcoming academic year)
• Strong academic performance with a minimum 2.75 cumulative grade point average
• Students will need to be enrolled as full-time equivalent undergraduates in any major field and remain full-time equivalent students during the academic year
• Significant personal achievements
• A demonstrated record of service to home or university communities
• Evidence of their ability to overcome adversity