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Intercultural Leadership Ambassador Scholarship (ILA)

The Intercultural Leadership Ambassador Scholarship program includes a scholarship for four consecutive years of undergraduate study in addition to a co-curricular program which seeks to provide mentorship and academic support while furthering the holistic and leadership growth of recipients throughout their time at RWU.

Each year, RWU recognizes, rewards and celebrates a diverse group of students who have demonstrated academic achievement, leadership and positive contributions to their communities through the selective Intercultural Leadership Ambassador Scholarship (ILA) program.

Benefits & Components

Two ILA students

  1. Renewable scholarship valued at 95% of tuition
  2. Mentoring by faculty, staff, and upper-class ILA students
  3. Academic advising and workshops
  4. Professional and career development opportunities
  5. Cohort and group team building

Read what students have to say about the program

 

Eligibility & Requirements

group picture of students in the lobby of an escape room center

To qualify for ILA, students must achieve all 4 of the following criteria in addition to being admitted to the University:

  1. Show academic proficiency, achieving a minimum of a 2.8 GPA
  2. Be eligible for need-based financial aid & qualify for the Pell Grant or show significant financial need
    DACA students should contact the Office of Admission for more information
  3. Demonstrate leadership in their high school or local community or show leadership potential
  4. AND one of the following: Be a first generation college student; speak a first language other than English or live in a home where English is not the primary language; live or attend high school in an under-resourced community; or live in a geographically underrepresented community.

Learn about Pell eligibility

Notification Timeline

Notification date: By April 1

Selection Date:1st week of March

Please note that admissions decisions and initial financial aid awards will be sent out before scholarship decisions are made. In the event that a student is selected for the program, a new financial aid award will be generated and will replace the initial award that was given to the student.

Award renewal is contingent upon achieving a 2.8 GPA or demonstrating satisfactory progress towards it, and persistence in the program.

For more information about the ILA Program, contact diversity@g.rwu.edu 

For more information about the application process and timeline, contact the Office of Admissions at admit@rwu.edu. 

1. Does ILA cover full tuition and board?

  • No, only 95% of tuition and it does not include room and board

2. Can ILA students study abroad?

  • Yes, it has to be a RWU study abroad program during the fall or spring semester. Short term abroad experiences do not count.

3. The ILA scholarship has a 2-year “live on” requirement, BUT what if I want to commute?

  • You will lose the ILA scholarship if you decide to commute in the first two years at RWU which means you will go back to your non-ILA financial aid package.

4. Does the ILA Scholarship include winter and summer sessions? Does it cover summer and winter classes?

  • No, the ILA scholarship only covers Fall and Spring tuition.

5. What if I don’t graduate in 4 years and I have to do a 5th year or 9th semester? Does the ILA scholarship cover my tuition beyond my expected graduation date?

  • No, the ILA scholarship only covers 8 fall and spring semesters. If you have to do an extra year or semester, the ILA scholarship will not carry over.

6. What if I need a medical leave of absence (or any kind of absence) during one of my semesters at RWU?

  • The ILA scholarship covers 8 full semesters but it does not have to be continuous. If you leave one semester that will not count in the 8 semester count. Your leave will act as a pause in your “8-semester” timeline.