Scholarships for Continuing Students
Each year Wake Forest recognizes a number of continuing students with a merit-based scholarship. The Scholars Office oversees the awarding of the Stamps and Mullen Carswell Scholarships.
Stamps Scholarship for Continuing Students
Beginning this year, the Committee on Scholarships and Student Aid in collaboration with the Stamps Scholars Program, will nominate a limited number of current Wake Forest students to become Stamps Scholars based on their intellectual potential and engagement, particularly through leadership activities and demonstrated community engagement. Students who are selected for the Stamps Scholarship for Continuing Students will be required to participate in an additional interview (beyond the WFU on-campus interview) with the Stamps Foundation Interview team. Applicants must have completed at least one year of coursework at Wake Forest. Applications will open in early May.
Once awarded, Stamps Walk-On Scholars:
- Are eligible to apply for up to $5,000 in merit grant funding to support research of educational value each summer prior to graduation.
- Receive funding for the full standard cost of attendance starting in the spring semester.
- May be renewed through the fourth year of undergraduate study.
- Join a larger Stamps network of approximately 1,000 current undergraduate scholars around the world.
Mullen Carswell Scholarship for Continuing Students
The Committee on Scholarships and Student Aid annually recognizes up to ten students as Thomas E. and Ruth Mullen Scholars as part of the Carswell Scholarship Program for continuing students. Applicants must have completed at least one year of coursework at Wake Forest. Applications will open in early May.
Once awarded, Mullen/Carswell Scholars:
- Are eligible to apply for up to $5,000 in merit grant funding to support research of educational value each summer prior to graduation.
- Receive up to a $1,500 scholarship per academic year (dependent on the student’s existing financial aid package)
- May be renewed through the fourth year of undergraduate study.
What the Committee Looks For
The Committee on Scholarships and Student Aid seeks students who have demonstrated excellence in at least one of the following areas:
- Intellectual promise
- Leadership potential
- Contributions to their community
You do not need to possess excellence in all three of these areas. Each student is unique in their strength and interests.
Ready to Apply?
Applications will open in early May.
Deadline: October 1, 2025 at 11:59 pm ET
All continuing students will be considered for both scholarship awards at the time of application.
Required Application Materials
Students who submit the online application will be considered for both the Stamps Walk-On Scholarship and the Mullen Carswell Scholarship. Applications will open in early May.
- Current Resume
- Personal Statement Essay (up to 3,000 characters)
- Short Answer Questions – Select 2 of the 3 questions (up to 1,500 characters each)
- 2 Letters of Recommendation – At least one must be from a faculty member; recommenders will automatically be sent an email to submit their letters which are due by October 3.
- Current unofficial Wake Forest University Transcript. Transcripts can be either ordered through the Office of the University Registrar or accessed through Workday and saved as a PDF. Need help with converting a web page to a PDF? Follow these steps from Adobe.
Steps in the Process
- Submit the online application by the October 1, 2025 deadline. Applications will open in early May.
- Finalists will be selected for on-campus interviews with the Committee on Scholarships and Student Aid that will take place in early- to mid-November. Students who are studying abroad will be able to do their interviews over Zoom.
- Finalists will be notified around the end of November.
- Students nominated for the Stamps Walk-On Scholarship will have an additional interview with the Stamps Foundation interview team in December. If you are selected for a Stamps Scholarship interview, your application will be shared with their interview team.
Application Guidance
The best applications are submitted by students who start early and build in time for reflection and review. We hope the guidance below will help you submit strong applications. View a sample application.
What do we want?
Be sure to include activities, research, clubs, service, and organizations you have been involved with on- and off-campus. Use numbers where you can to emphasize what you’ve done (i.e. “tutored two times a month” or “an event that had X number of attendees”).
Please keep it to 2 pages max. Your resume can be uploaded as a PDF or Word document.
Why do we ask for this?
Your resume gives us a comprehensive view of your time on campus and a snapshot of what you’ve been involved in and accomplished. You are also encouraged to include an optional “Bonus Section” on your resume in which you can list a unique category or achievements that wouldn’t usually go on a resume.
The optional “Bonus Section” is a great way to highlight something you are proud of that you have accomplished or can help highlight something that is unique and doesn’t necessarily fit under another category. It is a way to showcase something to the Committee that you are proud of or that helps show who you are. We know this is weird and new, but try it out!
Some Ideas to Get You Started (be sure to come up with your own!)
- My Favorite Waterfalls in North Carolina
- Hanging Rock State Park’s Lower Cascade Falls
- Widows Creek Falls at Hanging Rock State Park
- Linville Falls at Linville Gorge in the Blue Ridge Mountains
- Significant Board Game Triumphs
- Spelling the word “quixotry” in Scrabble to win a game
- Reigning chess champ of the Nelson family
- Amateur Expert in… [your expertise here!]
- Maybe you know a lot about a town in Costa Rica, or
- Maybe you are an amateur entomologist
- Maybe you are a birder and have spotted 30+ birds, or
- Something completely different!
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What do we want?
You have up to 3,000 characters to tell us about yourself using the following questions to guide you:
What is the most important lesson you have learned during your time at Wake Forest? This insight could come from your coursework, extracurricular activities, or something else. We want to understand how this lesson taught you to think in new ways and how it has shaped your intellectual journey so far. Also, tell us how you will carry it forward—both in your remaining time at Wake Forest and beyond.
Why do we ask for this?
The Personal Statement Essay helps the Committee on Scholarship and Student Aid to get to know you and what makes you unique. Be authentic and share something that you were excited about learning. Don’t overthink this or write what you think the Committee wants to read.
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What do we want?
In this section, you will select 2 of the 3 questions listed below. You have up to 1,500 characters to answer your selected questions.
Why are we asking you to answer additional short answer questions?
This is another opportunity for us to get to know more about you, your time as a member of the Wake Forest community, and how you think. Your responses to your selected questions should be different than your response to the Personal Statement Essay and should not rehash your resume.
Short Answer Questions
- Tell us about a piece of art or culture that you encountered during your undergraduate career that made a significant impact on you. This could be a book, movie, piece of music, poem, painting, sculpture, or something else. Whether you discovered it in class or on your own, explain why it resonated with you and how it has influenced your perspective, studies, or future goals
- Describe an accomplishment from your time in college that you are proud of. This can be something big or small—what matters most is why it’s meaningful to you. If it relates to something on your resume, don’t just summarize what you did; instead, focus on the deeper impact it had on you and your development (whether that’s intellectual or personal development is up to you!).
- Reflect on a situation, experience, or assignment from your time at Wake Forest that you would approach differently if you encountered it now. Why does this moment stand out to you? What have you learned since then that would change your approach, and how does this growth shape your academic and future pursuits?
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What do we want?
You are required to provide contact information for two individuals who will provide a letter of recommendation. At least one letter must come from a faculty member; the second may come from anyone else who can speak to your outstanding qualifications who is not a friend or family member. They may be a staff member or advisor for a club/organization you’re a part of; a supervisor or mentor where you intern or volunteer; a postdoc at the lab you perform research in; or an additional faculty member.
Why do we ask for this?
Letters of recommendation provide the Committee with insights into what you are like as a student and person and helps put the rest of your application in context.
Helpful Hints
- The best letters of recommendation are from individuals who know you well and can speak to your abilities as a scholar or as a member of a community. Choose someone with whom you have a good relationship rather than a fancy title.
- Ask early! Four weeks’ notice is a good rule of thumb, but the earlier the better! Don’t forget to provide them with a copy of your resume.
- Letters of Recommendation will be uploaded directly to your application. Your recommenders will receive an email with a unique link to submit their letter.
You can send this request in two ways:- Automatically upon submitting your application
- Manually by clicking “Send Reference Letter Request” in a saved draft application
You will have the option to receive email notifications when a letter is submitted and to set reminders for your recommenders—we strongly encourage you to use both features.
- Follow up! Let your recommenders know once you submit your application or sent the request to ensure they received the email inviting them to submit their letter on your behalf (sometimes the emails get caught in their Spam folders!). Letters of Recommendation are due by October 3, 11:59pm ET.
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