Scholarships for Continuing Students
Each year, Wake Forest University awards merit-based scholarships to current students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement. The Wake Forest Scholars Office manages two of these opportunities: the Stamps Scholarship and the Mullen Carswell Scholarship.
Start your application today!
Applications will open in early May.
Deadline: October 1, 2025 at 5:00 pm ET
Your application automatically puts you in consideration for both the Stamps and Mullen Carswell Scholarships.
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Stamps Scholarship for Continuing Students
The Stamps Scholarship is a prestigious award that recognizes exceptional Wake Forest students who demonstrate outstanding intellectual potential, leadership, and community engagement.
Eligibility & Selection
- Applicants must have completed at least one year of coursework at Wake Forest.
- The Committee on Scholarships and Student Aid, in collaboration with the Stamps Scholars Program, will nominate a limited number of current students.
- Selected candidates must participate in two interviews: one on-campus at WFU and another with the Stamps Foundation interview team.
Benefits for Stamps Scholars
- Full standard cost of attendance funding starting in the spring semester
- Eligibility for up to $5,000 in merit grant funding each summer to support valuable educational research
- Renewable through the fourth year of undergraduate study
- Membership in a global network of approximately 1,000 Stamps Scholars
Mullen Carswell Scholarship for Continuing Students
The Committee on Scholarships and Student Aid annually selects up to ten outstanding students as Thomas E. and Ruth Mullen Scholars through the Carswell Scholarship Program.
Eligibility & Selection
- Applicants must have completed at least one year of coursework at Wake Forest.
- Up to ten students are selected each year.
Benefits for Mullen/Carswell Scholars
- Up to $1,500 scholarship per academic year (dependent on your existing financial aid package)
- Eligibility for up to $5,000 in merit grant funding each summer to support valuable educational research
- Renewable through the fourth year of undergraduate study
What the Committee Looks For
When evaluating applications, the Committee on Scholarships and Student Aid seeks students who have demonstrated excellence in at least one of the following areas:
- Intellectual promise – Academic achievements, research involvement, creative projects
- Leadership potential – Campus roles, initiative in organizations, innovative problem-solving
- Contributions to their community – Service activities, volunteer work, positive campus impact
You do not need to excel in all three areas. The Committee values students with distinctive strengths and diverse interests, and recognizes that excellence takes many forms.
Required Application Materials
Applications will open in early May. All applicants will be considered for both the Stamps Scholarship and the Mullen Carswell Scholarship.
Required Documents:
- Current Resume
- Personal Statement Essay
- Maximum 3,000 characters
- Short Answer Questions
- Select 2 of the 3 questions provided
- Maximum 1,500 characters each
- 2 Letters of Recommendation
- At least one must be from a Wake Forest faculty member
- Recommenders will receive automatic email instructions
- Deadline: October 3 at 5:00:00 pm ET
- Current Unofficial Wake Forest Transcript
- Option 1: Order through the University Registrar
- Option 2: Access through Workday and save as a PDF
Steps in the Process
- Submit online application by October 1, 2025
- Notifications: Late October
- All students will be informed whether or not they are invited to interview
- Interview stage: Early-mid November 2025
- Selected finalists will interview with the Committee on Scholarships and Student Aid
- Students studying abroad can complete interviews via Zoom
- Notification of results: Late November 2025
- All finalists will be notified of decisions
- Stamps Scholarship additional interview: December 2025
- Students nominated for the Stamps Scholarship will interview with the Stamps Foundation team
- Your application materials will be shared with their interview committee if selected
Application Guidance
Strong applications demonstrate thoughtful reflection and attention to detail. For your best chance at success:
- Start early – Begin gathering materials as soon as applications open in May
- Be authentic – Highlight your unique strengths and genuine interests
- Seek feedback – Have professors or advisors review your essays
- Follow instructions carefully – Pay attention to character limits and requirements
- Prepare recommenders – Give them ample time and context about these scholarships
- View a sample application
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.
Resources
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?
Resources
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!
Resources
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 and 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 help 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, and that they should have 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, 5:00pm ET.
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