Balfour
Balfour Scholarships recognize superlative high school performance and potential for academic success at Wheaton. It is indeed a meritorious distinction! The Lloyd G. and Mildred Balfour Foundation of Attleboro, Massachusetts, established the Balfour Scholar program in 1983 with a more than million-dollar endowment. What follows are some frequently asked questions about the Balfour Scholarship program, its administration and the benefits to which recipients are entitled.
How are Balfour Scholar selected?
The Admission Commitee selects candidates based on outstanding academic performance in high school and future potential to excel academically.
How does Wheaton recognize Balfour Scholars?
Balfour Scholars receive a scholarship each year, provided a 3.0 cumulative grade point average is maintained. A stipend is also awarded for the purpose of undertaking an unpaid out-of-class learning experience the summer after your sophomore or junior year. This experience may be an internship, research project, student-faculty collaboration, professional development opportunity or community service endeavor.
How does the Balfour Scholarship fit into a financial aid package?
If you receive need-based aid, your scholarship (in part or completely) will be credited against the grant portion of your financial aid package.
How is my Balfour Scholarship treated if I do not receive financial aid?
Regardless of a family’s financial need, Balfour Scholars receive the scholarship toward their Wheaton tuition charges. Fifty percent of your annual merit scholarship is applied to your billing statement prior to the beginning of each semester.
I am planning to study abroad on a Wheaton-approved program at another institution for a semester (or a year). Will my Balfour Scholarship be applied toward a study-away program?
The Balfour Scholarship, like all merit scholarships at Wheaton, may be used toward study-away programs that are affiliated with the college (i.e., where fees are paid directly to Wheaton). Contact Wheaton’s Center for Global Education for a complete list. If you choose to attend a non-affiliated domestic or study-abroad program, you will forfeit your merit award for that period.
What happens if I earn less than the required GPA?
Your cumulative GPA is reviewed annually. If you earn less than a 3.0 but more than a 2.67, you will be awarded the scholarship on a probationary basis for the following academic year. Wheaton expects you to improve your GPA in order to qualify for renewal after your probation. If you earn below a 2.67 GPA, your scholarship and stipend will be cancelled. Extraordinary circumstances are always considered.
How can I use my stipend?
You may use your stipend during the summer at the end of your sophomore or junior year at Wheaton. You can work with the Filene Center for Academic Advising and Career Services to obtain an unpaid out-of-class learning experience (and use your stipend as payment), or even discover and create a position of your own that would otherwise not have been a paid opportunity.
What if I don’t use my stipend?
If you have not applied for your one-time stipend by spring of your junior year, your stipend will revert back to Wheaton College.
What happens if I am on an approved leave of absence?
Students who take an official leave of absence to attend college elsewhere forfeit their merit award(s) for that period of enrollment. If you are considering a leave of absence for any reason, we recommend you contact the Office of Student Financial Services to determine the impact of your leave on your merit award.
How is my merit scholarship credited to my account?
Fifty percent of your annual merit scholarship award is applied each semester you are in residence at Wheaton or participating in a Wheaton affiliated program abroad.
I am considering one of the dual–degree programs Wheaton offers. How would my participation affect my award?
You are eligible to apply your award to a maximum of eight semesters of study at Wheaton. If you are accepted to a dual-degree program, your award applies only to those semesters in which you are studying on campus. If the dual-degree program involves fewer than eight semesters at Wheaton, your award applies only to those semesters in which you are studying at the college.
I have AP, IB and/or college credits earned while in high school that I want to transfer to Wheaton. Will this affect my eligibility for a merit award?
No. Any credits acquired while still in high school may be transferred and will not impact your award. However, if you accelerate your graduation and complete your degree requirements in fewer than eight semesters, your award will only apply to the semesters in which you are enrolled on campus at Wheaton.
Since graduating high school, I earned college credits but was not officially matriculated at a college. Will this affect my eligibility for a merit award?
You may transfer up to one semester of Wheaton credits and still be considered a first year student, therefore eligible for a merit scholarship. Only students enrolling in college full time for the first time are eligible. Please note: your merit award is credited by semester and applies only to the semesters in which you are enrolled. If you accelerate your graduation and complete your degree requirements in fewer than eight semesters, your award will only apply to the semesters in which you are enrolled at Wheaton.
