Give to WCU

Give to WCU

Scholarship recipient Kevin Rumley

GRADUATING LEADERS

Graduating veteran finds peace

Graduated, enlisted, blown up, hospitalized, released, addicted, homeless, hopeless, rescued, enrolled, graduated, employed, enrolled, graduated, honored, redeemed.

Scholarship recipient Briar Boggs

GRADUATING LEADERS

Scholarships Lead to Success on Stage and Screen

Western Carolina University senior Briar Boggs found a sign, THE sign: a wistful note from his 10-year-old self, longing for a dream he did not think possible.

Scholarship recipient Tuyen Tram

GRADUATING LEADERS

Scholarships Changed First Generation Student's Life

Tuyen Tram will graduate with highest honors with degrees in interior design and computer information systems, a portfolio full of awards and scholarships that will solidify her legacy at WCU.

Scholarship recipient Erin West in the WCU Football Stadium.

Graduating Leaders

More Than Just Money

Erin West knows the value of a scholarship can go well beyond its dollar sign. Discover how scholarships allowed her to not only pursue her degree but garner skills to become a leader.

Graduate Students at Commencement.

Lead The Way Campaign

Inspired by the Belcher Years

Explore the campaign and how you can help make student scholarships our top philanthropic priority, as it has been Chancellor David Belchers'.

Give to WCU

Under the leadership of Chancellor David O. Belcher, Western Carolina University has seen phenomenal success. He has propelled this institution toward greatness, but, more importantly, he has done the same for the students we serve. Now, we must continue the progress he put in motion. We must be champions for our students, believe in their possibilities, inspire their determination, knock down obstacles in their way and lead them toward a better future. Join us in a campaign inspired by our greatest champion. Lead the Way.

David and Susan Belcher

Follow Their Lead

The Belchers' transformational gift

A student at commencement celebrating receving his degree

Lead the Way

A campaign inspired by the Belcher years

Campaign Priorities

WCU Scholarship Student

   Merit Scholarships

Scholarships awarded based on merit benefit students meeting certain academic criteria and/or pursuing particular fields of study, including students in Western Carolina’s Honors College, the largest residential honors college in the University of North Carolina system.  Make A Gift

WCU Scholarship Student

   Access Scholarships

Western Carolina University strives to open doors to deserving students in need who might not otherwise be able to attend college. Scholarships awarded based on need go to benefit students meeting certain financial eligibility guidelines. Make A Gift

WCU Scholarship Student

   Athletic Scholarships

WCU Athletics and the Catamount Club work to raise funds for student athlete scholarships. These scholarships often make it possible for student athletes to fully focus on their training, practice and coursework in order to be successful on and off the field.  Make A Gift

WCU Scholarship Student

   Graduate Scholarships

As we work to support groundbreaking research, innovation and a continually growing undergraduate program, WCU must expand its graduate scholarship resources. Graduate scholarship support is needed to continue to expand enrollment in our more than 40 graduate programs. Make A Gift

WCU Scholarship Student

   Internships

Gifts to the university can support the cost of travel or housing for students seeking internships in their field of study. These opportunities prepare our students for success after graduation. Make A Gift

WCU Scholarship Student

   Study Abroad

Committed to creating and maintaining a culture of safety we foster a supportive and secure environment with tools, techniques, and resources available to students, faculty, staff, and families. Make A Gift

WCU Scholarship Student

   Program Support

Gifts to support particular colleges, programs, or fields of study at WCU help us to significantly enhance the student learning experience in those areas and to expand our already robust experience-based education. Make A Gift

WCU Scholarship Student

   Student Research

For more than a decade, WCU has been a national leader in undergraduate research. Donor support makes it possible for students to expand research into the field, travel to present at conferences, and submit research for publication. Make A Gift

Ways to Give

Your Gift, Your Choice

Give Today

Whether it's $5 or $5,000, every donation counts. Choose exactly how your gift is used: give to a program, scholarship or a college. Use our online form to give today.

Endowments

Endowments

Created through the establishment of a permanent fund, endowments allow for scholarships for talented students; support for dedicated faculty and research.

Estate Planning

Estate Planning

Leave a lasting impact on your university through a provision in your will or trust naming WCU as a beneficiary. Learn about the potential tax benefits.

Corporate and Foundation

Corporate Giving

Western Carolina partners with private corporations and corporate foundations to align gifts to the WCU Foundation to their business goals or philanthropic missions.

Scholarship Stories

Chemistry student

Cashiers couple endows scholarship for WNC students

Creating an endowed scholarship at Western Carolina University provided a way for Cashiers seasonal residents Ann and Peter Summers to make a difference in the region where they both have so many family ties. Their scholarship targets students from the western North Carolina region such as inaugural recipient Marcelina Sena.

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Scholarship Student

Partnerships grow through scholarship support 

As an out-of-state student, Pablo Valenzuela often struggled to come up with the nearly $25,000 a year required to attend Western Carolina University. But thanks to the Eaton Corporation Scholars Annual Scholarship that Valenzuela received for the 2017-18 academic year, that burden became a little lighter.

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Graduate endows fifth scholarship

Sophomore political science and international studies major David Benoit said being a scholarship recipient has changed more than his financial situation. When he found out he had received the Gaither M. Keener Political Science Scholarship in Honor of Dr. Gerald Schwartz, it amplified his drive to succeed in and out of the classroom.

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Student Giving

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Faculty and Staff

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Catamounts for Life

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Fund for WCU

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Discover More

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