Donate to Scholarship Funds

Webster’s mission of meeting unmet needs has not changed since its founding in 1915. As we honor our past, we remain focused on our future. This focus includes growing the number of scholarships available to students so even more students may gain a quality education and change the world. These scholarships are essential to providing access and success for students.

Together We Empower

Make an Impact on Our Future Leaders and Global Citizens

You are the foundation for the success of Webster University students. Thanks to your generosity, over 400 students received donor-funded endowed or annual scholarships in the 2021-2022 academic year.

96%

degree-seeking undergraduate students receive financial aid

Types of Scholarships

Endowed scholarships, which exist in perpetuity, create a legacy that lasts from one generation to the next because the principal remains intact, while only a portion of the earnings is used to provide financial aid. Endowed scholarships may be named for the supporter or for someone whom a supporter wishes to memorialize or honor.

Found a scholarship that you want to support or want to establish one that fits your giving goals? Make your gift online or call or email Ryan Elliott, Associate Vice President, 314-246-5963 or relliott@webster.edu.

Endowed Funds Frequently Asked Questions

Endowment funds are critical to the financial health of higher education and are essential to the University’s ability to provide high-quality, affordable and accessible education. Donations designated for the endowment are held in perpetuity and invested to provide long-term growth while simultaneously providing an annual distribution to support current institutional needs. Each year, Webster distributes a percentage of the fund’s value, the “allocation amount,” to a designated area according to each donor’s wishes. By preserving the endowment principal, the distributions can forever support student scholarships, professorships, ongoing building maintenance or other priorities as directed by the donor.

Endowed funds start at $5,000 for Webster University’s Community Music School and go up to $1 million or more depending on the type of fund and the donor’s intent. Endowed scholarships, our most common type of endowed fund, have a minimum of $25,000. Per University policy, funds begin to pay out when the pledge amount is fulfilled in its entirety and an allocation meets our spending policy.

Once the pledge is fulfilled for the endowed fund you’ve created and the fund balance exceeds the fund corpus (the sum of all contributions, payments and matches made to the fund since its inception), an allocation amount is possible. The allocation amount for the upcoming academic year is set once per year as of December 31.

If the allocation, as calculated under the University’s spending policy, would reduce the fund’s market value as of December 31 to an amount less than its corpus value, the award will be limited to the difference between corpus value and the December 31 market value. If the fund’s market value as of December 31 is less than its corpus value, no allocation will be available. University policy forbids erosion of the corpus of an endowed fund by deficit spending. The University’s endowment expenditure rate is established by its Board of Trustees. Currently, it is the average of the preceding 12 quarters as of the preceding December 31, multiplied by 4.5%, less administration fees.

Fund Corpus: The sum of all contributions, payments and matches made to the fund since its inception.

Fund Balance: The total amount in the fund, including fund corpus plus fund return.

Allocation Amount: The amount of payout to be awarded that academic year for the donor’s designated purpose. The fund allocation is based on a 12-calendar-quarter average market value, multiplied by the rate established by the Board of Trustees, less any administrative fees. University policy forbids erosion of the corpus of an endowed fund by deficit spending.

The Webster Society (WS) Annual Scholarship program provides financial support for Webster University students through individual donors who are interested in assisting talented students. Annual scholarships begin at the $1,500 level, are available for awarding in the academic year following the gift, and may be designated to students in any of Webster’s colleges and schools. Annual scholarships may be named for the supporter or for someone whom a supporter wishes to memorialize or honor.

Gifts of any amount toward scholarships make an immediate impact on Webster University students. Learn more about supporting the General Scholarship Fund or a scholarship relevant to your passion.

The Gift of Education

Webster University offers scholarships for countless purposes, funded and awarded at multiple thresholds. The generosity of annual and endowed scholarship donors allows us to offer new opportunities, both in the number of scholarships available to students and the variety of scholarship opportunities.

Scholarship Recipient Spotlight

“It is a high honor to be the recipient of these scholarships! The support and generosity stemming from these scholarships are fueling my ambition to graduate with a degree in Computer Science.”

Jalen Payne, BS in Computer Science, '24

William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship Fund for Disadvantaged Students and the Anna Barbara Sakurai Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund

“From a young age, I realized the importance of technology and education as they are keys to a better future, while empowering others. There are so many areas in society that can be positively impacted by computer science. With these scholarships, I can continue to push my dreams forward and plan to be at the forefront of the industry with the hopes of innovation and inspiration.”

Webster University Provides Reporting to Scholarship Supporters

Annual scholarship reports from the Advancement Office notifying you of the recipient(s) of your scholarship each academic year.
All scholarship recipients are encouraged to send a letter or video of gratitude which Webster forwards to the supporter of their scholarship.
Invitation to Webster’s scholarship event where supporters and various scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to connect.
For endowed funds, all supporters receive an annual endowment report on the financial status of their fund.
All scholarships are advertised in our digital scholarship guide on numerous Webster websites to aid students in applying and to show gratitude towards supporters.
Opportunities to engage with Webster leadership, faculty and staff through various activities and events.
All scholarship gifts are tax deductible.

There is no greater gift than the opportunity for access and success for Webster students as they pursue their dreams through higher education.

A Message of Thanks from Gorlok Graduates

The gift of education allows access and success for Webster University students. As we celebrate more than 4,000 students who graduated from Webster in May 2022, the graduates shared a message of gratitude to scholarship donors who supported their educational journey.