Access Missouri Program 
Access Missouri is a need-based program designed to provide students with a simplified financial aid process, provide predictable, portable awards and increase access to a student’s school of choice. Eligibility is determined by the student’s expected family contribution (EFC) as calculated through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). To be eligible, students must: complete the FAFSA by February 1st each year, be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident and also a Missouri resident, have an EFC (Expected Family Contribution) less than $12,000, be enrolled full-time (12 hrs) as an undergraduate student, maintain a 2.50 GPA, maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress and have not exceeded 150 attempted credit hours. Awards range from $1,000 to $2,150 per year and are subject to the availability of state funding.
Application Procedures: Must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and submit any additional requested documents to the Office of Financial Aid no later than February 1st each year.
Contact Information: Office of Financial Aid or online at dhe.mo.gov.

Advanced Placement Incentive Grant
This is a nonrenewable grant designed to encourage high school students to take and score well on Advanced Placement tests in mathematics and science.
To be eligible for the grant you must meet the following requirements:

  • Achieve two grades of three or higher on Advanced Placement exams in the fields of math and/or science while attending a Missouri public high school. Qualifying Advance Placement exams in the fields of math or science include Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Physics B, Physics C, and Statistics.
  • Receive an award under the Access Missouri Student Financial Assistance Program or the A+ Scholarship Program in the academic year in which the Advanced Placement Incentive Grant is awarded.  Students who are eligible for the Access Missouri or A+ Scholarship programs but have a calculated award amount of zero are eligible for the Advanced Placement Incentive Grant.
  • Submit a complete application for the Advanced Placement Incentive Grant.

Contact Information: Office of Financial Aid or online at dhe.mo.gov

Division of Family Services/Rehabilitation Services for the Blind              
Rehabilitation Services for the Blind (RSB) provides services to people with varying degrees of visual impairment, ranging from those who cannot read regular print to those who are totally blind.  These services are provided on the premise that with adequate preparation and reasonable accommodation, each blind or visually impaired person will be able to achieve his or her maximum potential in the home and community, in educational settings, and in employment.
Contact Information: www.dss.mo.gov/

Division of Vocational Rehabilitation     
Eligible individuals are provided with services needed to enter, remain in, or return to suitable employment. Services include diagnosis and evaluation,; counseling and guidance; physical or mental restoration; training, including college or university, technical or trade; job development and job placement; rehabilitation engineering; and follow-up services to ensure that the rehabilitated person is performing satisfactorily on the job.
Contact Information: Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, (816) 387-2280 or online at dese.mo.gov/adult-learning-rehabilitation-services/vocational-rehabilitation

Kids’ Chance Scholarship Program
The Kids’ Chance Scholarship is a program for students with a parent who was seriously injured or killed in a work-related accident compensable under Worker’s Compensation.
Contact Information: Office of Financial Aid or online at dhe.mo.gov.

Marguerite Ross Barnett Memorial Scholarship          Deadline: February 1st
This scholarship was established for students who are employed while attending school part time. To be eligible for this program, the student must be enrolled part-time (6-11 credit hours), be employed and compensated for at least twenty (20) or more hours per week, maintain a 2.50 GPA, be making satisfactory academic progress and have financial need.
Application Procedures:  Must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and submit any additional requested documents to the Office of Financial Aid no later than April 1st each year. Must also complete the State Employment Verification Form.
Contact Information: Office of Financial Aid or online at dhe.mo.gov

Minority Teaching Scholarship Program           Deadline: February 15th
This scholarship is a competitive $3,000 per year renewable award for up to four years.  Missouri Minority Teaching Scholarship awards are contingent upon a match from the student’s chosen institution.
Contact Information: Office of Financial Aid or online at dhe.mo.gov.

Minority and Underrepresented Environmental Literacy Program 
This is a scholarship designed to assist academically talented minority and underrepresented individuals pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in an environmental course of study.
Contact Information: Office of Financial Aid or online at dhe.mo.gov.

Missouri Higher Education Academic Scholarship Program (Bright Flight)              
This merit-based program encourages top-ranked high school seniors to attend approved Missouri post-secondary schools. To be eligible, you must have earned a composite score on the American College Testing Program (ACT) or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) in the top 3 percent of all Missouri students taking those tests.  New legislation allows students whose ACT or SAT composite scores are in the top four and five percent of all Missouri students taking those tests to be eligible to receive an award beginning in the fall of 2010 (conditional on sufficient state appropriations). Students must maintain a 2.5 GPA and be making Satisfactory Academic Progress to be eligible for renewal.
Contact Information: Office of Financial Aid or online at dhe.mo.gov.

Missouri National Guard Educational Assistance Program             
Missouri National Guard Educational Assistance Program is a state-sponsored program. The program will pay 50 to 100% of the tuition costs per semester. Covers up to 30 hours per academic year. Applicants must be a member of the Missouri Army or Air National Guard, have not completed a Baccalaureate Degree, and maintain a 2.5 GPA.
Contact Information: Office of Financial Aid or online at www.moguard.com.

Missouri Professional and Practical Nurse Loan        
To be eligible, the applicant must be a Missouri resident attending a Missouri institution seeking education leading to licensure as a practical or professional nurse. Missouri residents are those who lived in this state for more than one year for any purpose other than to attend an educational institution. Must be enrolled or accepted full-time (with the exception of Doctoral students seeking Ph.D., D.N.P. or Ed.D.) and the nursing program must have an 80%  pass rate.  Pass rates can be obtained from the State Board of Nursing website.  If selected to participate, students must maintain a minimum of a 2.5 grade point average.
Contact Information: Office of Financial Aid, Nursing Department, or online at health.mo.gov/living/families/primarycare/healthprofloans/

Missouri Returning Heroes’ Education Act Waiver
On August 28, 2008, the Missouri Returning Heroes’ Education Act (Senate Bill 830) was enacted into law. This law requires Missouri state institutions to offer a reduced tuition rate ($50 per credit hour) to qualified combat duty veterans.

Program Qualifications:

  • Service in a combat zone as designated by the U.S. Department of Defense between September 11, 2001 and the present;
  • Missouri “home of record” at the time of entry into the military; and
  • Discharge from military service under honorable conditions

Application Procedures:

To determine your eligibility for this program, the following documentation must be submitted to the Missouri Western State University Office of Veterans Affairs (Financial Aid Office, Eder Hall, Room 103):

  • A copy of your most recent DD-214 (Chapters 30, 31 and 1607);
  • A copy of your active duty orders (Chapter 1607); and
  • A copy of your Missouri Driver’s license or other proof of U.S. Citizenship.

Renewal Requirement

To remain eligible for this waiver, you must maintain an overall GPA of 2.50 or higher. This requirement will be reviewed in May each year in accordance with current Financial Aid Policy.

Cost of Attendance Budget Limitation

Under the Heroes’ Act, eligible veterans will not receive more than the actual cost of attendance when the limitation is combined with other aid made available to such a veteran.

Missouri Savings for Tuition (MO$T) Program   
With the MO$T Program you are able to save for future higher education costs and save on taxes, too.  Open a MO$T account under the Program on behalf of a designated beneficiary. The amount contributed each year can be deducted from your Missouri state taxable income (up to a maximum of $8,000 per taxpayer per year). The investment earnings on the money you contribute to the account will be able to build on both a federal and state tax-free basis. Then, when your beneficiary is ready to go to school, withdrawals from your account to pay for qualified higher education expenses at eligible schools in Missouri or anywhere in the country will be federal and state tax-free.
Contact Information: Office of Financial Aid or online at www.missourimost.org/

Public Service Officer Survivor Grant      
The Public Service Survivor Grant is a tuition grant for eligible Missouri residents who are dependent children or spouses of a public safety officer or Department of Transportation employee who was killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty.
Contact Information: Office of Financial Aid or online at dhe.mo.gov

Wartime Veteran’s Survivors Grant
These grants are available annually to children and spouses of Veterans whose deaths or injuries were: a result of combat action or were attributed to an illness that was contracted while serving in combat action, or who became 80% disabled as a result of injuries or accidents sustained in combat action since September 11, 2001. The total number of veterans that may receive a grant in any year is limited by statute to 25. The veteran must have been a Missouri resident when first entering the military service or at the time of death or injury.
Contact Information: Office of Financial Aid or online at dhe.mo.gov