Open Doors: The Centuries Initiative for Scholarships and Fellowships
OPEN DOORS
The Centuries Initiative for Scholarships & Fellowships
Every year, thousands of talented and promising students come to the George Washington University with a desire to change the world. But not every future leader has the same opportunities.
GW is charting a course to increase access for students with the greatest need.
Support from generous donors will close the financial gap and create opportunities for the next generation of leaders. Scholarships and fellowships change the lives of our students, their families and communities across the globe.
Affordability is a critical factor in whether or not talented students come to GW. Even after scholarships, federal grants, loans, work study jobs and family contributions, many GW undergraduate students still face an annual financial gap of $3,000-$6,000.
GW is committed to investing in the next generation of problem solvers and helping these talented students realize their dreams. Building a diverse student body from all walks of life by increasing access to the power of higher education is our responsibility—for our students and for our nation’s future. The most important investment we can make is in our students.
Join us. Let's Open Doors.
Open Doors: Diego Alonso BS ‘23
Third Century Scholarship Endowment Match:
Unlocking Access to Undergraduate Education
The George Washington University is doubling down on undergraduate scholarship support with the Third Century Scholarship Endowment Match.
To open countless doors for GW students of tomorrow, the university is matching 1:1 donor support to need-based undergraduate endowed scholarship funds.
Together, we can unlock enduring access to a GW education.
900
approximate number of incoming GW undergraduates each year who face a financial gap they struggle to meet
$3k-$6k
average amount of the financial gap
40%+
percentage of applicants to GW say that affordability and financial aid are major factors in their final college choice
”When you give relief to some students, they are able to be creative and independent thinkers, and that I think will make all the difference.”
SEAS doctoral candidate Benedict Vergara, BS ’19, MS ’20
Emanuel A. Beck Endowed Scholarship recipient
Celebrating the Impact of Scholarships
Hear from scholarship recipients in their own words about how financial aid opened doors for them to pursue their dreams.
Faith Arthur, BA '22
University & Alumni Award
Sam Steen, BA '22
GW Presidential Scholarship
Watch more students talk about scholarship impact
Opening Doors Together
GW students arrive on campus with big dreams for their future. With the help of scholarships and fellowships, they’re able to gain peace of mind while focusing their talents and brainpower on achieving their ambitious goals.
Serena Wong, Class of 2022
The Trachtenberg scholarship allowed Alumnae Serena Wong, BS ‘11 to thrive at GW as a first generation college student, giving her the freedom to pursue study abroad opportunities before graduating with an accounting degree from the GW School of Business. Now she gives back as part of the non-profit Minds Matter, which connects mentors with first generation high school students to help them navigate getting into college and succeeding once they’re there.
“Many of these students are supporting their families, working multiple jobs, and they can’t even fathom leaving the city to go to school,” Wong said. “If we can remove the barrier of finance as a component of their decision making, that really allows these students to think beyond their means into what really excites them and motivates them. That’s part of the value and impact of scholarships.”
Allison Cameron, Class of 2022
Allison Cameron knew even as a high school student that she wanted to go to medical school, which would probably entail considerable out-of-pocket expenses.
She chose GW in part because its urban campus and large, diverse student population would offer an exciting new context in which to explore and expand her interests.
”I was always of the mindset that I want to do that thing I’m passionate about, regardless of whether it would be word for word everything they want on a med school application,” she said. “I would rather do things that I really love while I have the time in college.”
Many of those things were made possible by aid, including staying on campus one summer to research the effect of pesticides on honeybee memory, a paper she’s now working on getting published, after years as an undergraduate researcher in the biology department’s honeybee lab.
”There’s so many things I know I wouldn’t have been able to do if not for financial aid,” Cameron said. “I took the EMT class at GW, and being able to take that as part of my course load was super helpful. That’s given me so many opportunities, and now it’s my job.”
Kaitlynn Slattery, BS '22
As an undergraduate student, Kaitlynn was trying to figure out how to afford her next month’s rent when she learned that she received a scholarship for her final year at the George Washington University.
"I was on the phone with my mom, and we were trying to figure out where the money was going to come from and how we were going to make it work when I got the email about the scholarship,” she said. “It was such a relief that I cried."
Now, she is working in a post-baccalaureate program at the National Institutes of Health and dreams of becoming a cancer researcher.
“It's really encouraging to know that more people are going to have the opportunity I had, because I like to think that the work I'm doing now is going to have an impact."