Office of Admissions

Named in honor of former Indiana University President Herman B Wells and based solely on merit, the Wells Scholarship provides full tuition, mandatory and course-related fees, and a living stipend for four years of undergraduate study at IU Bloomington. Scholars may choose to spend one of these years studying abroad through the university’s overseas study programs. Between 18 and 22 Wells Scholarships are awarded each year to incoming freshmen.

Nomination Process

There is no direct application to the program. To be considered for the Wells Scholarship, high school seniors must be nominated by one of two means:

1. Students who attend Indiana high schools or selected high schools from other states may be considered for a Wells Scholarship only if they are nominated to the Wells Scholars Program by their high school.
2. Students with a strong record of accomplishment who do not attend a high school that is eligible to nominate, including homeschooled students, may be considered for nomination to the Wells Scholars Program by the IU Bloomington Office of Admissions only if the Office of Admissions receives the materials noted below on or before Thursday, September 20, 2012.

Students Who Attend Indiana High Schools or Selected High Schools from Other States

Indiana high schools and a small number of selected high schools from other states are eligible to nominate up to two seniors each year for consideration for the Wells Scholarship. High schools eligible to nominate will be sent nomination packets in late August, and should send their completed Wells Scholarship nomination materials directly to the Wells Scholars Program office by the deadline noted in the packets.

Students from outside the state of Indiana should check with their high school college counselors to determine if their schools are eligible to nominate. Students attending eligible schools should check with their high school college counselors to learn about the procedures used by their schools.

While students nominated by eligible high schools are not required to have applied for admission to IU Bloomington, in order to be considered for a variety of academic scholarships and scholar programs, all application materials for admission must be submitted or postmarked by Nov 1. When students do apply, they may apply online or send the application for admission directly to the Office of Admissions.

Only documents for admission to IU Bloomington should be sent to the Office of Admissions. Materials from high schools nominating students for the Wells Scholarship should be sent directly to the Wells Scholars Program.

High School Seniors Who Do Not Attend a School Eligible to Nominate

To make it possible for the Wells Scholarship Committee to consider homeschooled students and students who attend high schools not eligible to nominate, the Wells program has invited the Office of Admissions to nominate a small number of such high school seniors for consideration. (The Office of Admissions is not able to nominate students who attend high schools that are already eligible to nominate candidates directly to the Wells program.)

High school seniors who are academically outstanding (eligible for admission to the Hutton Honors College) and who wish to be considered for nomination by the Office of Admissions should submit the following materials directly to the Office of Admissions:

• Wells Scholarship Nomination Cover Sheet (PDF)
• Completed Application for Admission to IU Bloomington (either online or paper application) with supporting academic documents (official high school transcript, counselor signature form, and SAT or ACT scores) and application fee (if applying with a paper application)
• Cover letter expressing an interest in being considered for nomination for the Wells Scholarship
• 300- to 500-word personal statement describing the student’s academic interest(s)
• One letter of recommendation from a teacher
• A resume listing significant extracurricular activities, honors, and/or community involvement

All items must be received by the Office of Admissions on or before Thursday, September 20, 2012.

Students who are nominated by the Office of Admissions will be contacted by the Wells Scholars Program in early October. These students will receive additional information about the selection process and a request to submit additional items by a late October deadline.

For additional information about the scholarship and the nomination process, please visit the Wells Scholars Program.