<p>Jayster,</p>
<p>The Murray Scholarship is the highest merit award we give out. Only 4 incoming students a year receive this scholarship and it’s for the absolute best applicants in our pool in terms of both academic qualities and intangible/personal qualities. Murray Scholars will be at the top of their class, will have amazingly strong curricula, are usually above a 1500, and have some amazing talents/experiences. For in-state students, the Murray award is a full-ride. For out-of-state students, they get whatever the cost of IS tuition, fees, room and board comes to. For example, this year, IS tuition + fees + room and board is $21,000 so OOS Murrays get $21,000. Murrays also get preferential registration, summer research stipends, invitations to dine with campus dignitaries, etc.</p>
<p>The Monroe Scholarship is our honors program. About 8% of the incoming class will be Monroe Scholars. The money here is for summer research, not tuition (you get a $3000. summer research stipend…you can also apply for a $1000 stipend for the summer between your freshman and sophomore years). Monroes can also live together in Monroe Hall their freshman year and get preferential registration for their first semester at W&M. At the end of the freshman year, certain students who weren’t designated as Monroes through the Admission Process will be invited to apply to join the program as sophomores.</p>
<p>The W&M Scholar Award is not a program like Monroe and Murray. It is only merit money. All students are given the equivalent of in-state tuition all four years (~$12,100 a year). It is awarded to students who lend diversity to our campus or who have overcome significant adversity. </p>
<p>All applicants are considered for all three scholarships by virtue of applying.</p>