Scholarships at Saginaw Valley State University

The Robert and Ellen Thompson Working Families Scholarship provides five thousand five hundred dollars per year for up to four years to admitted SVSU freshmen from working families with demonstrated financial need. Applicants need a minimum 3.4 high school GPA, FAFSA Student Aid Index between negative fifteen hundred and sixteen thousand, history of extracurricular activity and community service, and a working parent or guardian reference. Priority consideration goes to students with minimum ACT 24 or SAT 1120. Recipients complete twenty hours of community service annually and maintain a 2.75 SVSU GPA to renew.

The Robert and Ellen Thompson Working Families Transfer Scholarship provides awards of up to three thousand three hundred dollars to eligible transfer students at Saginaw Valley State University. It extends the Thompson family's working-families mission to community college graduates and other transfers entering SVSU. Students apply through the SVSU Scholarships Portal after admission, with the donor-funded application opening November 1 each year. Transfer applicants should complete the FAFSA and portal application by the February 1 priority deadline for maximum consideration alongside other Thompson Foundation awards.

The Richard V. Wolohan Fellowship in Leadership and Service continues the legacy of Wolohan Lumber Company founder Dick Wolohan by supporting SVSU students committed to community leadership. Established in 1995 and expanded through the Wolohan Family Foundation, the fellowship provides scholarship support alongside structured leadership development and service projects benefiting local organizations. Fellows participate in hands-on community improvement work, such as facility renovations and supply drives for nonprofits. Students demonstrate the service-oriented leadership the program was designed to cultivate across the Saginaw Valley region.