Scholarships

Lake Washington Institute of Technology's LWTech Foundation proudly offers a variety of merit and need-based scholarships open to students enrolled or enrolling at Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWTech) in the fall and spring of each academic year.

2023 Spring quarter scholarship applications are now closed.

The Foundation will reach out no later than March 17, 2023 to all applicants regarding scholarship decisions.

Additional Scholarship Information

Writing Tips

Take advantage of our campus resources to help you with writing and editing the essays.
- The Learning Lab offers drop-in support for any LWTech student. You can receive one-on-one tutoring to get help on your scholarship essays. Each meeting is 20 minutes long and you can sign-in as many times as needed. No appointment needed.
- TRIO offers support to students who are low-income, students who are first-generation to college, and students with disabilities. They offer help filing out scholarship applications. They also offer other support services to students. Please reach out to TRIO to learn if you would qualify for their support.
Don't be afraid to share your personal story. This scholarship application is confidential. It will not be shared outside of the review committee. The committee wants to learn about who you are, why you are in school, and how a scholarship would help you stay in school.
Remember: the committee reviews several hundred application from across the entire school. Tell the committee things they remember. Tell them anything you want them to know about when considering you for the scholarship.
- Ex. If you have expensive tools that you cannot afford, make sure to mention that in your essay
- Ex. If you struggled with low grades because of a personal emergency, tell that to the committee
If you are stuck on an essay question and don't know what to write, review the "Not Sure What to Write About" section below.

Not Sure What to Write About? Here are Some "Things to Consider"

For each question, we have created "things to consider" to help you get started if you are stuck. You do not have to use these to write a successful essay. The committee does not see this section.

Essay Question 1 - What are your specific academic goals?

This question is about your past and your present. Think about what led you to choose your field of study. Share a story about how you knew that you wanted to study in this subject.
Why you enjoy studying this subject.
What your education means for you and your family.
Why you are passionate about your education and your program.
What you hope to get out of your education.
How long you have until you graduate from LWTech.
A favorite class, or subject, or teacher.

Essay Question 2 - What are your career goals?

This question is about your future. Think about what you want to do after you graduate and why it is important to you. Tell us about your aspirations.
What makes you passionate about your work.
What type of company or specific group would you like to work for
- Ex. As an accountant, do you want to work for a small CPA, a big organization like Amazon, own your own business, etc.
- Ex. As a welder, are you interested in working for Boeing, working for a smaller company, working in a specific type of welding, etc
What is important to you when planning your career. Some students choose their careers because they want to help people. Other students are looking for financial security. Some students want to be a role model to their children or their families. There is no wrong answer.

Essay Question 3 - How an LWTech Foundation Scholarship would help you

This question is about financial need. Think about how a scholarship will help you stay in school. Think about what would happen if you don't receive a scholarship.
Talk about a specific financial need that you have and how a scholarship will help you with that need.
- Ex. Do you need help with tuition? What happens if you don't receive tuition help?
- Ex. Do you have expensive tool or book costs? What are those costs? What will happen if you don't get help with those costs?
Explain how a scholarship will help you achieve your educational and career goals.
What a scholarship means to you personally. Will it help with your morale, mental health, and feeling of accomplishment?
NOTE: Scholarships can be used for school expenses (tuition and fees, tools and supplies, testing fees, other program needs). If you need living expense support, talk about how having an academic scholarship will help you offset living expense needs

Optional Essay - Describe any challenges/barriers you have faced

You do not have to answer this essay to receive a scholarship. This question is to give you a chance to tell the committee anything else you think they should know about you.
How has this challenge/barrier changed your life?
What have you done to reduce the impact of the challenge/barrier?
Is this a challenge/barrier that you are struggling with now?
What does this challenge/barrier mean for your education and career goals?
Will getting a scholarship reduce or impact the challenge/barrier?

General Tips

While the Foundation strives to support as many students as possible, scholarships are competitive and not every applicant can receive a scholarship. Below are some top tips on how to make your application stand out.

Proofread your application.
Apply for every scholarship. Most scholarships only require the main application, but there are a few that have additional questions. If you are eligible for a scholarship that asks you to submit a follow-up question, please do so! We cannot consider you for a scholarship with follow-up questions unless you have submitted those questions.
Reach out to the Foundation (contact information above) if you have questions, need help, or aren't sure if you understand how to complete the application. We are happy to help!
If you are having any technical challenges, contact the Foundation IMMEDIATELY. We are here to help make sure that your application gets submitted by the deadline.

Scholarship FAQs

When will I know if I received a scholarship?

All students will be notified no later than March 17, 2023. All notifications will be sent to the LWTech student email address.

I haven't heard anything, does that mean I didn't receive a scholarship?

The Foundation will tell all students by March 17th if they received a scholarship. All students are notified so if you don't receive an email please contact us. Lack of notification does not mean you haven't received a scholarship.

Why do I need to provide my LWTech SID and LWTech student email address?

To comply with FERPA, we need to verify your identify. Your LWTech SID, LWTech student email address, and date of birth is how we do that. We cannot share your application with our review committee without confirming these three things. We will not be able to consider you for a scholarship without them.

What happens if there is a problem with my application after I submit it?

Before February 2nd, you can log into your application and make any changes you want. Then you can resubmit your application.

After February 2nd, please contact the Foundation if you have any changes to your application. We will only be able to change any error that impacts your eligibility for scholarships. Once the scholarship decisions are announced, we cannot make changes of any type.

If the Foundation realizes a correction needs to be made, we will email you at your LWTech email address. Please check your email regularly to ensure you don't miss an important email from us.

Do I need to submit the FAFSA/WASFA if I am F1 Visa student? Can I still apply for a scholarship without submitting the FAFSA/WASFA?

If you are an F1 Visa student, you do not need to complete the FAFSA/WASFA in order to be eligible for a scholarship. You can still submit your scholarship application and receive a scholarship from LWTech Foundation. If you have questions or need help, please contact the Foundation at alysen.laakso@lwtech.edu.

Do I need to submit the FAFSA/WASFA if I don't have a high school degree or diploma?Can I still apply for a scholarship without submitting the FAFSA/WASFA?

If you don't have a high school degree or GED, you do not need to complete the FAFSA/WASFA in order to be eligible for a scholarship. You can still submit your scholarship application and receive a scholarship from LWTech Foundation. If you have questions or need help, please contact the Foundation at alysen.laakso@lwtech.edu.

I do not complete the FAFSA/WASFA because I am only eligible for loans. Do I need to complete the FAFSA/WASFA to apply for scholarships?

Yes. We use the FAFSA/WASFA to determine financial need. Completing a FAFSA/WASFA allows us to confirm that you are only eligible for loans. You DO NOT have to take a loan or any other type of aid to receive a scholarship. But we strongly recommend that you complete the FAFSA/WASFA as the review committee uses that in the decision making process.

I received a scholarship; what next?

Your scholarship letter provides instructions on next steps. This includes how you can access the scholarship and how you can use the scholarship. The Foundation works closely with the financial aid department to distribute funds. To guarantee your funds will be available by the first day of school, please submit your thank you note by the deadline. The thank you note deadline is in your scholarship letter.

Why didn't I receive a scholarship?

Unfortunately, the Foundation receives more applications than we have available scholarship funds. This means highly qualified students don't receive a scholarship. If you want to learn more about what you can do differently on the next application, please contact us. We strive to support as many students as possible and are happy to help.

Questions? Issues?

Contact Information

For questions please email Alysen Laakso or call (425) 739-8100 x8498.
You can also contact Alysen to schedule an appointment. She is available to meet in-person, over zoom, or by phone.

How We Use Data

All collected data through the AwardSpring program may be available to the following parties: Lake Washington Institute of Technology and LWTech Foundation employees, LWTech Foundation volunteers serving on the Scholarship Reviewing Committee, and any scholarship donors involved in the reviewing process.

The data is not released to anyone else unless approved by the applicant.

The LWTech Foundation will use the phone number and email address provided by the applicant for communication purposes. Applicants will not be approached by any parties other than the LWTech Foundation staff unless otherwise agreed by applicant.