The Freeman Asian Scholarship Program covers the full cost of four years at Wesleyan for about eleven incoming students a year: tuition, fees, room and board, supplies, and flights to and from home. Wesleyan publishes the funding as over $100,000.
Eligibility is tied to citizenship or permanent residency in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand or Vietnam. Dual U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents are outside the programme. Candidates must apply for need-based aid at the point of applying and must show financial need, and they must be coming to college for the first time.
Applying costs a student nothing beyond the standard Wesleyan international aid application. Consideration is automatic for anyone who meets the criteria, and there is no extra form or interview, with InitialView accepted as an option. Decisions arrive on the Regular Decision release date.
The catch is the odds. Eleven awards a year across eleven countries makes this one of the most competitive awards an Asian applicant can chase, and selection weighs academic record, curiosity, discipline, character, community work, leadership and English. Students with a military service obligation after school should apply in the year they can actually enrol.