WashU Olin Unveils MBA Scholarships Worth Up To $100K

Knight hall at Olin, courtesy photo

Washington University in St. Louis’s Olin Business School opens its full-time MBA application on September 1. This cycle the school is unveiling a new set of five named scholarships for applicants to compete for, with awards reaching as high as $100,000 for top candidates.

The signature scholarships are each tied to a specific area of school strength: health, entrepreneurship, private enterprise, finance, and regional economic impact in St. Louis.

“Business is evolving at an extraordinary pace, and the leaders who will shape what’s next will come from a wide range of backgrounds and industries,” says Joe MacDonald, deputy dean at WashU Olin. “These scholarships reflect our commitment to investing in exceptional students who want to jumpstart their MBA experience with deeper connections to Olin’s leading faculty and real-world learning opportunities.”

Scholarship	Maximum award	Focus
Olin Health Leadership Scholarship	$100,000	Business leadership in health and healthcare, with an emphasis on cross-sector collaboration
Gateway Leaders Scholarship	$100,000	Strengthening the St. Louis region through business leadership, civic engagement, entrepreneurship, or community work
Olin Entrepreneurial Leaders Scholarship	$60,000	Founders and prospective founders building new ventures
Olin Ownership & Private Enterprise Scholarship	$60,000	Students preparing to own, operate, or invest in privately held companies
Olin Finance & Capital Markets Scholarship	$60,000	Finance careers, with access to industry connections in capital markets

Source: WashU Olin

WHO QUALIFIES & HOW THE MONEY STACKS

Every admitted applicant to the Olin MBA program is automatically considered for Olin’s standard merit-based scholarships, with no separate application required.

However, the new signature scholarships work differently: they’re awarded around a specific interest area, but can be layered on top of existing merit aid for students who qualify for both, giving admitted candidates two possible tracks toward reducing the cost of their MBA. Olin’s scholarship page spells out who each award is aimed at:

The Health Leadership Scholarship targets clinicians, life-sciences and health-tech professionals, consultants, and career switchers moving into Olin’s Business of Health initiative.
The Entrepreneurial Leaders award is open to founders and startup team members as well as candidates pursuing corporate innovation, venture capital, private equity, or consulting.
The Ownership & Private Enterprise Scholarship is built for family-business successors, aspiring owners, and Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition candidates working with Olin’s Koch Center for Family Enterprise.
The Finance & Capital Markets award targets candidates with backgrounds in corporate finance, investment management, private equity, venture capital, fintech, or wealth management.
And the Gateway Leaders Scholarship is reserved for applicants with meaningful ties to St. Louis and a track record of civic, nonprofit, or entrepreneurial leadership.

Lisa Weingarth, senior adviser to the WashU chancellor and executive director of the university’s “In St. Louis, For St. Louis” initiative, ties the scholarships to the university’s effort to retain and attract talent to the St. Louis area, arguing that keeping ambitious MBAs in the region pays off in future economic opportunity.

The scholarship applications become available September 1 on Olin’s website.

DON’T MISS MEET WASHINGTON OLIN’S MBA CLASS OF 2027

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