Think Wide Open Scholarship

The Think Wide Open Scholarship recognizes your creativity, curiosity, and connection to our motto: Think Wide Open.

---

Open to Accepted First-Year Students in Eligible Majors for Fall 2027

Recipients are selected based on the strength, originality, creativity, and thoughtfulness of their submissions. Your high school GPA is an important part of our admission review because it helps demonstrate your readiness to succeed in a rigorous college environment. However, we do not award scholarships based solely on high school GPA.

Submissions must be received by February 1 for consideration. Late submissions will be considered on a rolling basis while scholarship funding is available.

(Excludes BFA, MusB, Creative Writing BA, and the Visual Arts BS degree programs, which provide talent scholarships.)

• Award Range: $6,000-$12,000 over four years ($1,500-$3,000 awarded annually).
• Renewable up to four years for students who continue to meet institutional scholarship requirements.
• Recipients will be selected based on the strength and originality of their Think Wide Open Scholarship submissions.
• Only students who complete a Think Wide Open scholarship submission will be considered.
• Think Wide Open scholarship submissions are required for scholarship consideration.

---

Eligible Majors

Think Wide Open is the only merit-based scholarship available to students admitted to the majors listed below.

Students pursuing BFA, MusB, Creative Writing BA, and the Visual Arts BS degree programs are not eligible for the Think Wide Open Scholarship. The Art+Design, Dance, Film, Music, and Theatre Arts programs provide talent scholarships.

---

Eligibility

Think Wide Open scholarships are available to students:

• Admitted for first-year enrollment in fall 2027.
• Admitted to eligible majors only. 
• Who submitted a Think Wide Open essay or other creative work. 
• Who have not yet received another scholarship offer.
• Review the institutional eligibility and criteria requirements for more information.

Transfer students are not eligible.

---

How to Apply

Once you have been admitted:

• Submit your essay or creative work using the Think Wide Open Scholarship Form.
• Access the form by logging in to your Applicant Portal.
• Submit your essay or creative work.
• Submissions must be received by February 1 for consideration. Late submissions will be considered on a rolling basis while scholarship funding is available.

---

What to Submit

What Does “Think Wide Open” Mean to You?

At Purchase, we believe that some of the most meaningful learning happens when we are willing to ask questions, challenge assumptions, explore new ideas, and see the world from another perspective.

For your Think Wide Open Scholarship submission, show us what that looks like in your life.

Tell us about a specific experience, question, project, idea, relationship, challenge, or moment that has shaped the way you think or see the world.

We are interested in the particulars of your experience—not a general definition of creativity, curiosity, individuality, or open-mindedness.

As you develop your submission, consider:

• What happened? Give us enough specific detail to understand the experience.
• What did you think, believe, or assume before?
• What changed-or what did you begin to question?
• What did you do as a result?
• How does this experience reflect the way you hope to learn, create, collaborate, or contribute at Purchase?

There is no single “right” interpretation of Think Wide Open. We want to hear your perspective and your voice.

Be specific. Be creative. Be thoughtful. Take the opportunity to show us something about yourself that we cannot learn from your application alone.

Before You Submit Check Out Some Helpful Tips

 

Choose the format that allows you to communicate your ideas most effectively.

If you submit a previously created or previously graded work, your accompanying statement should explain when and why you created it and how it connects to Think Wide Open.