Part IV — Financial Framework Chapter 15 — Scholarship Programs

Chapter 15 Scholarship Programs

WEQSC operates two scholarships for students in Classes KG through 9: a Merit Scholarship, awarded on the basis of performance in the annual WISE Scholarship Examination; and a Participation Scholarship, awarded automatically to any student who sits the examination. Both are fee discounts, not cash awards. They operate in addition to — not in place of — the girl-child support provided under Chapter 16.

15.1 General Principle

15.1.1 The WEQSC Scholarship Programme exists to recognise academic achievement and to encourage broad participation in the Scholarship Examination. It is not means-tested.
15.1.2 The Programme is open to students in Classes KG through 9, as those are the classes in which the WISE examination fee does not otherwise apply. Scholarships for Classes 10 and 12 are not offered by this chapter; those classes fall within the Student Examination Fee regime under Chapter 14, and the separate incentives under Chapter 17.
15.1.3 A scholarship under this chapter takes the form of a discount against the fees payable for the Academic Session in which it is awarded. It is not a cash payment.
15.1.4 A Girl Student is eligible for the Merit Scholarship and the Participation Scholarship under this chapter, and in addition receives the universal fee exemption under Chapter 16. Where a Girl Student is awarded a Merit Scholarship, the discount under this chapter operates in respect of those fees (if any) that are not already exempted under Chapter 16.

15.2 The Scholarship Examination

15.2.1 The WISE Scholarship Examination is conducted by WEQSC annually. Dates are published at wise.weqsc.org/scholarships and communicated through the Portal not less than sixty days in advance.
15.2.2 The examination is conducted online, is of sixty minutes' duration, and comprises one hundred multiple-choice questions. Its components are Mathematics, English, General Knowledge, and Reasoning.
15.2.3 Participation in the Scholarship Examination is free of charge to every student. No School may charge a fee in respect of participation, whether styled as a registration fee, an examination fee, an administrative fee, or any other name.
15.2.4 A student may sit the Scholarship Examination once per Academic Session. Where a student sits the examination more than once in the same Academic Session, only the first attempt counts for scholarship purposes.
15.2.5 The examination is invigilated in the same manner as the WISE Examination under Chapter 11. An Examination Irregularity in the Scholarship Examination is treated in the same way as an irregularity in the WISE Examination, under Chapter 35.
15.2.6 Results are published through the Portal within thirty days of the examination. A student may request a re-evaluation of a Scholarship Examination result under the procedure in Chapter 35.

15.3 Merit Scholarship

15.3.1 The Merit Scholarship is awarded on the basis of performance in the Scholarship Examination. Bands are established by percentile within the cohort of all candidates sitting the examination in the same Academic Session, across all Affiliated Schools.
Band Cohort Position Fee Discount
Band 1Top 5 per cent80%
Band 2Next 10 per cent (5th–15th percentile)60%
Band 3Next 15 per cent (15th–30th percentile)40%
Band 4Next 20 per cent (30th–50th percentile)20%
No bandBelow 50th percentileNil
15.3.2 The discount applies against the fees payable for the following Academic Session in respect of:
15.3.3 Where a student is in Classes KG through 9, and there is no WEQSC fee otherwise payable, the Merit Scholarship is recorded as an award and applied to the first Student Examination Fee that becomes payable in a subsequent Academic Session, in accordance with Section 15.6.
15.3.4 A Merit Scholarship is personal to the student to whom it is awarded. It may not be transferred, assigned, or exchanged for cash.
15.3.5 A Merit Scholarship is subject to continued eligibility under Section 15.6. It may be suspended or withdrawn under Section 15.7.

15.4 Participation Scholarship

15.4.1 A Participation Scholarship of ten per cent of any applicable fee is awarded automatically to every student who sits the Scholarship Examination in a given Academic Session, regardless of the score obtained.
15.4.2 The Participation Scholarship is not a substitute for the Merit Scholarship. A student who qualifies for a Merit Scholarship receives the Merit Scholarship discount, not the Participation Scholarship discount, in respect of the same session.
15.4.3 Where a student is awarded the Participation Scholarship and, in the following Academic Session, is also awarded a Merit Scholarship, the two do not stack. The higher of the two discounts applies.
15.4.4 The Participation Scholarship is awarded on the same basis and is subject to the same conditions as the Merit Scholarship, save that there is no minimum score and no banding.

15.5 Application and Award

15.5.1 No separate application is required for the Participation Scholarship. It is awarded automatically upon the student's sitting the Scholarship Examination.
15.5.2 No separate application is required for the Merit Scholarship. It is awarded automatically upon publication of the examination results, on the basis of the student's performance.
15.5.3 Awards are recorded in the student's record in the Portal, and the discount is applied automatically to the relevant fee. No manual intervention by the School or by the parent is required.
15.5.4 The School must inform parents, at the commencement of each Academic Session, of the Scholarship Examination, its date, its format, and the discounts available. The notification required by Section 11.6.1 includes this information.

15.6 Continuation and Deferral

15.6.1 A Merit Scholarship is awarded for one Academic Session and does not automatically renew. A student who wishes to hold a Merit Scholarship in a subsequent session must sit the Scholarship Examination in that session.
15.6.2 Where a student is in Classes KG through 9 and is awarded a Merit Scholarship, and no Student Examination Fee is payable in that session, the discount is held in the student's record as a credit. The credit is applied to the first Student Examination Fee that becomes payable in a subsequent Academic Session within the same Affiliation Cycle.
15.6.3 The credit under Section 15.6.2 does not carry interest, may not be redeemed for cash, and is not transferable.
15.6.4 Where a student transfers to another Affiliated School, any credit held under Section 15.6.2 is transferred with the student's record through the Portal.
15.6.5 Where a student is unable to sit the Scholarship Examination in a given Academic Session on medical or compassionate grounds, the School may apply to WEQSC for the student to sit a deferred sitting. Application must be made within thirty days of the original examination date and must be supported by documentation.

15.7 Suspension and Withdrawal of a Scholarship

15.7.1 A scholarship under this chapter may be suspended or withdrawn in the following circumstances:
15.7.2 Suspension or withdrawal of a scholarship does not affect the validity of any credit already accrued under Section 15.6.2, save where the withdrawal is under Section 15.7.1(d) on grounds of transfer out of the WISE system, in which case any credit is forfeited.
15.7.3 A student whose scholarship has been suspended or withdrawn may apply for a review of the decision under Chapter 35.
15.7.4 Where the Scholarship Examination result of a student is cancelled following an Examination Irregularity, the scholarship is withdrawn automatically and any credit under Section 15.6.2 is cancelled.

15.8 Relationship with Other Support

15.8.1 A scholarship under this chapter is awarded in addition to any support under Chapter 16 (Girl-Child Universal Support), Chapter 17 (Bonus Marks), or Chapter 18 (Elite Support Tier), subject to the coordination rules in those chapters.
15.8.2 A Girl Student is not required to choose between a scholarship under this chapter and the universal fee exemption under Chapter 16. She receives both, subject to Section 15.8.3.
15.8.3 Where a Girl Student is awarded a Merit Scholarship under this chapter and also receives the universal fee exemption under Chapter 16, and no fee remains against which the discount can be applied, the Merit Scholarship is recorded as an award of honour and the girl-child support under Chapter 16 operates in full. The Merit Scholarship credit under Section 15.6.2 is not available in these circumstances, since the underlying fee has already been waived.
15.8.4 A student who is a Scholarship Recipient is not, by virtue of that status, exempt from the attendance requirement, the examination rules, or any other obligation under this Framework.

15.9 Data and Reporting

15.9.1 WEQSC maintains a record of every scholarship awarded, in the student's record in the Portal, showing the Academic Session, the type and band of award, and the discount applied.
15.9.2 The School must not alter any scholarship record. Any correction is made by WEQSC under Chapter 22.
15.9.3 WEQSC publishes annual statistics on the number of scholarships awarded, the distribution by band and by jurisdiction, and the aggregate value of discounts applied. The statistics are anonymised and contain no student-identifying information.

15.10 Breach — Consequences

15.10.1 A Breach of any provision of this chapter is subject to the audit regime in Chapter 28 and, where applicable, to the suspension and termination regime in Chapter 29.
15.10.2 The following are classified as indicated, unless the contrary is established:
BreachClassification
Charging a fee in respect of participation in the Scholarship Examination Critical
Failing to apply an awarded scholarship discount to the fee payable Major
Failing to inform parents of the Scholarship Examination Minor
Altering a scholarship record other than through WEQSC Critical
Misrepresenting a student's Scholarship Examination result Critical
15.10.3 Nothing in this chapter displaces the School's right of appeal under Chapter 35.
Further Resources
  • Scholarship programme overview — wise.weqsc.org/scholarships
  • Scholarship Examination dates — wise.weqsc.org/scholarships/dates
  • Sample papers and syllabus — wise.weqsc.org/scholarships/prep
  • Deferred sitting application — wise.weqsc.org/forms/deferred-sitting
  • Scholarship statistics — wise.weqsc.org/reports/scholarships
Part IV · Chapter 15 wise.weqsc.org Scholarship Programs