Billy Graham Scholarship Categories

The Billy Graham Scholarship Program (BGSP) offers multiple awards yearly in six categories for Christian leaders to attend Wheaton College Graduate School for more advanced training.

These generous awards are highly competitive and merit-based. Most are loan/scholarships which require the recipient to return or deploy (pre-field missionaries) to full-time Christian ministry post-graduation in order to "earn" loan forgiveness. If the scholar does not fulfill, he/she must repay the loan including interest. Please read scholarship descriptions carefully before applying. The Global Leader award is a scholarship.

Billy Graham Scholarship Programs

Category Eligibility Award
Amount
Dead-
lines
All Citizenships
Global Leader • Completion of two years of full-time Christian ministry.

• Affiliation with a recognized Christian organization, denomination, or mission organization.

• Commitment to return to the full-time Christian ministry.
• Tuition

Dec. 1
International students (non-U.S. and non-Canadian)
International Christian Leader • Completion of two years of full-time Christian ministry in home country.

• Affiliation with a recognized Christian organization, denomination, or mission organization.

• Commitment to return to home country and full-time Christian ministry.
• Tuition

• Health Insurance (residential studies)

• Stipend
Dec. 1
International Missionary  • Completion of two years of full-time cross-cultural Christian ministry.

• Affiliation with a recognized Christian organization, denomination, or mission organization.

• Commitment to return to cross-cultural full-time Christian ministry. 
• Tuition

• Health Insurance (residential studies)

• Stipend 
Dec. 1 
Domestic students (U.S. and Canadian) 
North American Missionary  • Completion of two years of full-time cross-cultural Christian ministry.

• Affiliation with a recognized Christian organization, denomination, or mission organization.

• Commitment to return to cross-cultural full-time Christian ministry. 
• Tuition  Dec. 1 
Missionary Candidates (Pre-field)  • Call to full-time missions and experience in cross-cultural ministry.

• If not yet associated with a mission organization, to have made progress toward a mission agency and field.

• Commitment to cross-cultural full-time Christian ministry.
• Tuition Mar. 1
(also occasion-
ally
Oct. 10)
Urban/Ethnic Ministry Worker • Completion of two years of full-time Christian ministry in urban or ethnically diverse situation.

• Affiliation with a recognized Christian organization, denomination, or mission organization.

• Commitment to return to urban or ethnically diverse full-time Christian ministry. 
• Tuition  Mar. 1
(also occasion-
ally
Oct. 10)  

Important

  • Awards are loan/scholarships. Loan forgiveness is "earned" by full-time Christian overseas ministry following graduation.  If the recipient does NOT return to or proceed overseas for ministry, he/she must repay the loan amount including interest. The exception is the Urban/Ethnic Ministry recipient, who must return to full-time Christian ministry in a qualified setting in North America.
  • The BGSP supports all M.A. programs at the Wheaton Graduate School. Certificate programs are NOT included.
  • The original donors' intent is NOT to support master's study as preliminary to a doctoral program nor to support doctoral studies, or to pay for additional time for licensure or optional theses.
  • Priority is given to those without a master's degree already.
  • All applicants must have at least two years of full-time Christian ministry experience to qualify. The exception is the Pre-Field Missionary Candidate.
  • Applications are NOT on this website, eligibility must first be determined by completing a preliminary eligibility form. This is found on each scholarship description page when the application window is open.

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