Scholarships and financial aid

The annual Wayne State University Scholarship Application period runs from Oct. 1 through March 1. Applicants will be considered for the scholarships listed below, as well as the scholarships available throughout the university, by using just one application.

External scholarships

The following are external scholarship opportunities available to students enrolled in degree programs in urban planning.

APA Foundation Scholarship

Recipients of the APA Foundation Scholarship will advance social equity in the profession and demonstrate academic success. Eligibility: Women, people of color and indigenous descent, veterans, disabled persons and members of the LGBTQ community who are currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate Planning Accreditation Board (PAB)- approved programs. Applicants must be APA members (membership for students is free). This scholarship is awarded annually to students intending to pursue careers as practicing planners, will diversify the profession and who are able to demonstrate a genuine financial need.

ENRE Student Fellowship Program

The American Planning Association's Environment, Natural Resources and Energy Division offers a Student Fellowship Program for second-year planning graduate students. The fellowship's purpose is to provide $2,500 in financial support for students excelling in graduate-level studies in planning related to natural resources, energy or the environment.

International Division Grants Program

Three grants of $500 are awarded annually to graduate or undergraduate students pursuing study abroad programs or internships in a foreign country. These programs should be related in some way to urban planning and applicants must be enrolled currently in an undergraduate or graduate urban planning program.

Judith McManus Price Scholarship

This scholarship is meant to celebrate planning by providing partial funding for women and minority (African American, Hispanic American or Native American) students. Eligible students are U.S. citizens, enrolled in Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) accredited planning programs, intending to pursue careers as practicing planners in the public sector (which includes local, state and federal government and not-for-profit careers) and are able to demonstrate a genuine financial need. The payments are made to the school on the student's account.

Latinos and Planning Division Scholarship

The Latinos and Planning Division of the American Planning Association (APA) strives to address planning issues affecting Latino communities in the U.S. as well as increase Latinos in the profession. The purpose of the division scholarship program is to foster increased interest in the study of urban planning within the Latino student population at the advanced undergraduate and graduate levels.

The program is open to third and fourth-year undergraduate students and first and second-year master's degree students. One scholarship of $500 is awarded per semester to be used for fees, books or academic materials contingent on available funding.

Planning & Law Division Daniel J. Curtin, Jr. Fellowship

The Planning & Law Division (PLD) has created the PLD Fellowship Program to foster increased interest in the study of land use planning and its interrelationship with the law. Students at the advanced undergraduate, graduate and law school levels are eligible. One fellowship with a stipend of $4,000 is awarded each academic year.

Planning & Law Division Smith-Babcock-Williams Writing Competition

The Planning & Law Division of the American Planning Association announces its 28th Annual Smith-Babcock-Williams Student Writing Competition. The winning entry in the competition will be awarded a prize of $2,500 and will be submitted for publication in The Urban Lawyer, the law journal of the American Bar Association's Section of State & Local Government Law. In addition to the first prize, the Competition will award a second prize of $1,000 and up to two Honorable Mention prizes of $250.

Planning and the Black Community Division Robert A. Caitlin/David W. Long Memorial Scholarship

Named after committed planners and long-standing PBCD members, the Robert A. Catlin/David W. Long Memorial Scholarship serves to foster increased interest among African-American undergraduates in urban planning as a graduate field of study and as a professional career. The $2,500 scholarship is given directly to the student to pay for expenses incurred during the academic year.

The Mildred Colodny Diversity Scholarship for Graduate Study in Historic Preservation

Master's students from accredited programs related to historical preservation may apply. This scholarship offers an award of up to $15,000 for graduate-level tuition, along with assistance to attend the National Preservation Conference and a paid summer internship with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Transportation Planning Division Student Paper Competition

This competition is designed to recognize and reward work completed for courses in PAB-accredited graduate and undergraduate planning programs. The paper must be on current transportation planning or policy issues. Prizes of $1,000 and $500 will be awarded to the top two papers.