Marshall For All
Marshall University is committed to making higher education accessible and affordable through the Marshall For All initiative. Whether through a debt-free experience or tuition-free education for West Virginia residents, this program creates opportunities for students to earn their degrees without the financial burden of student loans.
Through a unique combination of scholarships, grants, work opportunities, and family contributions, Marshall For All: Debt Free ensures that students graduate with not only a bachelor’s degree but also real-world work experience—all while minimizing or eliminating student debt. The latest expansion to the program, Marshall For All: Tuition-Free WV, covers the full cost of tuition, as well as university and college fees, for qualifying students.
- 100 students per year are randomly selected.
- Open to West Virginia residents and Metro-area students.
- Must attend financial literacy courses and participate in required internships
- Must be admitted to Marshall University.
- Submit the FAFSA for the upcoming year.
- Sign up for summer orientation by April 1st.
- Open to West Virginia residents.
- Available to first-year freshmen.
- Family income must be below $65,000.
- Must apply to and be accepted to Marshall University.
- Complete the FAFSA to determine eligibility.
At one point, Angela Shaffer lived in five different homes over the course of five months. When she finally found her forever family in high school it seemed like things couldn’t be better – until she received the call that she’d been selected for the Marshall For All Program.
The Marshall For All Program offers select students an opportunity to partner with the University to earn their debt-free degree. With the first cohort chosen at random, the program utilizes a unique combination of scholarships, grants, work opportunities, and family contributions to allow students to graduate from Marshall with a bachelor’s degree and a resume full of relevant experiences. Just as crucially, it will allow them to graduate without student loans.
Marshall For All: Debt-Free
The Marshall For All: Debt-Free program is a comprehensive financial support package that covers tuition, fees, housing, meals, books, and other education-related expenses, ensuring students can graduate without financial burden.
- 100 students per year are randomly selected.
- Open to West Virginia residents and Metro-area students.
- Must be admitted to Marshall University as a degree-seeking student.
- Submit the FAFSA for the upcoming year.
- Sign up for summer orientation by April 1st.
Marshall For All: Tuition-Free WV
In contrast to the Debt-Free pathway, Marshall For All: Tuition-Free WV covers only tuition and mandatory fees after all other sources of aid—such as scholarships, grants, and other financial assistance—have been applied. Students in this program may still need to cover additional costs like housing, meals, and books through other financial aid options or personal contributions.
- Open to West Virginia residents.
- Available to first-year freshmen.
- Family income must be below $65,000.
- Must be admitted to Marshall University as a degree-seeking student.
- Complete the FAFSA to determine eligibility.
There is no separate application for either pathway. To be considered, you must:
Once these steps are completed, a randomized selection process will occur, and students will be invited via letter to the Marshall For All: Debt-Free program. Marshall For All: Tuition-Free WV will be automatically awarded based on individual qualifications.
While Marshall For All: Tuition-Free WV is designed for students from West Virginia with a household income under $65,000, many financial aid opportunities are still available. Our incredible Financial Aid team is ready to help you explore scholarships, grants, and other ways to make your degree as affordable as possible.
The Marshall For All: Debt-Free initiative is only possible because of generous donors who believe in making higher education accessible to all.
Your support can help change a student’s future by allowing them to graduate without student debt. To learn more about how you can contribute, visit.
- The first cohort of Marshall For All: Debt-Free students started in Fall 2023.
- Marshall For All: Tuition-Free WV launched in Fall 2025.
This initiative is part of Marshall’s commitment to making higher education affordable and accessible for all.
No. Marshall for All: Debt-Free will rely on the active participation of students interested in a debt-free bachelor’s degree. The university will continue to meet a portion of students’ needs through scholarships and grants, and students will be expected to contribute to their education.
If students meet the requirements of Satisfactory Academic Progress, the program will automatically renew for up to 8 semesters.