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A Rare Opportunity

What We Provide

  • Substantial scholarship aid for four years 
  • A welcoming community where you can find friends and supportive older students
  • One-on-one coaching with professional staff dedicated to your college success
  • Peer mentoring from upper-level students
  • Social events to build friendships and connections
  • Unique leadership development opportunities
  • Shared community service activities
  • The largest scholarship community in LSA

Support from the start

Even before you set foot in Ann Arbor, we will guide you through enrollment, summer orientation, class registration, and applying for housing. When you and your family have questions, you’ll find a real person just a phone call or email away—you can even come visit in person. We will help you feel at home during your transition to college.

We’re here for you

Kessler Scholars staff members are experts in student growth and academic success. We are here for you, from the moment you decide to enroll at Michigan until the day you graduate, and beyond. Along the way, we’ll connect you to the exciting opportunities U-M has to offer—from unforgettable classes to volunteer activities, from internships to study abroad, and more. We also provide amazing experiences open only to Kessler Scholars, including connections with alumni, workshops, and programs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The Kessler Scholars Program goes above and beyond just giving money for school. It has an amazing staff that really invest their time in making sure that their scholars are equipped with the adequate knowledge, tools, and resources in order to succeed.”  

–Rickey Shackelford
Kessler Scholars Class of 2021
Hometown: Roseville, Michigan

–Rickey Shackelford
Kessler Scholars Class of 2021
Hometown: Roseville, Michigan

A Foundation of Giving

The Kessler Scholarship exists thanks to the generosity of two Michigan alumni and their family.

Fred Wilpon is chairman emeritus of the New York Mets baseball team and a longtime real estate developer in New York City. Thanks to a scholarship, he was able to attend the University of Michigan—the first in his family to do so. As a student he met his wife, Judy Kessler Wilpon, a future LSA alumna.

The Wilpons credit their professional success to their time at Michigan. To ensure other students could attend Michigan, regardless of family income, the Wilpon family made a donation to establish the Irene and Morris B. Kessler Presidential Scholarship Fund in 2007, named in honor of Judy Kessler Wilpon’s parents.

To expand their support for first-generation college students, the Wilpon family also has launched the Kessler Scholars Collaborative. This national project connects the Kessler Scholars Program and the students it supports at U-M to peers at Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, Queens College, Saint Francis College, and Syracuse University. Together, these institutions are reshaping success for first-generation students across the country.