The Undergraduate Scholarship Office

Helps Connect Students with Scholarship Resources

By Mona Pitre-Collins, Director, Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards

The Undergraduate Scholarship Office serves as a clearinghouse of information on merit-based scholarships for current University of Washington students. The Office gathers information on funding opportunities, both local and national, for which University of Washington students can apply. The Undergraduate Scholarship Office (USO) also serves as the nominating office for national scholarship competitions. For these awards, the office organizes campus-screening committees to identify the University of Washington campus nominee and helps the nominees prepare for the national competition.

We support students by providing general resources and advising to individual students throughout the scholarship process. The USO workshops, fairs and web page can help students by providing additional information.

Students not currently enrolled at the University of Washington-Seattle may receive scholarship information through the Undergraduate Scholarship Office Website at: http://www.washington.edu/students/ugrad/scholar/students/incoming/schols.html

The listings we maintain in the Scholarship Opportunity section are under “Incoming University of Washington Students.” This category lists a few scholarships for students who wish to transfer to the University of Washington from community colleges and other 4-year colleges and universities. It also lists scholarships for international students who wish to enter the University of Washington as degree-seeking students. This includes students who require a visa to attend the UW. Listings for high school seniors who wish to enter the University of Washington directly after high school, including Washington State Running Start students are also included.

TRANSFER SCHOLARSHIPS -- There are three scholarship programs that specifically target community college students who wish to transfer to UW–Seattle. They are the Martin Achievement Scholarship, the Martin Family Foundation Honors Scholarship, and the Washington NASA Space Grant Community College Transfer Scholarship.

The Martin Achievement Scholarship — Application Deadline is Monday, April 11, 2005. Established by The Martin Family Foundation, this program funds students who have demonstrated exceptional ability in art, humanities, music, science, and/or leadership at North Seattle, Seattle Central and South Seattle Community Colleges. The program will select eight Martin Achievement Scholars early in their community college career and will fund, encourage and support their study and eventual transfer to the University of Washington-Seattle Campus. Eligible students applying during the 2004/05 academic year would not transfer to the UW until summer or autumn quarter 2006.

The Martin Family Foundation Honors Scholarship — Application Deadline is Friday, July 8, 2005. Established by the Martin Family Foundation, this program enables Washington State community college students of exceptional ability and outstanding achievement to complete their baccalaureate degrees at the UW. Although not required, the expectation is that Martin Family Honors Scholars will join the honors program at the UW, and—depending on the students’ choice of majors—will become eligible to graduate with departmental and/or university honors. Eligible students applying during the 2004/05 academic year would transfer to the UW either autumn quarter 2005 or winter quarter 2006.

The Washington NASA Space Grant CC Transfer Scholarship — Applications must be postmarked by March 25, 2005. The Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium offers scholarships to promising community college students planning to transfer to the UW to continue their studies in math, engineering or other science fields. Scholarships are based on academic achievement, personal essays, recommendations and future academic promise. To be eligible, applicants must be Washington state residents and U.S. citizens planning to major in a science, mathematics, or engineering discipline at the University of Washington.

DEPARTMENTAL SCHOLARSHIPS -- There are a several departments at the UW that offer departmental scholarships (see “Departmental Scholarships at the UW-Seattle”). While most of these are available to students only after they have been accepted to the UW, a few departments offer scholarships which prospective transfer students can apply for while applying to the UW-Seattle. Interested students should contact individual departments for details. The following scholarship applications are open to incoming students:

UW Business School Scholarships -- If you are applying to the UW Business School, you can also apply for a Business Scholarship. The UW Business School offers approximately 198 awards to undergraduate students. Contact Pam McGrath, pmcgrath@u.washington.edu, Scholarship Coordinator, for more information. NOTE: Scholarship applications will be available from the UW Business School site in January 2005. The application deadline is April 5 .
College of Engineering Scholarships -- offers annual scholarships for pre-engineering and engineering students. Eligible students are those applying to an engineering department and/or are already admitted to a department. Questions should be sent to engradv@engr.washington.edu. The deadline for the 2005-06 College of Engineering Scholarship Application is April 1, 2005 .
College of Forest Resources -- offers and administers in-state tuition scholarships, which are made possible through the generous donations of alumni, local industry, and other organizations. Eligible students are those who have a major in the College of Forest Resources and who are enrolled full-time (12 credits). The application deadline is April 15, 2005.

Additional Sources of Scholarship Information Can Be Found With These Resources:

PROFESSORS AND DEPARTMENTAL ADVISERS – Professors and departmental advisers may know of merit-based scholarships for undergraduates specific to a field of study. Professional groups often allocate funds to sponsor undergraduate scholarships. Professors and/or advisers may be associated with such groups. Posters and announcements for awards are often mailed for posting to eligible departments. Therefore, interested students should check departmental kiosks and bulletin boards regularly.

COMMUNITY-BASED, MEMBERSHIP-BASED, PROFESSIONAL & SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS – Community organizations (Kiwanis Clubs, Jaycees, Chambers of Commerce, Community Centers, local chapters of Business Associations, etc.,) often give awards to students from their communities who are attending college.

FREE SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH SERVICES ON THE WEB – There are a number of scholarship search services offered free on the Internet.

The College Board provides advice, information, and interactive tools to help students navigate the financial aid maze and figure out how to pay the bills. http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp
The Financial Aid Information Page is a good funding resource and also provides links to other free Internet scholarship services. www.finaid.org
Pacific Northwest Scholarship Guide Online, published by the College Planning Network (CPN) is a Seattle-based, nonprofit organization. It assists people who are seeking educational opportunities in the Pacific Northwest. http://www.collegeplan.org/cpnow/pnwguide/pnwguide.htm
Sallie Mae’s free Online Scholarship Service gives students access to vast Internet resources. The College Answer's Free Scholarship Search provides access to over 2.4 million awards worth over $14.6 billion. http://salliemae.collegeanswer.com/paying/content/pay_scholarship.jsp
The Scholarship Resource Network provides an overview of financial aid resources available to students with a special focus on scholarship information. http://www.srnexpress.com/index.cfm

Be cautious when scholarship search services ask you to pay. Visit the Federal Trade Commission’s $cholarship $cam page before you do so. www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/scholarship

Where can I find the Scholarship Office?

120 Mary Gates Hall, Box 352803
Seattle WA 98195-2803
EMAIL: scholarsq@u.washington.edu
206-543-4282; FAX 206-616-4389

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