Scholarship Information

The Office of Financial Aid at the University of Mary Washington coordinates more than 300 different scholarship and grant programs that include general scholarships and scholarships for specific majors*.  A majority of the funds awarded through the Office of Financial Aid are need based and require valid results from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in addition to the General Scholarship Application (available below).  The FAFSA preferred filing date is March 1 for freshmen and transfer students and March 15 for active UMW students.

Current scholarship recipients are evaluated for renewal after grades post in May with remaining scholarships awarded to new applicants by a selection committee in June.  Many scholarships may be renewed provided that students meet academic requirements, the FAFSA filing date, and submit required documents on or before May 15.  Students completing the General Scholarship Application are considered for ALL scholarships for which they are eligible. The ‘Supplemental Scholarship Application’ is used for subsequent scholarship opportunities or scholarships requiring special documents.  Students are notified through the Financial Aid Web site, the EagleNet Portal and UMW e-mail system in mid- September, mid-January and as scholarships opportunities are created or become available.

Current Available Applications 2013-2014

Note that merit scholarships (Scholastic Excellence) for in-coming freshmen are determined through the Office of Admissions.

*A majority of the academic departments select the recipients from students who have declared majors in their specific discipline.  Since the process is different for each department, it is important to contact the department or visit their Web sites.

Scholarships for Employees’ Children 2013-2014

Students who received awards in 2012-2013 will be considered again.  All new students must contact the Director of Financial Aid (finaid@umw.edu) by May 1 to be considered.  Be sure to include the student’s name and the UMW employee name.  The basic criteria are listed below.  Students will be notified no later than mid to late June.   The actual amounts of the scholarships are dependent upon the number of qualified students.

Recipients must be full-time students at UMW with a minimum 2.000 cumulative grade point average.  A dependent child is defined as an unmarried, biological or legally adopted child or step-child of the employee, less than 23 years of age at the time the semester begins, who is living full-time with the employee and who is claimed as a dependent on the employee’s federal tax return.

The Arrington Scholarships

• Dependent children of full-time faculty/staff who have been employed at UMW 5 years
• Funds awarded first to students with demonstrated need
• Remaining funds disbursed evenly among other eligible recipients
• Amount not to exceed tuition and fees

Faculty Children Scholarships

• Dependent children of full-time faculty members
• Funds disbursed evenly among eligible recipients

Michael Houston Memorial Scholarships

• Dependent children of classified employees
• Funds disbursed evenly among eligible recipients

The majority of other UMW Scholarships is need based and requires the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be processed and the UMW Scholarship Information Form to be completed.  The General Scholarship Application (above) and FAFSA (on-line at www.fafsa.ed.gov) are also available in the Office of Financial Aid, Lee Hall, Room 206.