Entering Freshman Scholarships FAQ
Q1:
I am an Entering Freshman and would like to apply for scholarships at UT Austin. How do I begin the process?
Q2:
How do I apply for departmental or college-specific scholarships?
Q3:
Am I required to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) if I want to apply for scholarships at UT Austin?
Q4:
Are there any other available scholarships not specifically mentioned on the ApplyTexas scholarship application or Texasscholarships.org?
Q5:
Can I apply for scholarships for the Summer sessions?
Q6:
Is there a deadline to submit recommendation letters and any documentary materials?
Q7:
What if my test scores arrive at UT Austin after the December 1 application deadline?
Q8:
I did not take the SAT but I did take the ACT. Can I still apply and be considered for scholarships?
Q9:
If I can still access the ApplyTexas Application's Scholarship Section after December 1, does that mean I can still submit it?
Q10:
I submitted my ApplyTexas Application. How can I check its status?
Q11:
How can I update information on my ApplyTexas Application after it has been submitted or after the deadline has passed?
Q12:
I am an international student. Can I apply for scholarships using the ApplyTexas Application?
Q13:
I am a non-resident student. Can I apply for scholarships and will I be given equal consideration as Texas residents?
Q14:
Questions 29-32 of the Scholarship Section ask for Parent Total Annual Income. Is this before or after taxes?
Q15:
How can I navigate through the ApplyTexas Application's Scholarship Section?
A:
First, you must begin an ApplyTexas Application
and select UT Austin as your target university. You must complete and save the
Admission Section of the application before you are given access to the Scholarship
Section. Doing this directly leads you into the Scholarship Section. Much of your
scholarship information is directly tied to the Admission Section, so it is very
important that you save your admission information before you begin the Scholarship
Section.
By completing the application, you will automatically be considered for the majority
of scholarships awarded by the Office Student Financial Services for the following
academic year. This application is made available in August of every Fall semester
and is used to award students for the following academic year. The deadline is
December 1.
NOTE: Completing the ApplyTexas Application's Scholarship Section does not necessarily
make you eligible for specific departmental scholarships. Contact your prospective
academic department for
information about their scholarship procedures.
A:
In most cases, each academic department or college manages its own scholarship
awarding process. In some cases, an academic department or college requires
in-coming students to fill out the ApplyTexas
Application, in addition to their own scholarship application. Contact your
prospective academic department
for information about their scholarship procedures.
A:
The University requires students to complete the FAFSA if they
wish to be considered for any need-based financial aid,
including scholarships offered through the Office of Student Financial Services.
Students who wish to be considered only for merit-based
scholarships are not required to complete the FAFSA, but are still encouraged to do so.
Many merit-based scholarships also have a financial need component, and it is therefore
always advantageous to complete the FAFSA. UT Austin's priority deadline for the
FAFSA is March 15 for students applying for the Summer sessions and the Fall and/or
Spring semesters.
NOTE: We recommend that you complete and submit the FAFSA by March 1 for early
scholarship reviews.
A:
Completion of the ApplyTexas scholarship application and the FAFSA will put you in
consideration for generic scholarships that may be non-renewable awards.
A:
Students applying for Summer admission should complete the Scholarship Section of the
ApplyTexas Application. Although the Office of Student Financial Services does not
generally award scholarships for the Summer sessions, Summer applicants will still be
considered for Fall and Spring scholarship opportunities. Students should also contact
their prospective academic department
to find out if they offer scholarship support during the Summer.
A:
The Office of Student Financial Services (OSFS) strongly encourages you to send
all supplementary materials required for a particular scholarship on or before the
December 1 deadline. Some scholarships require that documentation be submitted much
earlier. Be sure to make note of all appropriate deadlines and act accordingly. OSFS
urges you to send all supplemental documentation as soon as possible, but will continue
to accept all materials that arrive up to the time each scholarship committee meets to
review applications. Typically, this occurs several weeks after the December 1 deadline.
Please note, the following scholarships have different postmark deadlines for
required materials:
- Ruth M. Martin Unrestricted Endowed Presidential Scholarship - January 2
- Ronald M. and Marilou D. Brown Endowed Scholarship - March 15
- Laverne Noyes Foundation Scholarship - April 1
Contact your academic department
for specific instructions about scholarships administered by them.
A:
Any test scores that arrive through the proper channel (sent directly to UT Austin
using Score Recipient Code 6882) after December 1 are processed and accepted until
all scholarship and admission committees have made their decisions. The deciding
committee will use the highest score on file at the time of consideration. While
UT Austin continues to accept additional scores after the December 1 deadline,
there is no guarantee that the new scores will be available before the respective
scholarship committees meet. For information about reporting test scores to UT Austin,
contact the Center for Teaching &
Learning at (512) 232-2653. If you have further questions, please contact the
Office of Student Financial Services at (512) 475-6282.
A:
Yes. UT Austin accepts both the SAT and the ACT for admission and scholarship consideration
purposes.
A:
The ApplyTexas Application for The University of Texas will shut down at midnight
on December 1, therefore you will not have access to any part of the application
after 11:59pm (CST) on December 1.
A:
If you have submitted your ApplyTexas Application, you may check its status by
returning to the My Account page. Once you have
submitted your application, it takes a few business days for UT Austin to receive it.
UT Austin uses the date you submitted the application — rather than the date
we received it — to determine if you met the December 1 deadline.
A:
Please be aware that once you have submitted an application, you cannot make changes
to it. It is vital that you check your responses for accuracy before
you submit it. The deadline to submit the ApplyTexas Application is 11:59 p.m. (CST)
on December 1.
A:
No, in most cases, international students are restricted from accessing the ApplyTexas
Application. For more information about scholarships and international students,
see International Students.
A:
Yes, you can apply for scholarships and yes, you will be given equal consideration
as Texas residents. Although there are scholarships that are awarded specifically
to residents of Texas, there are a large volume of awards that have no residential
stipulation.
A:
Questions 8 & 10 and 13-16 of the Scholarship Section ask for Total Annual Income, not
Adjusted Gross Income. The appropriate answer would be the amount each respective person
earns (from all sources in addition to employment) before tax adjustments. Since the
FAFSA asks for Adjusted Gross Income (as reported on the IRS Tax Form), there will be
a slight inconsistency in the income amounts reported. The Office of Student Financial
Services is aware of the differing amounts and takes both numbers into account when
determining financial need.
A:
To navigate the Scholarship Section, you have 2 options:
- As you complete and save each page, you will automatically advance to the next page in the section. You must fill out each page in order, i.e. you must have completed Page 1 to advance to Page 2, etc.
- As you save each page of the Scholarship Section, the page numbers located in the
header navigation bar will become clickable. You may click on any number to go
directly to a specific page. The list of pages appears below:
Page 1 - Personal Information
Page 2 - Family & Financial Information
Page 3 - Scholarships
Page 4 - Short Answer Questions
Page 5 - Available Scholarships
Page 6 - University Custom Questions
Related Links
ApplyTexas Application
Be a Longhorn
Be a Longhorn: My Status
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Office of Student Financial Services
College & Departmental Links
International Students
Private Scholarships
Private Scholarships Search Engines
Related Information
Do you have a question that is not asked and answered here?
Contact TexasScholarships.org
to submit possible questions and/or other pertinent information.