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College of Arts & Sciences

UNL's Largest and Most Diverse College

Scholarships



How does the College decide who receives scholarships?

The scholarship process is competitive; less than 20% of students who apply receive an award. Awardees usually:

  • have a minimum grade point average of 3.7
  • demonstrate achievement in academics outside the classroom (UCARE, thesis, research, etc.)
  • demonstrate leadership in department, campus, or civic activities

A SCHOLARSHIP RUBRIC is used to evaluate applications; point values are assigned to each of four categories (academic record, UNL leadership, career goals, and letters) and totaled.

The College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Office, in conjunction with the College Committee on Academic Distinction & Awards for Students and the program advisor (when appropriate), chooses recipients for College scholarships. This group also recommends students for certain scholarships awarded by the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid.


What do I need to complete the application process?

We require from every applicant:

  • Resume
  • A one-page narrative evaluating your own scholastic performance to date in terms of your professional goals and objectives
  • 2 letters of recommendation from instructors submitted by them to the Dean's Office by February 1, 2009. Lab assistants and teaching assistants count as "instructors." Please provide each instructor with a Right of Access Form. Because of Federal legislation, confidentiality of the instructor's statement will be guaranteed only if you have waived right to access. Please see the form for more information.

What else can I include on the application?

  • If you are an individual who has experienced disadvantages educationally or economically prior to enrollment at UNL, have demonstrated financial need and a graduate of a Nebraska High School, please include a one-page narrative addressing these disadvantages.
  • If you have demonstrated a commitment to public affairs and the public service at the state (Nebraska), national (United States), or international level, have senior standing, are a graduate of a Nebraska High School, and you would like to be considered for the Theodore C. Sorensen Scholarship, please include a one-page narrative demonstrating this. Note: preference will be given to Nebraska High School graduates.

What are the guidelines for narratives?

A narrative is a summary or recount of events. These should be kept to one page. There are no rules for font size, page margins, or line spacing, but they should be legible.


What is a "non-traditional" student?

A student who is older and did not go to college within a year or two from high school graduation.

How to Apply

You must be enrolled full-time with a major in the College of Arts & Sciences and currently attending at the time of application.

1. Log into your WAM account and click "Upper-class Scholarship Application".
This is the combined Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid and College of Arts & Sciences Upper-class Scholarship Application Form. Submit the completed application, including your resume and narrative(s), by February 1, 2009.

2. Have 2 instructors submit a letter of recommendation to the College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Office.
Give a Right of Access Form (PDF) to each of these instructors. The Right of Access Form can also be found at the appropriate link in the online scholarship application.

3. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by going to www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Many of the college scholarships require demonstrated need.

You will then be considered for all of the college scholarships for which you are eligible. Award letters will be sent out in early April. All applicants will receive a letter one way or the other.

If you are nominated by the Committee on Student Academic Distinction, Awards, and Appeals to represent the College in the Kate Field Grant-in-Aid or Donald Walters Miller competition, you will be contacted to have an official transcript of your grades submitted to this office and possibly a third letter of recommendation, not necessarily from an instructor (required for the Kate Field Grant-in-Aid).

Office of the Dean, College of Arts & Sciences
1223 Oldfather Hall
Lincoln, NE 68588-0312

Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid
17 Canfield Administration
Lincoln, NE 68588-0411

Other Scholarships

Edythe Wiebers International Studies Program Scholarship
This scholarship subsidizes expenses for one academic year associated with a foreign study program. One or more grants ranging from $1,000 to $2,500 are available to undergraduates and/or graduates attending the UNL. Special application forms can be obtained from college offices across campus and from the International Affairs office.

University Scholarships
There are numerous awards and scholarships available through the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid. The combined Upper Class Scholarship is all that you need to complete for this process.

Departmental Scholarships
There are numerous awards and scholarships earmarked for specific majors, all of which are administered individually by the departments in the College of Arts and & Sciences. To find out which scholarships you might be eligible for and the procedures for applying, please contact the appropriate department for information.

Eligibility may depend on information provided by the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid. Therefore, applicants for all scholarships should complete the combined Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid and College of Arts & Sciences Application through your WAM account by March 1 of each year. Click on "Upper-class Scholarship Application".

Nationally Competitive Fellowships and Scholarships for Undergraduate and Post-Baccalaureate Study
There are many highly competitive national awards that require careful planning well in advance of the application deadline. Some require institutional nomination and endorsement and students can nominate themselves for others. If you have any questions about whether or how to apply to a specific merit-based competition, contact Dr. Laura Damuth, Academic Coordinator, Office of Undergraduate Studies, 201 Seaton Hall, (402) 472-5024.

Recommended by the College


Donald Walters Miller Scholarship

  • approximately $1,000
  • sophomore standing or above

Kate Field Grant-in-Aid

  • approximately $6,000 for one academic year
  • ten-year Nebraska resident, in the upper 3/4 of class
  • any level undergraduate
  • financial need may be considered

2 letters of recommendation from instructors must be submitted to the Dean's Office by February 1, 2010. Lab assistants and teaching assistants count as "instructors." Please provide each instructor with a Right of Access Form. Because of Federal legislation, confidentiality of the instructor's statement will be guaranteed only if you have waived right to access. Please see the form for more information.

Undergraduate Scholarship Recommendation Form

Right of Access Form



Arts and Sciences Scholarship

  • Amount varies
  • Based on annual contributions. Demonstrated financial need


Larry Doerr Scholarship Fund for Arts & Sciences

  • approximately $100
  • undergraduate enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences
  • preference given to students studying in the area of Humanities (defined to include Classics, Communication Studies, Philosophy, English, History and Modern Languages)


Elizabeth Anne, Stephan M. and Robert M. Eddy Scholarship Fund

  • approximately $5,000
  • full-time student majoring in Physics and Astronomy or Biological Sciences
  • cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better


Chancellor's Scholarship for Math & Science (FERLIC)

  • approximately $5,000
  • undergraduate majoring in either science or mathematics


Herbert Thomas and Lilah David Folsom Memorial Scholarship *

  • approximately $1,000
  • undergraduate enrolled in the pre-medicine program in the College of Arts and Sciences
  • cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better


Carl Oscar and Hilde Johnson Scholarship

  • approximately $400 - $600
  • junior or senior standing
  • major in language or social sciences


Kiffin Scholarship

  • approximately $500 to $1,000
  • sophomore or above
  • graduate of a Nebraska high school
  • in upper 20% of class
  • demonstrated financial need
  • participation in community and extra-curricular activities

Dorothy Kinyoun Scholarship

  • approximately $300 - $500

Robert L. McCall Arts and Science Scholarship

  • approximately $1,000
  • undergraduate enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences
  • graduate of a Nebraska high school
  • demonstrated financial need
  • preference given to students from educationally or economically disadvantaged backgrounds prior to enrollment at UNL
  • Requires a separate narrative

Carroll R. McKibbin Scholarship Fund

  • approximately $100
  • undergraduate enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences
  • cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better
  • preference given to students who have demonstrated academic merit and accomplishments
  • preference given to students pursuing majors in History and Political Science

Charles D. and Betty J. McKinsey Scholarship *

  • approximately $300
  • undergraduate enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences
  • graduate of a Nebraska High School
  • demonstrated financial need

Martina McMenamin Memorial Scholarship **

  • approximately $1000
  • sophomore standing or above
  • GPA of 3.0 or better
  • demonstrated financial need
  • graduate of Daniel J. Gross High School; if no qualified applicants, candidate may be graduate of any Nebraska High School

Sallie W. Nixon Educational Scholarship

  • approximately $200
  • full-time undergraduate in the College of Arts & Sciences
  • preference given to non-traditional students

Henry and Dorothy Riekes Scholarship

  • approximately $500 - $600
  • sophomore or above
  • currently enrolled in one course which applies to the minor in Judaic Studies
  • one letter of recommendation should come from a faculty member affiliated with the Norman and Bernice Harris Center for Judaic Studies

Shuler-Mills Scholarship

  • approximately $5000 - $9100
  • junior or senior standing
  • enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences
  • demonstrated academic progress and achievement
  • demonstrated financial need
  • graduate of a Nebraska High School

Annis Chaiken Sorenson Award

  • approximately $500 - $600
  • junior standing
  • major in the humanities

Theodore C Sorenson Public Service Scholarship Fund

  • approximately $5,000
  • pursuing a major within the College of Arts & Sciences
  • preference given to graduates of Nebraska high schools
  • senior standing
  • demonstrated superior academic performance
  • demonstrated a commitment to public affairs and service in Nebraska and/or the United States or internationally

Grace and Mabel Souther Scholarship

  • approximately $300 - $500

Joel Stebbins Fund

  • approximately $800
  • student majoring in Mathematics or Physics & Astronomy

Robert and Norma Stine Scholarship Fund

  • approximately $400
  • undergraduate enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences
  • preference given to students with demonstrated financial need

Eunice Stout Scholarship *

  • approximately $100
  • undergraduate enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences
  • sophomore or above
  • cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above
  • graduate of a Nebraska High School

Max John and Pauline H. Stuermer Scholarship *

  • approximately $700
  • female undergraduate enrolled in pre-medicine program in the College of Arts & Sciences
  • major in the humanities as defined by the Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

Robert O. and Gloria L. Vesper Scholarship Fund for the Sciences *

  • approximately $1000
  • undergraduate student with a sophomore standing or above majoring in Geology, Geography, Meteorology-Climatology, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science or Math
  • GPA of 3.0 or better
  • demonstrated financial need
  • graduate of a Nebraska High School (preference given to those students from Brown, Rock, Keya Paha, Cherry, Holt, and Boyd counties)

Charles and Linda Wilson Humanities in Medicine Scholarship *

  • approximately $3,000
  • undergraduate enrolled in the pre-medicine program and the Humanities in Medicine Program in the College of Arts & Sciences
  • declared major in a humanities field as defined by the Dean, College of Arts & Sciences
  • top 10% of high school graduating class
  • demonstrated excellence in course work at UNL
  • participation and leadership in school and community activities
  • preference to students demonstrating financial need