The information on this page is designed to be a resource for UAA staff in awarding departmental or Foundation scholarships to students.

This is not intended to be a student resource.

Frequently Asked Scholarship Questions:

• How do departmental scholarships or prizes affect student aid?

• What is counted as a resource?

• What are standard educational costs?

• What gifts or awards may qualify for special consideration so as not to require a reduction of existing aid?

• What resources are not counted against the COA?

• How are Foundation awards made to students that do not require a UAOnline scholarship application?

 Gifts or awards given to students must be counted as a resource against their cost of attendance (COA) and federal law requires the total aid and awards do not exceed the COA. To determine whether your award will negatively affect a student’s aid package, departments should contact the UAA Office of Student Financial Assistance prior to making the award.

Resources counted for aid purposes include any funds that are granted to a student by an unrelated third party (private donor, community organization, federal, state, or university department) that are given based upon the student’s status as a student and that are intended to assist with educational costs. The only exception is Veteran’s Benefits or ROTC Scholarships, which are not counted as resources per federal regulation.

• Tuition and fees
• Room and board
• Books and supplies
• Personal expenses, including transportation
• Medical allowance for independent undergraduate and all graduate students

Gifts or awards meant to cover:

• Tuition and fee costs over the amount included in the standard budget
• Book, supply costs over the amount included in the standard budget
• Transportation costs over the amount included in the budget if required by the student’s program (e.g., the student must commute during field work)
• Thesis or dissertation costs or licensing fees
• Immunizations if required for the program (such as medical students)
• Additional medical, dental, or mental health expenses for the student in the aid period which are not covered by insurance or the standard medical allowance in the budget
• Dependent care costs, including child care or elder care costs
• Allowances for students with disabilities
• Study abroad or cooperative education costs
• Computer purchase
• Conferences (if approved by the student’s department or college)
• Expenses related to residency relocation
• Interview costs 
  

If you are awarding money to a student (regardless of whether it's called a scholarship, gift, prize), the Office of Student Financial Assistance must be notified. If the award is specifically limited to costs associated with one of the special costs above, you must provide written documentation when authorizing payment to arrange for an increase of the student’s COA. This written documentation can be an explanation of what the award was provided for and will prevent the award from counting against the student's COA. 

• Work earnings (except Work-Study earnings)
• Gifts or prizes won in competitions open to students and non-students alike
• Non-cash prizes that are not items already included in the standard budget

The department can send an email to the UAA Scholarship Coordinator, with the following information: Student’s name and ID number, Foundation account number, and award amount.

The absolute last day a department can notify the Scholarship Coordinator of a Foundation award is:

• October 1st for fall semester
• March 15th for spring semester
• July 15th for summer scholarships

If a department cannot make these deadlines, they must use the Scholarship Payment Request Form and work with UAA Grants & Contracts to request the funds from the Foundation. 

Still have a question about authorizing or awarding institutional and/or Foundation scholarships? Have a suggestion for a FAQ that should should be added to our website? The Office of Student Financial Assistance would like your feedback! Please use the following form to submit your question for consideration on this website.