How To Apply
Students no longer need to fill out an application to be considered for most CAHSS scholarships (including scholarships from the ten departments within our collegiate unit). This decision was made to save students time and energy and to remove barriers that may have prevented students from applying previously. Eligibility for many of our scholarships can be determined using information already accessible in student records, such as GPA or declared major. There is no need for students to repeat this information in a separate form.
For scholarships that do have additional requirements (such as short answer responses), students will be notified via email. You will only be asked to provide information for scholarships you are otherwise eligible to receive. For example, you would not be sent an email for a scholarship that required a 3.0 GPA if you did not already meet that requirement. We hope that this will significantly reduce the time students need to spend on the scholarship process.
Didn't receive an email? Don't worry! If you didn't get an email from CAHSS requesting additional information, it doesn't necessarily mean you won't be selected for a scholarship. It just means that the scholarships you were eligible for did not require any additional questions.
What else can you do to prepare? Make sure that you complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible. Students cannot be considered for any need-based scholarships without FAFSA data for the current year on file.
CAHSS Internship Scholarship
You may have heard about the CAHSS Internship Scholarship, which works a little differently from the others. This scholarship is new this year and was designed to help CAHSS students participate in valuable internship experiences during their time at UMD. You may be eligible for this scholarship if:
- you are an enrolled CAHSS student for the current semester
- you are participating in an internship for course credit
- the internship is unpaid or underpaid (less than $15/hr)
There is a very short application for this particular scholarship because of its unique requirements. Applications for Fall 2024 closed on September 16th. If you applied, please check your UMD email carefully for a letter notifying you of your scholarship award. If you do not have a letter from CAHSS, then you were unfortunately not selected for this round. If you have questions about this scholarship, please contact us at [email protected].
Receiving a Scholarship
Most of our scholarships are awarded in the spring for the following academic year. For example, if you receive a scholarship for the 2025-2026 academic school year, you will be notified via an email from the official CAHSS account in late April 2025. Half of the award will be applied to your student account at the beginning of the Fall 2025 semester (August 2025) and the other half will be applied at the beginning of the Spring 2026 semester (January 2026). If you are a graduating in the fall, you may receive the full award in Fall 2025. A few scholarships may be awarded outside of this cycle, including summer scholarships for Study Abroad and the CAHSS Internship Scholarship (see above). Please read the notification email from CAHSS carefully to make sure you know which type of scholarship you are receiving.
Whenever you receive a scholarship (from CAHSS or elsewhere), it is important to check in with One Stop to learn how your financial aid situation will be impacted. One Stop is also the place to go for any questions regarding your student account. The College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences does not oversee the timeline of disbursements or how disbursements appear on your records. For general information or questions about scholarships or our collegiate scholarship process, please feel free to contact us at [email protected].