University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Student Academic Affairs > Scholarships

Selection Criteria

Scholarship awards serve two equally valuable purposes: recognition of merit and achievement, as well as provision of financial support. As a general rule, scholarships of $500 are the minimum given when the most important goal is to award achievement rather than impact financial support and aid. Conversely, scholarships of $5000 are generally the maximum given when the most important goal is to supply aid. Most scholarships fall between these two parameters.

The allocation of undesignated scholarship funds should be balanced between awards to incoming students and awards to students already on campus. For incoming students, scholarship funds are most likely to serve a recruiting function and should therefore be evaluated in a competitive context by prospective recipients. For students already on campus, scholarship funds are more likely to recognize concrete achievements during a student's career at UW-Madison and may also permit students to continue at the University when their financial resources might not otherwise permit them to do so.

In recognition of the criteria specified in its mission statement, the L&S Undergraduate Scholarship Program seeks to award its scholarship funds to insure that all of the following are recognized in the aggregate pool of scholarship recipients:

As a general rule, our expectation is that students receiving scholarships should display two or more of the below attributes:

• Academic Merit
  For incoming first-year students, academic merit traditionally means that students rank at the top of their graduating class, or have a 4.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale, have ACT scores of at least 30 and/or SAT scores of at least 1950. For continuing students, we consider a grade point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale, course selection, credit load, and undergraduate research experience. Students should also be actively involved in extracurricular activities.
• Creative Accomplishment
  Students must demonstrate originality and innovation in the arts, sciences, or social sciences. The committee considers the accomplishments of writers, artists, and musicians just as seriously as scientists.
• Financial Need
  The committee considers how students are financing their education. Students applying for scholarships based on financial need should clearly state in their application how many hours a week they work. For most scholarships with a need component a FAFSA must be on file with Student Financial Services.
• Diversity of Background
  All students and staff on our campus gain educationally when we have a diverse student body. With this is mind, the committee considers diversity of race and sex, but also the connections between these and other sources of identity such as religion, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, class, and ability.
• Unusual Force of Character
  Students who have overcome obstacles related to health, family, social, educational or economic disadvantages are encouraged to apply. Any circumstance that shows strength of character and potential for achievement should be stated in your application.
• Community Service
  The committee considers not simply your community service but, more importantly, the impact your service has had on a particular individual or group. The committee considers volunteerism, service learning, field-work or internships that show civic responsibility and engagement.

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