A college education is a big investment, but scholarships are an excellent way to make your higher ed experience more affordable. And unlike another form of financial aid – student loans – scholarships are gift money that never have to be paid back.

At U-M, scholarships are awarded based on several criteria including academic achievement, personal talents, interests, leadership qualities, financial need, or a combination of these. Funding often reflects the university's commitment to achieving a diverse student body. While a separate application is required for some scholarships, most require only your university admission application.

Below are five important steps to make sure you receive full consideration for all scholarships. If you are a graduate student, visit our scholarships page for graduate students. Study abroad scholarship information can be found on our scholarships page for study abroad.

Step 1: Apply for Financial Aid

We encourage all students to apply for financial aid so they receive full consideration for scholarships. You do not need to be admitted to U-M to complete your application for aid.

New Undergraduates
Continuing Students

Step 2: Apply to U-M to be Automatically Considered for Many Scholarships

Your application to the university serves as your application for many of our scholarships. First-year and transfer students should complete and submit the Common Application and provide all required documents by the application deadline. Some schools and colleges offer their own scholarships that require additional applications.

U-M School, College, and Departmental Scholarships

These are considered during the admissions process by each individual unit. If you are applying to study in the College of Engineering, for example, they award their own scholarship money directly to entering students. Each school and college has varied criteria they use to award their scholarship dollars which can include academic merit; special talents, interests or qualities; or financial need.

For more information about these scholarships, contact the financial aid or scholarship office of the individual schools and colleges or your academic department.

List of schools & colleges

Architecture & Urban Planning
Art & Design
Business
Center for the Education of Women+
Dentistry
Education
Engineering
Environment and Sustainability
Information
Kinesiology
Law
Literature, Science, and the Arts
Medicine
Music, Theatre & Dance
Nursing
Office for Services for Students with Disabilities
Pharmacy
Public Health
Public Policy
Social Work
U-M International Institute
Veterans & Military Services

Additionally, you can find scholarships awarded in the Office of Financial Aid.

Step 3: Complete "My Scholarship Profile" to Round Out Your Information

Submit additional information about yourself to help us know more about you.

The "My Scholarship Profile" feature in the Campus Finances section in Wolverine Access collects and securely stores your information, and makes it available to scholarship administrators across campus. Some donor-provided scholarships awarded by the schools and colleges and the Office of Financial Aid require this additional detail. No separate application is required.

If you are a prospective student or newly admitted and you have not received a uniqname from U-M ITS, you can use a Friend Account to log in to Wolverine Access. Complete and/or update "My Scholarship Profile" using your Friend Account.

Prospective, entering, and continuing students should complete and/or update "My Scholarship Profile" by Feb. 15 to ensure full consideration for scholarships for the upcoming academic year.

Office of Financial Aid scholarships that use "My Scholarship Profile" 

Ancestry Scholarships

  • Harrison (Seth) Scholarship 
    Graduate or undergraduate scholarships for the benefit of descendants of Seth Harrison
     
  • Moiles (Sophia M.) Student Aid
    Undergraduate students, with preference given to descendants  of Henry Moiles and Catherine Colclough Moiles of Saginaw, MI
     
  • Malcolm (Emma Clarissa) Scholarship 
    Undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need, with preference given to nieces and nephews of Emma Clarissa Malcolm and their descendants
     
  • Smith (Crapo C.) Scholarship 
    Descendants of Henry Howard and Mary Ann Crapo who demonstrate financial need
     
  • Motley (Robert E.) Scholarship 
    Awarded to undergraduates who demonstrate financial need for the benefit of descendants of Robert E. Motley

Considering Personal Attributes

  • Andrew (Gordon) Memorial Scholarship
    Students affiliated with industrial and residential plumbing, heating, and cooling industry
     
  • Dreifuss (David A.) Scholarship Fund
    Student whose parent serves/served in U.S. Air Force
     

  • Herbert (Skylar) Memorial Scholarship Fund
    Student whose parent is employed as a first responder.

  • Michell (Marie) Memorial Scholarship
    1. Children or grandchildren of Women Airforce Service Pilots
    2. Applicants to Nursing School
     
  • Noyes (LaVerne) Foundation
    Direct blood descendants of American WWI veteran
     
  • Tennant (Bryon Lee) Memorial Scholarship Fund
    Students with honorable discharge from U.S. Marine Corps or children of veterans

Organization and Club Scholarships

  • Culpepper (Thomas W. and Marilyn Mayer) Endowed Scholarship
    Award recipient selected by Beta Delta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority

Step 4: Review Awarding Criteria and Apply for these Scholarships

A few scholarships do require a separate application, and can be based on merit, financial need, or other criteria. The list below will help you determine if you meet the criteria and should apply during the annual application period. Students who have applied to the university but have not yet been admitted are eligible to apply for scholarships.

Scholarships requiring a separate application

Application available year-round

Application available here from Oct. 1-Nov. 15

  • Home for the Holidays Scholarship
    Financial assistance for students heading home for holiday breaks
    Thanksgiving recess deadline: Oct. 18, 2024 by 5 p.m. EST
    Winter break deadline: Nov. 15, 2024 by 5 p.m. EST

Applications available here from Nov. 1-Jan. 31

  • Alumnae Council Scholarships 
    Students with high academic achievement and demonstrated financial need
  • Chris Armstrong Scholarship
    Support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities
  • Herbert H. Lee Scholarship
    Students with demonstrated need and personal knowledge of Korean culture
  • LEO Union Scholarship
    Undergraduate or graduate students who are dependents of a member of a union
  • MUSIC Matters Scholarship Fund
    Awarded to undergraduates who demonstrate financial need
  • Robert and Rose Parsigian Scholarship
    Student with demonstrated knowledge of Armenian history and a commitment to enhancing the culture
  • Thomas M. Iden Scholarship Trust
    Students who are active in the work of an Ann Arbor church
  • Thomas Safran Family Scholarship
    Students who demonstrate financial need and have considerable community service experience
  • U-M Faculty and Staff Scholarship Fund
    Child of UM-Ann Arbor faculty or staff member who demonstrates financial need
  • U-M Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship
    Students who demonstrate a commitment to social justice issues and community involvement

Applications tentatively available here from March 3-April 4

  • FORD/EEOC Scholarship Program
    Students of Ford employees
  • General Motors Opportunity Scholarship
    Students of GM employees

Step 5: Explore Opportunities for Other Scholarships

Local civic and professional groups, U-M alumni, state governments, and other organizations offer scholarship opportunities for college students.

Other scholarships

Private Scholarships

Private college scholarships are offered by corporate, professional, trade, government, civic, religious, social, and fraternal organizations ranging from small honorariums to thousands of dollars. You must complete any required applications and meet eligibility criteria for individual scholarships.

Start searching early. If you are in high school, start as soon as your junior year. A quick way to find scholarships is to use free scholarship search websites. Other good places to search include your local library, high school guidance counselor's office and bookstores.

Individual private scholarships are not listed on this page. Today's scholarship search engines are robust and offer you many ways to search for and discover scholarships appropriate to your individual situations. Below are some of the more popular free search tools with basic resources to assist you in your search. We do not recommend companies that offer scholarship services for a fee.

These free search tools are intended only as a resource and do not express or imply any university involvement with, or endorsement of, the external programs.

U-M Alumni Clubs

University of Michigan Alumni Clubs throughout the country provide scholarships and funding for University of Michigan students from their communities. Scholarships are awarded to undergraduates on the basis of academic achievement, financial need, and community service. Amounts of these scholarships vary.
For more information, contact the U-M alumni clubs directly. For a list of local U-M clubs, see the U-M Alumni Association’s website. Scholarship opportunities can be found on the U-M Alumni Association website.

State Scholarships

The State of Michigan administers a small number of scholarships for Michigan resident undergraduates. For more information, see the State of Michigan website. Non-Michigan residents should investigate scholarship opportunities offered by their home states.

Distinguished Scholarships

Visit the LSA Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships website for information about the following distinguished scholarships:

  • Beinecke Brothers Memorial Scholarship
  • Rhodes Scholarship
  • Marshall Scholarship
  • Mitchell Scholarship
  • Churchill Scholarship
  • Fulbright Scholarship