UWRF seeks applicants for $900,000 in scholarships

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls has over 800 different scholarships available to students, with the deadline to apply for a majority of them being Feb. 1, 2023.

Ac0cording to Financial Aid Officer JoAnna Demulling, there are two different types of scholarships. “The first type of scholarship is called the automatch scholarship,” Demulling said. “This one only requires the general scholarship application, and then you’re done, that’s it.”

The second type of scholarship available is called the “apply-to” scholarship. “The apply-to scholarships typically will require an additional essay question and/or a letter of recommendation,” Demulling said. “These ones require additional work to be done.” Demulling said that the scholarships with the highest rewards are often apply-to scholarships.

“It makes sense logically that the bigger (scholarships) require additional work to be done,” Demulling said. “It would be strange if a scholarship like the Chancellor’s Scholarship didn’t require any additional work.” According to Demulling, the Chancellor’s Scholarship for new students is the scholarship with the greatest award, as it is “up to the cost of tuition.”

“The Chancellor’s Scholarship is up to the cost of tuition, so it is not a complete full-ride; it doesn’t cover room and board, for example,” Demulling said. Demulling added that the Chancellor’s Scholarship can either be a full-tuition scholarship or a half-tuition scholarship; it all depends on the number of qualified applicants. The competition for the scholarship is fierce, as Demulling said about “two to four” students receive the scholarship each year. “It is a rewarding, yet competitive, scholarship,” Demulling said.

The deadline for the Chancellor’s Scholarship is Jan. 5, nearly a month prior to the deadline from the other scholarships. “We receive a lot of recipients for this one, so it takes longer to look through all the applications, which is why it is due earlier,” Demulling said. She recommends that students, at the very least, apply for some of the apply-to scholarships.

“If nothing else, I just recommend filling out an apply-to scholarship,” Demulling said. “From a financial aid perspective, it is generally a smart idea to apply for scholarships, as they offset the cost.”Demulling also said that each scholarship is funded by the UW-River Falls Foundation through contributions from faculty, alumni, staff, parents, and campus organizations. More than $900,000 worth of scholarships are typically awarded to students each year.

If students are interested in applying to scholarships, they can visit the website uwrf.academicworks.com for more information.