Guide to Outside Scholarships

Outside Scholarships are awards that come from agencies outside the University of Arkansas. There are thousands of scholarship agencies in the world, and UA students typically bring in in outside scholarships each year. The average Outside Scholarship received by U of A students is over $1,700.

Scholarship agencies vary widely by scholarship amount and eligibility criteria, such as college major, intended career, research interests, academic excellence, volunteer experience, race/ethnicity, home town/state, or parent's employers.

Reputable scholarship search sites include Big Future and FastWeb, two nation-wide scholarship search engines. We encourage you to utilize multiple search engines in your search for scholarship funding.

Be cautious regarding organizations that charge a fee to help you find scholarships. Most legitimate scholarship searches are free. However, some professional organizations require membership in their organization as part of the eligibility requirements. In this case, the membership fee should allow you many benefits in addition to scholarship eligibility.

If you have questions about the legitimacy of an organization, contact the relevant academic department. For example, if you are uncertain about a chemical society, contact the Chemistry Department.

If you receive an outside scholarship, the Processing Information Page will guide you through the steps to get your outside scholarship applied to your student account here at the University of Arkansas.

Many outside agencies will refer students to the Financial Aid Office. However, the University of Arkansas has a separate scholarship office that will assist you regarding all academic scholarships. Students who have questions about Outside Scholarships, or need a form completed, are encouraged to contact the Office of Academic Scholarships.