Scholarships are considered “gift aid”—a type of financial aid that does not have to be repaid. Funds are awarded to individual students and are often based on specific criteria, such as your major, GPA, financial need, etc.
Many students receive scholarships from outside sources, such as hometown organizations, civic organizations, churches, and other local donors, or from businesses and corporations.
When you complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), any scholarships that you receive will be considered when calculating your financial aid award. Receiving a scholarship may affect the amount of other financial aid you are eligible to receive.
UMD campus-wide scholarships
You will be considered for most UMD scholarships based on information that already exists in your university record. Some scholarships need specific information about you that is not on your record; please use the applications below to share those details.
Deadline: Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
How to apply: The Online Application will display a list of scholarship applications that are currently open. Make sure to apply to all that are specific to you. Go to the University of Minnesota Online Scholarship Application.
- Campus-wide application: Complete the 2026-2027 UMD Campus-Wide Scholarships Application first to be considered for campus-wide awards. There may be other applications listed which are available to students campus-wide.
- College specific applications: In addition, complete any of these, depending on the college you are enrolled in (SCSE, CAHSS, or CEHSP), to be considered for college specific scholarships. Dual-majors may apply to both. Pre-major students should apply to the college in which their intended major resides (e.g., Pre-Civil Engineering students should complete the SCSE application).
- Free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): To be considered for need-based scholarships, ensure your 2026-27 FAFSA is on file using UMD’s school code 002388 by the May 3 scholarship deadline.
All degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate students with a UMD ID are eligible to apply (excluding Medical and Pharmacy students).
Note for LSBE students: The Labovitz School of Business and Economics (LSBE) scholarship application is closed. LSBE students are still encouraged to complete the Campus-Wide Application for campus-wide scholarship consideration.
Scholarship recipients will be notified via their UMD email by July 2026.
Additional scholarship resources
How scholarships affect financial aid
University scholarship awards disburse in accordance with the University's financial aid award policy. Consistent with University policy, the total annual aid amount awarded to a student, including all scholarships and grants, cannot exceed cost of attendance at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Financial aid awards (e.g., loans, work study, scholarships, or grants) may be reduced for students whose total aid exceeds the cost of their program for the academic year, as determined by the Office of Financial Aid.
When you receive a scholarship, your existing financial aid awards will be reviewed and adjustments may be made based on the receipt of your scholarship(s). You may see a reduction in other types of aid, such as loans, work-study, or institutional aid.
The University of Minnesota Duluth will allow you to receive the maximum benefits of any scholarships within the US Department of Education guidelines.
Many scholarships require full-time enrollment. Information on eligibility for financial aid is available.
Information on submitting outside scholarship checks
If you receive any scholarship from organizations outside of the University of Minnesota Duluth (e.g.: a local community organization, church, etc.), it is your responsibility to forward the check(s) to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships for processing. You must endorse any check that is made payable to you and the University of Minnesota Duluth before submitting it. If the donor sends the check directly to the University but it is made payable to you, you will be notified by email to visit One Stop in person to endorse it.
When submitting scholarship checks, please make sure the following information is included for each check:
- Your full legal name
- Your University ID number. If your University ID number is not available, please include your home address or the last 4 digits of your Social Security number.
- Scholarship donor's name, address, and phone number
- Letter from donor with any scholarship stipulations. If the full scholarship is intended for a particular term, please include it on the donor's letter or the memo section of the check (e.g. "Fall only," "Check 1/2"...).
- You have endorsed the check if it is made payable to you.
In person
Submit all scholarship checks you receive to One Stop, so the funds can be deposited into your University student account. If the donor sends the check directly to the University made out to you, you must visit One Stop in person to endorse it.
By mail
If your scholarship provider will be sending the check directly to the University (best practice), please have it sent with the information cited above to:
University of Minnesota Duluth
Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships
1049 University Drive
Duluth, MN 55812-3011
Admissions scholarships
Additional scholarships
Scholarship search resources
Several websites provide information on scholarships that are available nationwide. A few of them are listed below:
Requests for your financial aid information
With your permission, the University of Minnesota is able to share information from your financial aid data or Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with scholarship-granting organizations or tribal organizations. You must have provided written permission for the information to be shared.
To enable the University to share your information do one or both of the following:
- Make sure your permission is on your request form or scholarship application.
- Complete an Enrollment Verification Request form.