The Office of Undergraduate Admissions offers a number of merit-based scholarships to freshmen or upper-division transfer students enrolling for the first time at USF. These scholarships are available for US citizens, permanent resident aliens and international students. The criteria noted for the various scholarships are used as minimum starting points for consideration; meeting or exceeding the minimum requirements will not guarantee selection.

If you are currently receiving an Undergraduate Admissions scholarship, please click here.

Freshmen – Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for a scholarship?
How do I find out if I received an award?
Can I qualify for a scholarship upgrade with new grades or test scores?
When do I need to return the Terms & Conditions form?
Can I receive one of these scholarships in addition to Florida Bright Futures or Florida Pre-Paid?
When will the scholarship post to my account?
I meet the minimum requirements – why haven’t I received an award?
I’m an international student, what scholarships am I eligible for?
How do I update my residency classification?
How are recipients selected?
Are there additional scholarship opportunities?

Transfer – Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for a scholarship?
How do I find out if I received an award?
Do any of the transfer scholarships have any required documentation in order to be considered for them?
How are recipients selected for transfer scholarships?
If I don’t receive an admissions scholarship, can I reapply or be considered again in a future semester?
I’m an international student, what scholarships am I eligible for?
I’m a citizen of a Latin American or Caribbean country, am I eligible for in-state tuition?
I’m a part-time student, am I eligible for scholarships?
Are there additional scholarship opportunities?

Freshmen – Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for a scholarship? back to top

Complete the application for admission to the University of South Florida by the January 2 priority date—your application for admission also serves as your scholarship application. A complete application consists of your official high school transcripts, official standardized test scores (ACT and/or SAT), paid application fee, and correct residency classification. Students who apply for admission and are admitted to USF after this date will only be considered if scholarship funds are still available after priority awarding.

Generally, a student must have a minimum 3.5 GPA (as recalculated by USF admissions) and an 1170+ SAT or 26+ ACT to be competitive with other applicants. Please note that meeting or exceeding the minimum criteria will not guarantee selection. Please refer to the scholarship website for a list of scholarships and selection criteria.

How do I find out if I received an award? back to top

Notification of awards will begin in October 2007 and continue into the spring or until funds are depleted. Recipients will receive an award letter in the mail to their permanent address. To accept the scholarship offer, recipients are required to complete a Terms & Conditions form found by going to the link provided in your award offer letter.

Can I qualify for a scholarship upgrade with new grades or test scores? back to top

Scholarship upgrades are awarded on a funds available basis at the end of the scholarship award cycle (early spring). If selected to receive an upgrade, recipients will receive an upgrade award letter in the mail. Students may continue to send updated semester transcripts and/or new test scores during the USF scholarship awarding cycle.

When do I need to return the Terms & Conditions form? back to top

Whether you are accepting or declining the offer, we encourage you to submit the form as soon as possible; however, the Terms & Conditions form must be postmarked or submitted by May 1st. If you are undecided about your final choice to come to USF, we encourage you to accept the offer and notify us at a later date if you elect to enroll elsewhere.

Can I receive one of these scholarships in addition to Florida Bright Futures or Florida Pre-Paid? back to top

Yes! The Office of Undergraduate Admissions scholarships are merit-based, and as such, you are eligible to receive them in addition to Bright Futures and/or Florida Pre-Paid. All scholarship funds will be applied to the student account.

When will the scholarship post to my account? back to top

Scholarship funds are disbursed by Financial Aid after the Drop/Add period of the Fall and Spring semesters (typically the end of the first week of classes). Disbursement is contingent on the student being registered as a full-time student at USF (minimum of 12 USF credit hours).

I meet the minimum requirements – why haven’t I received an award? back to top

Meeting or exceeding the minimum GPA or test scores requirements does not guarantee selection for a scholarship. You may wish to review your application information online to verify that your information is correct. Pay special attention to the residency classification listed on the website as an incorrect residency status can affect your consideration for scholarships. You should also note that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions recalculates your GPA based on only academic courses, so your USF GPA may be different than your high school GPA.

I’m an international student, what scholarships am I eligible for? back to top

International students will be considered for all Undergraduate Admissions scholarships. There are two categories of USF scholarships, Florida resident and non-Florida resident. When completing the residency affidavit portion of the admissions application, be sure to provide copies of all required immigration documents. Also, the type of scholarship an international student is eligible for is dependent upon the residency status, so pay special attention to your residency classification listed on the website as an incorrect residency status can affect your consideration for scholarships.

How do I update my residency classification? back to top

You can update your residency classification by completing the Florida Residency Affidavit. Be sure to read the instructions carefully…often students complete the form with their personal information, when in fact they are dependant students and should submit their parent or legal guardian’s information. International students must provide copies of all required immigration documents.

How are recipients selected? back to top

These are competitive, merit-based awards and both GPA and standardized test scores are considered when selecting recipients. The GPA and test score criteria posted on our website are listed as minimum requirements for consideration. Meeting the minimum requirements does not incur a guarantee of a scholarship. Priority consideration is given to those students who apply for admission to USF by the priority date of January 2. Students who apply for admission after the priority date will be considered if additional funds are available.

Are there additional scholarship opportunities? back to top

Students have three options:
1. College/Departmental scholarships – each academic college (Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, etc.) and some departments within these colleges offer scholarships. Students should contact the dean’s office for their college and/or their academic advisor to inquire about scholarship opportunities. In addition, some scholarship applications may be listed on the college website. Each college/department is different in terms of how they make awards.

2. Privately-funded scholarships – through the USF Foundation, students can apply for USF Privately Funded Scholarships. The application for the 2008-2009 school year will be available on the Financial Aid website in late Fall 2007 or early Spring 2008.

3. Outside USF scholarships – students can apply for scholarship opportunities through their local community or high school. Additionally, there are scholarship search engines (national and regional) available online or scholarship directories at public libraries. Answers to frequently asked scholarship questions and links to additional resources to continue your scholarship search are available here.

Transfer – Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for a scholarship? back to top

Complete the application for admission to the University of South Florida by the priority date – April 1 for Summer/Fall semester applicants or November 1 for Spring semester applicants—your application for admission also serves as your scholarship application. A complete application consists of your official post secondary transcripts, paid application fee, and correct residency classification. Students who apply for admission and are admitted to USF after the priority deadlines will only be considered if scholarship funds are still available after priority awarding.

Generally, a student must have a minimum 3.3 cumulative transfer GPA and at least 60 transferable credit hours or an AA degree from a Florida public community college to be competitive to receive a scholarship. Please refer to the website for a list of scholarships and selection criteria.

How do I find out if I received an award? back to top

Notification of awards will begin in late-October for Spring 2008 awards and late-March for Summer/Fall 2008 awards and will continue until funds are depleted. Recipients will receive an award letter in the mail to their permanent address. To accept the scholarship offer, recipients are required to complete a Terms & Conditions form found by going to the link provided in your award offer letter.

Do any of the transfer scholarships have any required documentation in order to be considered for them? back to top

Some scholarships require submission of a letter of recommendation, a nomination form or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The supporting documents must be received by the priority deadline. See individual scholarships for more information.

How are recipients selected for transfer scholarships?

These are competitive merit-based awards and students must be an upper-division transfer student with a minimum 3.3 college GPA with at least 60 transferable credit hours or an AA degree from a Florida public community college to be considered. The criteria posted on our website (GPA or other supporting documentation) are listed as minimum requirements for consideration. Meeting the minimum requirements does not incur a guarantee of a scholarship. Priority consideration is given to those students who apply for admission to USF by the priority date of April 1 for Summer/Fall semester applicants or November 1 for Spring semester applicants. Students who apply for admission after the priority date will be considered if additional funds are available. In addition, some scholarships require additional documentation—please see the individual scholarship criteria for additional requirements.

If I don’t receive an admission scholarship, can I reapply or be considered again in a future semester? back to top

No. Undergraduate Admissions scholarships are only awarded to students enrolling at USF for the first time. Once a student is currently enrolled at the University they are no longer eligible for these scholarships. However, other scholarship opportunities through other resources may exist. To assist you in continuing your scholarship search, links to the Office of Financial Aid and other resources are available here .

I’m an international student, what scholarships am I eligible for? back to top

International students will be considered for all Undergraduate Admissions transfer scholarships. When completing the residency affidavit portion of the admissions application, be sure to provide copies of all required immigration documents. Pay special attention to your residency classification listed on the website as an incorrect residency status can affect your consideration for scholarships.

I’m a citizen of a Latin American or Caribbean country, am I eligible for in-state tuition? back to top

According to Florida State Statutes, citizens of Latin American or Caribbean nations (including Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands) who are receiving a state-funded scholarship of at least $250 per semester may be eligible to be reclassified as a temporary in-state resident for tuition purposes. A state-funded scholarship is any scholarship awarded by Undergraduate Admissions, USF Honors College, USF Athletics Department or any USF college/department.

I’m a part-time student, am I eligible for scholarships? back to top

All Undergraduate Admissions scholarships require full-time enrollment each term the funds are received. The Scholarship Committee will review requests on a case-by-case basis for students who plan to enroll for less than full-time status. If you are unable to attend school full-time, please contact a Scholarship Coordinator to discuss this possibility.

Are there additional scholarship opportunities? back to top

Students have three options:
1. College/Departmental scholarships – each academic college (Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, etc.) and some departments within these colleges offer scholarships. Students should contact the dean’s office for their college and/or their academic advisor to inquire about scholarship opportunities. In addition, some scholarship applications may be listed on the college website. Each college/department is different in terms of how they make awards.

2. Privately-funded scholarships – through the USF Foundation, students can apply for USF Privately Funded Scholarships. The application for the 2008-2009 school year will be available on the Financial Aid website in late Fall 2007 or early Spring 2008.

3. Outside USF scholarships – students can apply for scholarship opportunities through their local community or high school. Additionally, there are scholarship search engines (national and regional) available online or scholarship directories at public libraries. Answers to frequently asked scholarship questions and links to additional resources to continue your scholarship search are available here.