CLAS Scholarships

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences currently supports over 80 different scholarships through the College's annual scholarship competition. As a result of the generosity of all our scholarship donors, the College has been able to provide over one million dollars in scholarship assistance to over 250 students during the academic year. View 2023 - 2024 scholarship recipients.

Application Process

Entering First-Time, First-Year Scholarship Opportunities

CLAS Financial Need-Based Scholarship Opportunities

CLAS Merit Scholarship Opportunities

CLAS Undergraduate Honors and Research Scholarship Opportunities

CLAS Graduate Student Scholarship Opportunities

CLAS Scholarship Applications for the 2023 - 2024 academic year will be available on the Iowa Scholarship Portal.

All annual CLAS undergraduate scholarship applications are currently located on the Iowa Scholarship Portal (https://uiowa.academicworks.com/). To see the CLAS specific Scholarships set the filter to College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. When logged into the scholarship portal, after completing the UI General Application, students can select the filter "Recommended" to view a list of all the CLAS scholarships for which they may apply. Some CLAS applications are tied to the CLAS conditional application while others may require you to complete a separate application.  

CLAS Scholarship Breakdown:

Entering First-Time, First-Year students only (students starting at Iowa in the fall 2023) 

If you are a new incoming first year student or new transfer student, be sure to have your 2023-2024 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) completed and submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid by December 1, 2022. 

*** Please Note: The application period for entering first time, first year scholarships

will be October 1, 2022 thru November 30, 2022. ***

 
Scholarship Eligibility and Availability
LuVella Burnett Scholarship Entering first- time, first-year students only. Must be an Iowa resident with preference given to students from northwest Iowa.
Bryan Joens Memorial Scholarship Entering first- time, first-year students only - Undergraduate students who graduated from Waterloo East High School, with financial need.

Dean Gerhard Loewenberg Scholarship

Entering first- time, first-year students only

Ina Loewenberg Scholarship

Entering first- time, first-year students only

William and Effa McMeans Scholarships

Entering first- time, first-year students only

Prescott Family Scholarship Entering first- time, first-year students only- must be a full-time student with financial need and ACT score of 22 or higher or in the top 10% of their high school class, who are from the following counties: Tama, Marshall, Story, Boone, Greene, Hamilton or Hardin. Also, there is a preference for a student who lives on campus.

Elmer J. Steuck Memorial Scholarship Fund

Entering first- time, first-year students only. Must be an Iowa resident with preference given to students from northwest Iowa.
Michael Senich Scholarship Entering first- time, first-year students only- must be from Iowa and show financial need

Shoemaker-Strickler Memorial Scholarships

Entering first- time, first-year students only- majoring in Chemistry or Physics
Step to the Future Scholarship Entering first- time, first-year students only- must show financial need

Charles E. and Eleanore G. Wilson Scholarship in Actuarial Science and Statistics

Students may be contacted directly by the Actuarial Science department 

Entering first-year, entering transfer, or current students
First priority given to undergraduate students in Actuarial Science  who exhibit demonstrated intellect, creativity, ambition and financial need. 
Dorothy Wirtz Fine Arts Scholarship Entering first- time, first-year students only - majoring in Art, Cinema, Dance, English, Music, or Theatre Arts

 

Minimum CLAS Scholarship Requirements (for current students):

  • Must be able to demonstrate academic promise and accomplishments.
    • Need Based awards require a minimum 3.50 UI and cumulative GPA.
    • Merit Based awards require a minimum 3.75 UI and cumulative GPA.
  • Must be enrolled primarily in a College of Liberal Arts & Sciences degree granting program and seeking your first undergraduate degree.
  • Must be enrolled as a CLAS undergraduate in fall 2022 and spring 2023 semesters. 
  • Must continue as a CLAS undergraduate in 2023-2024.
  • Many scholarships require that applicants have filed the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
    • For continuing students, the FAFSA filed for the 2022-2023 or 2023-2024 academic year will be used in the selection process.
    • Visit the Office of Student Financial Aid to find out more information about scholarships and completing the FAFSA.

The application period for current CLAS undergraduate students is November 14, 2022 thru February 3, 2023. The CLAS scholarship award winners will be announced by email no later than April 14, 2023.

 

Financial Need-Based Scholarships: currently enrolled undergraduate students in a College of Liberal Arts & Sciences degree granting programs.

Completion of the FAFSA is required for consideration.

 

 
Scholarship Eligibility

Mary Goodykoontz Barnes Scholarship

Financial need-based

Nadyne Harris Scholarships

Financial need-based

Ralph K. and Maxine J. Hibbs Scholarships

Financial need-based

Margaret Foster Hoff Memorial Scholarship

Financial need-based

Hubert H. and Hugh M. Schultz Scholarship Fund

Financial need-based

Alexander Kern Scholarships

Financial need-based

Faith M. Knowler Scholarship

Financial need-based

Edward Prichett Scholarship Fund

Financial need-based

Myrna Lee Sprengeler Memorial Scholarship

Financial need-based

Mary Campbell Tow Scholarship

Financial need-based

Manuel Paul and Abraham Chinitz Liberal Arts and Sciences Scholarship Fund

Financial need-based

Jeffery Keith Jones Memorial Scholarship

Financial need-based

Rains Family Scholarship Fund

Financial need-based, Junior or Senior

Henry G. Ullerich Scholarship in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Financial need-based, Iowa Resident

Shallman Family Scholarship

 Financial need-based

Helen Reich Scholarship Fund

 Financial need-based

 

Financial Need-Based Scholarships: currently enrolled undergraduate students in College of Liberal Arts & Sciences degree granting programs.

Completion of the FAFSA is required for consideration.

 
Scholarship Eligibility and Availability
Betty and Paul Abel Scholarship Must be a Junior or Senior (60+ earned hours) and identify as a first generation college student.
Edward B. Buchanan, Jr. and Mary Louise Buchanan Scholarship  Must be an Iowa resident, have graduated from an Iowa High School, Junior or Senior (60+ earned hours), and be a major in Chemistry, Physics, Biology, or Mathematics

Jackie L. Christopher Scholarship

Must have a major in one of the following departments: Mathematics or Computer Science

Roger H. and Marilyn J. Coleman Scholarship

Must have a major in one of the following departments: Communication Studies or Journalism & Mass Communication

James and Syndy Conger Scholarship

Must have a major in one of the following departments: Asian & Slavic Languages & Literature, Classical Languages, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish
Faley Family First Generation Scholarship  Must be an Iowa resident, have graduated from an Iowa High School, and identify as a first generation college student.
Robert Froese Scholarship Must have a major in one of the following departments: Chemistry, Physics & Astronomy, Mathematics, Biology, Communications Science & Disorders, Computer Science, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Health & Human Physiology, Psychology, and/or Statistics & Actuarial Science

Lennis J. Holm Scholarship

Must have a major in one of the following departments: Annually rotates among English-Nonfiction Writing (2023-24), Theatre Arts--Playwriting (2024-25), Cinema--Screenwriting (2025-26).
R.L. Hulbary Scholarship   Must be an Iowa resident and currently be registered as a Junior or Senior (60+ earned hours)

David W. Koehser Scholarship

Must have a major in one of the following departments: Economics, Political Science, or History

Dr. Merlyn Arthur Lewis and Jeanette Lewis Scholarship

Must be a first year student with a major in CLAS. (0-30 overall hours earned)

Morris & Lenore Mandelbaum Family Fund Scholarship

Must have graduated from a Des Moines high school, and have a major in one of the following departments: Anthropology, Geographical and Sustainability Sciences, Political Science, Economics (BA or BS), History, Sociology, Social Work, Psychology, International Studies

Mary Pelechek Scholarship Fund

Must have a major in one of the following departments: Music or the Fine Arts. Applicants of Bohemian (Czech) descent given preference

Adelaide Boerner Trickey Scholarship

Must have a major in one of the following departments: Music or Psychology
Rotates on a two-year basis between the School of Music and the Department of Psychology (see scholarship information for dates)

Richard S. and Helene D. Trump Scholarship

Must have a major in one of the following departments: Annually alternates between German and School of Art and Art History. 

Charles E. and Eleanore G. Wilson Scholarship in Actuarial Science

Current students, entering first-year, or transfer students.
Priority given to students who have a major or interest in Actuarial Science. Statistics majors are also eligible to apply.

Rainbow Science Scholarship Fund

Must have a major in one of the following departments: Chemistry, Physics & Astronomy, Mathematics, Biology, Communications Science & Disorders, Computer Science, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Health & Human Physiology, Psychology, and/or Statistics & Actuarial Science

Max von Schrader Classics Scholarship

 Must have a major in the following department: Classics

Kenneth J. and Sharon L. (Reisch) Erickson Scholarship

 Must have a major in one of the following departments: Chemistry, Physics & Astronomy, Mathematics, Biology, Communications Science & Disorders, Computer Science, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Health & Human Physiology, Psychology, and/or Statistics & Actuarial Science.

Peter and Marie Bousfield Memorial Scholarship

 All CLAS majors
   

 

Merit Scholarships: currently enrolled undergraduate students in a College of Liberal Arts & Sciences degree granting programs.

 
Scholarship Eligibility    

Marion L. Elmquist Scholarship in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences 

All CLAS majors, must be a Junior (third year) student. 

    

Bill and John Fenton Scholarships 

All CLAS majors

    
Dr. Obiagele Lake Pan-African Empowerment Scholarship

Must have 75+ hours with course work focusing on African, African-American or Afro-Caribbean studies (students should have taken at least four courses in one of these three areas between their freshman and junior years).

    

Hubert H. and Hugh M. Schultz Scholarship Fund

All CLAS majors

    

Richard J. Odem Scholarship

Must have a major in one of the following departments: Mathematics, Statistics, or Economics

    

George S. Schaeffer Scholarships

Must have a major in one of the following departments: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Sciences, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Health and Human Physiology, Mathematics, Microbiology, Physics & Astronomy, Psychology, Communication Sciences and Disorders, or Statistics & Actuarial Science

    

Dr. George Schulz-Behrend Fund

Major in German

    

Barbara G. and Professor Ralph I. Stephens Art Scholarship

Must have a major in one of the following departments: Art and Art History

    

Velma E. Stuit Scholarships

Must have a major in one of the following departments: Mathematics, Statistics, Chemistry, Physics, or another science and identify as female 

    

Esther Walls Scholarship

Major in the fine arts, social sciences, or humanities

    

Maureen Medberry Snell Award

 All CLAS majors  
Winifred S. Scott Scholarship All CLAS majors  

Hogan Family Scholarship

Must have a major in one of the following departments: Available to History majors for 2021-22, and English majors in 2022–23, Iowa Writer's Workshop students in 2023-2024,

Mark W. Coffey Scholarship Fund

 Must have a major in Mathematics or Physics. Preference given to Iowa residents. 

M. Gladys Scott Scholarship

Undergraduate and Graduate women majoring in Sport Studies.
Application available in department beginning spring 2023.

Homewood Memorial Scholarship

Undergraduate and Graduate majors in Sport Studies.
Application available in department beginning spring 2023.

C. Pauline Spencer Scholarship

Undergraduate and Graduate women majoring in Sport Studies.
Application available in department beginning spring 2023.

Miriam Taylor Scholarship

Undergraduate and Graduate major in Sport Studies.
 

 

Undergraduate Honors and Research Scholarships: currently enrolled undergraduate students in a College of Liberal Arts & Sciences degree granting programs.

Scholarship   Eligibility and Availability

Stevens Phi Beta Kappa Scholarship

  

Must be a junior with a natural science major with at least two semesters of study remaining. Application deadline: spring 2023.

Claire and Carl Stuart Study Abroad Scholarship Fund

  

Study Abroad funding for Iowa Residents in their Junior year of study. (Winterim India)
Carol A. Snodgrass Scholarship   Study Abroad funding for CLAS students traveling to Spain and/or Latin America, financial need based award. 

John and Elsie Mae Ferentz Undergraduate Research Fund

  

CLAS students pursuing research projects. Application by email please see website for further information. 

The Dewey Stuit Fund for Undergraduate Research

  

Students, faculty members, and academic units may request funding for projects that will advance the extracurricular research, scholarship, and creative work of undergraduate students. Departments also are expected to contribute funds to support the student’s or students’ research or creative work.

 

Graduate Student Scholarship Opportunities: for currently enrolled graduate students in a specific College of Liberal Arts & Sciences programs. 

 

Scholarship 

 Eligibility and Availability

Adah Johnson/Otilia Maria Fernandez Scholarship

Must have a major in the following department: Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies. Application available in Spring 2023

M. Gladys Scott Scholarship

Undergraduate and Graduate women majoring in Sport Studies.
Application available in department beginning spring 2023.

Homewood Memorial Scholarship

Undergraduate and Graduate majors in Sport Studies.
Application available in department beginning spring 2023.

C. Pauline Spencer Scholarship

Undergraduate and Graduate women majoring in Sport Studies.
Application available in department beginning spring 2023.

Miriam Taylor Scholarship

Undergraduate and Graduate major in Sport Studies.
Application available in department beginning spring 2023.

Marcus Bach Graduate Fellowships

The Marcus Bach Fellowships for Graduate Students in the Humanities are awarded by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to support the completion of an MFA project or doctoral dissertation. The fellowship’s goal is to foster intercultural communication and/or the understanding of diverse philosophies and religious perspectives, and projects in this area are the most appropriate proposals.