CLAS Undergraduate 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 2024 - 2025 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 2024) 

If you are a new incoming first year student or new transfer student, be sure to have your 2024-2025 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) completed and submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid by (as soon as possible after it opens - December 2023. Date has not yet been announced). 

*** Please Note: The application period for entering first time, first year scholarships will be October 16, 2023 through December 3, 2023. The CLAS Scholarship award winners will be announced after the pending updates to the 2024-2025 FAFSA are complete. ***

 
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, with financial need.
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. Must show financial need.
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

 

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 2023 and spring 2024 semesters. 
  • Must continue as a CLAS undergraduate in 2024-2025.
  • Many scholarships require that applicants have filed the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
    • For continuing students, the FAFSA filed for the 2023-2024 or 2024-2025 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 will be December 1, 2023 through January 21, 2024. The CLAS Scholarship award winners will be announced after the pending updates to the 2024-2025 FAFSA are complete.

 

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

 Christofer and Laurie Christiansen Scholarship Fund

Financial need-based

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

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

F.C. Denkmann Scholarship Fund

 Financial need-based

R. L. Hulbary Scholarship 

 Financial need-based

Winifred S. Scott Scholarship

 Financial need-based

Peter and Marie Bousfield Memorial Scholarship

 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 All CLAS majors. 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, 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 be a Junior or Senior (60+ earned hours), have a major in one of the following departments: Communication Studies or Journalism & Mass Communication, with preference to students from the following counties in Illinois: Knox, Warren, Henry, or Mercer.  

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
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

David W. Koehser Scholarship

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

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. 

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.

Velma E. Stuit Scholarships

Must have a major in one of the following departments: Mathematics, Statistics, Chemistry, Physics

 

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

    
Faley Family First Generation Scholarship  All CLAS majors. Must be an Iowa resident, have graduated from an Iowa High School, and identify as a first generation college student.    

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).

    

Dr. Merlyn Arthur Lewis and Jeanette Lewis Scholarship

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

    
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

    

Esther Walls Scholarship

Major in the fine arts, social sciences, or humanities

    

Maureen Medberry Snell Award

 All CLAS majors  

Hogan Family Scholarship

Must have a major in one of the following departments: Available to English majors in 2024–25 and History majors in 2025-26.

Mark W. Coffey Scholarship Fund

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

 

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 2024.

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.

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.