Policies on Scholarships

For Scholarship Recipients in CNS

Congratulations on receiving a scholarship from the College of Natural Sciences! Please read through the following terms and policies regarding your CNS scholarship. These terms and policies are subject to change, so be sure to review them periodically. Feel free to contact the CNS Scholarship Coordinator at scholarships@cns.utexas.edu with any questions.

For All CNS Scholarship Recipients

The College of Natural Sciences requires all of its scholarship recipients to be fully enrolled students pursuing a major in the College of Natural Sciences. Recipients of a Health Professions scholarship must be fully enrolled, pre-medical students. For scholarship purposes, the College defines full-time enrollment as registering and completing at least 12 credit hours per semester. Please refer to the Quantity of Work Rule. Recipients must also remain in good academic standing and meet a minimum GPA requirement if specified in the award letter and scholarship response form. Students must also agree to remain free of official disciplinary action from the University and comply with University of Texas policies and regulations with regard to honor codes and academic integrity.

Payment

Scholarships are awarded and/or renewed on a yearly basis. They are disbursed in two equal payments with the first payment released in the fall semester and the second payment released in the spring semester. Payments are released on either the first class day or on the 12^th class day, depending on the type of scholarship awarded. Please refer to the award letter for information on when to expect funds to be released. 

If you have current and/or past due UT debt (including tuition and university housing) at the time of disbursement, your scholarship will automatically be applied to the debt. If you do not have any UT debts or have excess scholarship funds after UT debts have been paid, the excess scholarship funds will be released directly to you via printed check or direct deposit. The preferred method of payment is direct deposit. Please go to UT Direct-My Bank Info for instructions on how to set up direct deposit. If a direct deposit account is not set up before the payment date, the recipient check pick up option will be selected. Recipients will receive an email from the Office of Accounting when the check is ready. Be sure to keep your email address up-to-date.

Thank You Letters

Thank you letters have the power to inspire continued support for students like yourself. Although participation is optional, we hope you will join us in expressing gratitude and strengthening our bonds with our donors. Scholarship recipients will automatically be prompted by LASSO to complete a Data Sharing Release Form, also referred to as a FERPA release form.  There are two key steps to this process that we ask you to consider when selected for a CNS scholarship:

1. Sign and submit the data sharing/FERPA release form. 
   With this form, you agree to participate and allow us to share only your basic information—name, hometown, classification, major and thank you letter – with the relevant donor(s). Rest assured, your privacy is our top priority, and only the information noted above will be shared with the select relevant donors should you opt to sign the form.
2. Prepare a letter of thanks.
   A thank you letter to donors can include brief personal information, your academic plans and career goals and how the scholarship will help your educational goals. If you choose to opt into letter-writing, we are here to provide guidance and support throughout the process. 

Generous donors play a crucial role in shaping the opportunities available to our students, including scholarships. Because their contributions enrich our students’ academic journey in countless ways, we work to foster a culture of appreciation through thank you letters from scholarship recipients to donors. We hope you will join us in expressing gratitude with a thank you letter.

Financial Aid

Please be advised that if you will be receiving financial aid from the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid, your financial aid may be adjusted due to this scholarship. Contact Texas One Stop (512-232-6988 or onestop@utexas.edu) if you have any questions on the possible impact of this scholarship on your financial aid package.

For One-Year, Non-Renewable Award Recipients

Students’ progress will be checked at the end of the fall semester. If at that time, the recipient is not meeting the criteria as outlined above and on the award letter, the student will be required to meet with the Scholarship Coordinator before the spring payment can be released. Failure to meet with the Scholarship Coordinator may result in the termination of the remainder of the student’s CNS scholarship.

For Multi-Year and/or Renewable Award Recipients

Students’ progress will be checked at the end of each semester. If at that time, the recipient is not meeting the criteria as outlined above and on the award letter, the student will be placed on probationary scholarship status. Recipient must meet with the Scholarship Coordinator and agree to probationary terms in order to receive the next payment. Probationary terms may include required Residence Hall Study Group attendance, seeking tutoring via the Sanger Learning Center and mandatory attendance at a minimum number of office hours per week. If the student fulfills the agreed upon terms and meets the scholarship criteria at the end of the probationary semester, the scholarship will be continued and probationary status will be lifted. However, if the student either does not agree to the probationary terms or does not meet the agreed upon probationary terms at the end of the probationary semester, the student’s CNS scholarship will be rescinded.

*Some multi-year awards are contingent upon the student’s participation in one of the College’s honors programs (please refer to the original award letter). In this case, scholarship recipients must also comply and meet the terms of the program in order to continue to receive their scholarship funds. Dismissal from the honors program may result in the termination of the award.

Scholarship Payment Forms

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