Scholarships for Future Students

All prospective CNS freshmen who have been admitted into the College of Natural Sciences and who have selected CNS as their first choice major are automatically considered for scholarships awarded by the College of Natural Sciences. There is not a separate scholarship application for CNS awards. 

There is also not a separate university-side scholarship application for incoming freshmen. However, it is highly recommended that prospective freshmen submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Submitting the FAFSA will give prospective students the opportunity to be considered for the widest range of university-wide awards possible. Students who do not submit a FAFSA will still be considered for scholarships that do not require financial need. 

Lastly, the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid administers some scholarships with unique qualifications (ex. service in the armed forces). Students fitting these unique qualifications may choose to submit the Scholarship Interest Form to be considered for these specific awards. The Scholarship Interest Form is available in MyStatus after the student has submitted the admissions application. The deadline to submit the interest form is January 15. Contact Texas One Stop with questions.

CNS looks at a variety of factors when making scholarship decisions. Scholarship decisions are based on items such as but not limited to merit, leadership, and/or need. Since scholarship funding comes from various sources, criteria used to make scholarship selections can also vary.

Yes, the scholarship process is extremely competitive for our prospective students. CNS was able to offer scholarships to only 3% of all admitted and eligible CNS students for the 2024-2025 academic year (incoming Fall 2024). However, please keep in mind that there are many opportunities for students to apply for scholarships as a continuing student.

Prospective student awards are decided upon by administration, faculty and staff directly involved with the admissions process. A committee made up of College of Natural Sciences faculty members and the CNS Scholarship Coordinator evaluates continuing student scholarship applications.

Prospective students should not be discouraged if they do not receive a scholarship offer from the College of Natural Sciences. All students are encouraged to submit their FAFSA by March 15 so that they can be considered for any and all financial aid they might be eligible for including other UT scholarships, grants and loans. Please visit Texas One Stop for more information. Keep in mind that students are able to apply for scholarships awarded by CNS and UT on an annual basis.

The College of Natural Sciences invites all current CNS undergraduates to submit the CNS Common Scholarship Application every spring. Most CNS departments also have their own awarding process for major and/or program specific undergraduate scholarships. Students may also submit the University’s scholarship application through the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid every year. There are many scholarship opportunities for students throughout their time on the Forty Acres.

CNS is typically sending CNS scholarship notifications to prospective students throughout early March. Notifications are sent to incoming CNS students via email.

Only students who receive a scholarship offer from CNS will be notified of their CNS Scholarship status. 

Out-of-State Tuition Waivers allow non-resident students to pay tuition at in-state rates. In order to be eligible for a waiver through CNS, students must be a recipient of a scholarship worth at least $1,000 that has been administered and awarded by the University. Being a recipient of a scholarship does not guarantee a student of a waiver, it simply makes them eligible should they complete the proper waiver application and should the scholarship committee rank their application highly enough. We normally receive 60-70 waiver applications and usually only have between 5-7 waivers to award per year. It is a highly competitive award.

CNS waivers are non-renewable awards, which means students must apply for a waiver on a yearly basis. There is no guarantee that a student will receive a waiver from one year to the next. Out-of-state students should plan on paying out-of-state tuition for the entire four years at UT as waivers for undergraduates are extremely limited, not only through CNS but across campus as well.

Prospective out-of-state students interested in applying for a waiver through CNS should contact scholarships@cns.utexas.edu for the link to the waiver application. The waiver application typically becomes available at the beginning of the spring semester (mid-January) with an application deadline of March 15. Applications are accepted only once a year. Prospective students should submit a waiver application regardless of their admissions and/or scholarship status at the time of the deadline.

Since the applicant pool for the waivers includes both incoming and current students, final decisions are made during the summer after the May 1 admissions deadline. Prospective CNS students will have to make an admissions decision before they know of their waiver status for the upcoming year.

Please contact scholarships@cns.utexas.edu.