What to Know: CNS Scholarships for Newly Admitted Students
- Each year all prospective CNS freshmen who have been admitted into the College of Natural Sciences and who have selected CNS as their first choice major will automatically be considered for scholarships awarded by the College of Natural Sciences. There is not a separate scholarship application for CNS or university-wide scholarships for incoming freshmen.
- All applicants will be considered for university-wide scholarships and CNS scholarships using the admissions application.
- Students wishing to be considered for the widest range of scholarships should submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
- Some university-side scholarships administered through the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid have unique qualifications (service components, etc.). 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.
- Transfer students may apply for scholarships available through the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid via the Continuing & Transfer Student Scholarship Application. The application opens in November and has a March 15 deadline. CNS does not have scholarships for incoming transfer students, though once enrolled, transfer students are eligible to apply for scholarships for current students.
Questions about Scholarships?
Please see our FAQs further down on this page, or contact:
scholarships@cns.utexas.edu
Scholarships for Freshmen
Below are just a few examples of scholarships for prospective freshmen. Students are encouraged to use the Longhorn Awards & Student Scholarship Opportunities (LASSO) portal to find more information on other campus-based scholarships.
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Astronomy Freshman Prize for Excellence
The selective Astronomy Freshman Prize for Excellence (AFPE) of $1,000 is awarded yearly to the best freshman admitted to the first year of the UT Astronomy program. Only those who selected Astronomy as a potential major on their UT application form are eligible. If you have any questions, please contact our student coordinator at studentinfo@astro.as.utexas.edu. -
College of Natural Sciences Dean’s Scholars Honors Program Endowed Scholarships
Scholarship support for students in the Dean's Scholars Honors Program. Scholarships are awarded at one-quarter to one-half the cost of tuition to help students defray the cost of tuition, fees, books, room and board, plus transportation and miscellaneous fees. All prospective freshmen who are admitted to the Dean's Scholars program are considered. There is not a separate scholarship application. -
Crawford Endowed Scholarship
The Crawford Endowed Scholarship is a four-year scholarship awarded to an incoming freshman in the top 5% of their Texas high school class. Recipients must have declared a major of mathematics or a major in another physical science or life science program. Financial need shall be a consideration in students of otherwise equal qualification. Recipients are to maintain a 3.5 cumulative GPA, be fully enrolled and remain free of official disciplinary action in order to continue in the successive years of the award.There is no application process since the list of potential candidates is created from those eligible for a College of Natural Sciences award (CNS students who have been admitted into the College of Natural Sciences and who have indicated a CNS major as their first choice).
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Dow Chemical Company – University of Texas Alumni Endowed Scholarships
Recipients must be a child or grandchild of a current or retired Dow Chemical Company employee. Both incoming freshman and continuing students are encouraged to apply. Award is merit based and will be given to the most academically qualified full-time students based on high school or college grades. Please contact scholarships@cns.utexas.edu for more information and details on how to apply. -
Jennifer Alaina Allen Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Scholarship support for incoming freshman students majoring in Biology or a Biological Sciences program within the College of Natural Sciences. Students on a pre-med, pre-dent, pre-vet, or other health professions track will be given strong consideration. There is not a separate scholarship application. All prospective CNS freshmen who are admitted into the College of Natural Sciences (CNS) and who select CNS as their first choice major are considered for scholarships awarded by the College of Natural Sciences. -
Texas Exes Scholarships for Freshmen
Students applying for admission to the University of Texas at Austin are eligible to apply for scholarships through the Texas Exes, the alumni association for the University. This additional Texas Exes application is separate from the admission application. Students can access the application at texasexes.academicworks.com. Texas Exes administers over 600 scholarships, including need-based and merit-based awards. Scholarship awards range from $500 to $10,000, with most one-time scholarships falling within the $1,000 - $2,000 range. For more information about the Texas Exes awards, please visit their website.
FAQs
How do I apply for a scholarship in the College of Natural Sciences as an entering freshman?
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.
What criteria does the College of Natural Sciences use for entering freshman scholarship offers?
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.
Is the scholarship process competitive?
Yes, the scholarship process is extremely competitive for our prospective students. CNS was able to offer scholarships to only 4% of all admitted and eligible CNS students for the 2025-2026 academic year (incoming Fall 2025). However, please keep in mind that there are many opportunities for students to apply for scholarships as a continuing student.
Who makes scholarship decisions for the College of Natural Sciences?
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.
What can I do if I don’t receive a College of Natural Sciences scholarship as an entering freshman?
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.
Can I apply for more scholarships after I enroll at UT Austin?
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.
When and how will I be notified if I received a College of Natural Sciences scholarship?
CNS is typically sending CNS scholarship notifications to prospective students throughout early March. Notifications are sent to incoming CNS students via email.
Will I be notified if I did not receive a College of Natural Sciences scholarship?
Only students who receive a scholarship offer from CNS will be notified of their CNS Scholarship status.
How can out-of-state students qualify for an Out-of-State Tuition Waiver?
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.
How can I apply for an Out-of-State tuition waiver?
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.
When will I be notified if I received an Out-of-State Tuition waiver through CNS?
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.
Who should I contact if I have questions?
Please contact scholarships@cns.utexas.edu.