Undergraduate | Financial Aid | University of Michigan

A college education is a big investment, but scholarships are an excellent way to make your higher ed experience more affordable. And unlike another form of financial aid – student loans – scholarships are gift money that never have to be paid back.

At U-M, scholarships are awarded based on several criteria including academic achievement, personal talents, interests, leadership qualities, financial need, or a combination of these. Funding often reflects the university’s commitment to achieving a diverse student body. While a separate application is required for some scholarships, most require only your university admission application.

Below are five important steps to make sure you receive full consideration for all scholarships. If you are a graduate student, visit our scholarships page for graduate students. Study abroad scholarship information can be found on our scholarships page for study abroad.

Step 1: Apply for Financial Aid

We encourage all students to apply for financial aid so they receive full consideration for scholarships. You do not need to be admitted to U-M to complete your application for aid.

Step 2: Apply to U-M to be Automatically Considered for Many Scholarships

Your application to the university serves as your application for many of our scholarships. First-year and transfer students should complete and submit the Common Application and provide all required documents by the application deadline. Some schools and colleges offer their own scholarships that require additional applications.

U-M School, College, and Departmental Scholarships

These are considered during the admissions process by each individual unit. If you are applying to study in the College of Engineering, for example, they award their own scholarship money directly to entering students. Each school and college has varied criteria they use to award their scholarship dollars which can include academic merit; special talents, interests or qualities; or financial need.

For more information about these scholarships, contact the financial aid or scholarship office of the individual schools and colleges or your academic department.