The 2023-2024 Scholarship Application is now closed for returning students. All returning applicants who have been declared eligible will receive a scholarship award notification on or before August 1, 2023. If a student missed the scholarship application deadline and still has a financial need after all of their grants and scholarships have been applied, they are encouraged to notify the Scholarship Committee at undergrad.smith.scholarship@umd.edu.
Application Checklist
- Completed FAFSA form on file with University if applying for need-based scholarships (see Office of Financial Aid)
- Resume
- List of activities and honors
- Personal bio
- Fully answered and completed application (confirm you have submitted your application by July 1 and not left in draft form)
Helpful hint for your bio: This bio is intended to be a BRIEF snapshot of YOU for people who may not be privy to your resume or application. In 4-5 sentences, tell us about professional, academic, or life experiences you feel define you as well as your short-term and long-term goals (this could include why you selected your major and what you hope to do with it). Think of it as your written elevator pitch.
Eligibility
All awards are funded from sources outside of the Smith School, therefore, the stipulations of the awards must be followed. Generally, most scholarships are based upon GPA, major, credit accumulation, demonstrated leadership, residency, financial need, and other factors.
Although students with cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or higher are more competitive, we encourage ALL Smith students to apply, as certain scholarship criteria vary just like our student body.
How to Apply
- Complete the scholarship application. Smith School students are automatically considered for most Smith School scholarships by completing the general application. All students who want to be considered for a scholarship next year will need to re-apply the following year.
- The Office of Undergraduate Studies encourages all Smith students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. By completing this form you make yourself eligible for review of all Smith scholarships that are earmarked for students with financial need (as determined by the Office of Financial Aid). In addition, having this form on file allows students to be eligible for any monies from the Smith School of the university that may be earmarked for "emergencies". If you would like financial need to be taken into consideration during the application process, please submit your FAFSA information (January 1 is the University priority deadline; FAFSA forms MUST be completed before the scholarship deadline). For more information on FAFSA, visit the Office of Financial Aid.
Awards
Students selected to receive Smith scholarships are contacted in August. Scholarships are awarded for the academic year and are divided equally between the fall and spring semesters. If you graduate in December, you will receive one semester's worth of the award. You must be a full-time Smith School student in order to retain eligibility for your scholarship, AND you must write a thank-you letter to your donor to receive the second installment of your award.
Once notified of an award, students must accept the award online and provide additional information that can be shared with scholarship donors. A link will be provided in the scholarship award notification email for students who have received a scholarship to formally accept their award. Scholarship monies will not be posted to a student's account until this step is completed.