Types of Scholarships

There are basically four types of scholarships that are awarded and/or monitored and disbursed by the Office of Financial Aid:

Institutional Scholarships

These are scholarships that are awarded by the University through the Admissions area or through the Athletic Department. The Financial Aid Office chooses those applications for scholarships that are strictly need based. Those based on merit are selected by the Scholarship Committee.

N.I.C.F. (Nebraska Independent College Foundation) / Annual Scholarships

N.I.C.F. scholarships are funded annually by this foundation. Each year a letter for each award is received from N.I.C.F. with the amount of the scholarship noted. Since these are need based awards, the Financial Aid Office awards them accordingly. Annual scholarships are funded by organizations or individuals on a yearly basis. Depending upon criteria set up by the donors, the Financial Aid Office may award based on need, or another department may award based on specific guidelines, or the Scholarship Committee may award based on merit.

Endowed Scholarships

These scholarships are funded from endowments that have been set up at the University as memorials, foundation grants, community awards, or living trusts. They are awarded through the Financial Aid Office if need based; through the Scholarship Committee if merit or preference based.

Freshman Academic Achievement Scholarship

The Freshman Academic Achievement Scholarship is intended to recognize outstanding academic achievement of incoming freshman who have just graduated from high school.

South Omaha Community Scholarship

The South Omaha Community Scholarship is intended to reach out to all minority and/or low-income students.

Outside Scholarships

All scholarships that do not fall into the previous categories are referred to as outside scholarships. These may be awarded to a student from high school, or may be an American Business Women's Association scholarship, or may be Native American Tribal Funds that a student may receive. Whatever their source, they are processed through the Financial Aid Office to ensure that an over-award situation does not occur with Title IV federal funds and to ensure that the student's account is properly credited with the funds received.

The Scholarship Selection Committee evaluates scholarship applications with the purpose of selecting students for restricted scholarship awards that are not based on financial need. Scholarship applications will be reviewed for the current academic year thru May 1st. Any application received after that date will be considered for the new academic year that begins with the fall term.