Institutional Scholarships

Merit Scholarships

The University of Portland has several merit scholarships awarded to domestic and international students based on academic ability. 

Traditional First-Year Undergraduate Students

• Archbishop Christie Scholarship
• Arthur A. Schulte, Jr. Scholarship
• Holy Cross Scholarship
• Howard Vollum Scholarship
• President’s Scholarship
• Pilots Award

If awarded a traditional first-year undergraduate scholarship, your acceptance letter will include the name and amount of your scholarship.

Transfer Undergraduate Students

• UP Transfer Scholarship

If awarded a transfer scholarship, you will receive a scholarship letter from the Associate Provost for Admissions after your acceptance letter.

Eligible students will only receive one of these named merit scholarships; these scholarships cannot be combined. If you choose to apply for additional financial aid, the named merit scholarship will be incorporated into your financial aid package and listed on your financial aid offer.

Merit awards are available for up to 8 semesters (fall and spring) of academic study at the University of Portland. First-Year and Transfer Merit Scholarships are limited to undergraduate study. Students utilizing less than 8 semesters of eligibility will not be eligible for an increased merit scholarship during their last semester prior to graduation. Additionally, students requiring more than 8 semesters of full-time study to graduate are required to appeal to the Director of Financial Aid for consideration to have their merit scholarship eligibility extended.

Application Procedures

Students (domestic and international) who apply for admission to the University are automatically considered for merit scholarships. A separate application is not required.

Selection Criteria

• Admission to the University
• Qualifying high school or transfer GPA
• Optional: qualifying standardized test scores (ACT or SAT)
• Strength of program

Award Amounts

• Vary by scholarship
• Determined based on the selection criteria listed above

FIRST/VEX Robotics Scholarship

The University of Portland is pleased to offer five merit-based scholarships to students who enroll at UP and who participated in a high school FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), a FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), or a VEX Robotics Competition (either virtual or in-person). 

Application Procedures

The University of Portland FIRST Scholarship Application requires you to upload the following:

• Personal statement describing your qualifications for the scholarship
• ​​Letter of recommendation from an adult mentor or coach on your FIRST of VEX team

To access the application, log into the UP Applicant Portal. 

We must receive your completed application and letter of recommendation by April 1.

Selection Criteria

• To be eligible to apply for this scholarship, you must:

  • Be a high school senior.
  • Have participated in a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team, a FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) team, or a VEX Robotics team during high school (both virtual and in-person competitions are acceptable).
  • Be admitted to University of Portland as a full-time undergraduate student in a STEM major (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics). Nursing and Integrative Health and Wellness majors are not eligible.
  • Have a high school GPA of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
  • ​​Have the authorization to work in the United States full-time for purposes other than training (student/temporary visas do not qualify).

Award Amount

• $3,000; each scholarship is renewable for four years, for a total of $12,000. The recipient must maintain a 2.7 cumulative GPA, remain in a STEM major, and maintain satisfactory academic progress for renewal eligibility.

   

Endowed/Annual Scholarships

There are over 400 different endowed and/or annual scholarships at the University of Portland. These are funds given by generous donors who also help set the criteria for awarding the scholarship funds.

Application Procedures

To be considered for one of these scholarships, students must:

• File a FAFSA.
• Some scholarships require an additional application. This application will be made available to University of Portland students during the first 2 weeks of the fall semester each academic year.

Selection Criteria

Criteria can be as general as “to a deserving student” or as specific as “to a first-year English major from Central Catholic High School.” Some scholarships are awarded by the academic department and others are awarded by the Office of Financial Aid.

Award Amounts

• Vary by scholarship and budget allocations

Departmental Scholarships

Some scholarship funds are awarded by specific academic departments based on merit and/or talent. Inquire with your department of interest to find out if they have any scholarships available and application procedures.