Scholarships are an excellent way to help reduce the costs of higher education. Similar to grants, they are considered a type of gift aid and are not required to be repaid. At UW-Madison, almost every department, school, and college offers scholarships for students based on academic information, extracurricular activities, and financial need.
To research and explore campus scholarship opportunities, please log into the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH) using your UW NetID and password.
Please check out the resources below for answers to your question, scholarship timelines from across campus, scholarship coordinator contact information, and additional external scholarship opportunities.
Eligibility & Process Status
All incoming students with an active NetID and password are automatically considered for scholarships! To become eligible for the many scholarships offered automatically, make sure to activate your NetID and password once you have submitted your application for admission to UW–Madison.
There are additional scholarship at UW–Madison that require a separate application through the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH). Do not wait until you have been admitted to apply for these additional scholarships! These are typically associated with UW–Madison programs and will have varying deadlines, but most open in November and close by February 1.
If you are having issues with your NetID login, contact the DoIT Help Desk at 608-264-HELP.
Incoming students are assigned a school or college based on information they have listed in their application for admission. Undeclared students are automatically assigned to the College of Letters and Science.
You, the continuing student, can apply for scholarship opportunities using the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH).
Each scholarship offered by the University has unique eligibility criteria, but scholarships are generally awarded using a holistic framework that may include, but is not limited to, academic achievement, past and potential contributions, service and leadership, and financial need. By logging into WiSH, you will match to scholarship applications based on your eligibility and can complete scholarship applications on their WiSH dashboard.
Scholarship applications are open at different times throughout the year, so you will want to log back into WiSH periodically to stay up to date with available opportunities.
For more on scholarship timelines for your School/College, review our Scholarship Timelines and be sure to check your email for announcements about open applications throughout the year.
Answers to Important Questions
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Are international students eligible for scholarships?
International students are eligible for many scholarships at UW–Madison. Like all students, WiSH allows international students to explore the scholarships they are eligible for, be considered for those with automatic offers when their NetID is activated, and apply to any scholarships that require additional information for consideration. For more information on international student eligibility for incoming students, refer to Eligibility and Process Status above.
How will I be notified of scholarship decisions?
Recipients will be notified by the organization managing the scholarships, usually by email. If offered a scholarship, your overall need-based financial aid may need to be adjusted. Please contact the Office of Student Financial Aid with any questions regarding your scholarships and/or your financial aid.
Can scholarships impact my financial aid offer?
Sometimes.
Because free and need-based sources of financial aid cannot exceed a student’s financial need, if your current financial aid offer is already meeting your full financial need and another scholarship is reported – other financial aid will have to be reduced to make room for the additional funds. We will always notify you via email of any changes made to your financial aid.
Are there other sources of help for funding my education?
Many grants and scholarships on campus have financial need as a criterion and are administered by the Office of Student Financial Aid. Students interested in applying for financial aid should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA opens in October each year, and the priority deadline is December 1st – be sure to complete your FAFSA as early as possible. Please direct any questions or concerns to the Office of Student Financial Aid.
Additionally, please check out the External Resources below for information on grants, scholarships, and other forms of aid available from external scholarship resources.
Scholarship Timelines
For questions about specific scholarships, please follow up with your school, college, or department.
For general questions about scholarships and the WiSH system, please email scholarships@finaid.wisc.edu.
External (Non-UW) Scholarships
Find External Scholarships
In addition to our UW-Madison scholarships on the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH), students are encouraged to explore and apply for local, regional, and national scholarships from external providers.
WARNING! Never pay or provide credit card information when searching for or applying to scholarships.
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External Opportunities through WiSH
Besides using WiSH to find scholarships at UW-Madison, we also maintain a list of some external opportunities for students.
Check them out on the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH) – External Opportunities page.
#FreeMoneyFriday
Scholarship Search Websites
Here are just a few of the external sites we trust to search for scholarships:
External Scholarship Searches - Best Practices
- MOST IMPORTANTLY, you should NEVER have to pay to search or apply for scholarships.
- Many employers offer scholarships to their employees or children of employees, so it’s always good to ask what might be available.
- Similarly, many member organizations offer scholarship to their members or children of their members, i.e. Unions, Professional Associations, Clubs.
- If you’re currently in high school, your counseling team likely has some of the best information on great, local scholarships.
External Scholarship Providers
If you are an external scholarship provider hoping to promote your scholarship to UW-Madison students, please fill out our External Scholarship Form.
External (NonUW) scholarships may be selected to promote via #FreeMoneyFriday on our social media accounts.
Contact communications@finaid.wisc.edu with any questions.