University at Albany - School of Social Welfare
Scholarships Application Instructions

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Unlike loans, scholarship do not have to be repaid. Scholarships are awarded to new and continuing students based on academic excellence, leadership, service, talent, financial need, and other criteria.

Because many UAlbany scholarships are need-based, students must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered. We recommend you file the FAFSA as early as possible after January 1 for the coming academic year. Incomplete or invalid forms could eliminate you from scholarship consideration.

Federal regulations require that UAlbany consider all of your resources when determining eligibility for financial aid. Receipt of a scholarship may change the composition of your financial aid award. For specific information about how your award may change after receiving a scholarship, please contact the Student Financial Center.

Please Note: Meeting the application requirements and scholarship criteria does not imply that you will necessarily receive a scholarship. Students who are awarded a UAlbany endowed scholarship will be notified via email.

Receiving Your Scholarship Money

Scholarship awards are automatically credited to your UAlbany student account. 

Thank You Letter & Scholarship/Donor Reception

Award recipients will be asked to write a donor thank you letter. Many of the scholarships at UAlbany are made possible by contributions from generous donors. Receiving a thank you letter from scholarship recipients is meaningful to donors or their relatives. Thank you notes give UAlbany supporters the opportunity to see the impact the scholarship has made in the life of a student recipient. Please help us thank our generous supporters who have helped make your scholarship possible.

You will also be asked to attend a Scholarship/Donor Reception, which is held annually in the fall by The University at Albany Foundation. This event gives student scholarship recipients the opportunity to meet the donors who made their scholarship possible, and gives the donors the opportunity to meet & greet the recipient of their scholarship. At this event, and at times throughout the academic year, The University at Albany Foundation may request that you meet with their office to get your picture taken, so that it can be sent to the donor and used in our printed and on-line publications.