Student Financial Services
Students at UVM are encouraged to seek outside scholarships to help with funding their education.

Scholarship funds are available from a wide variety of organizations. These funds are considered "gift aid" and do not have to be repaid. You are encouraged to review the information below to explore scholarship opportunities that may be available.

Helpful Tips

  • Start your search early. Give yourself plenty of time to research and apply for scholarships that are a good match for your interests, achievements, and goals. 
  • Create a dedicated email account. Using a separate email for scholarship applications can help you stay organized and avoid missing important updates and deadlines.
  • Stay organized. Use a spreadsheet, calendar, or other tracking tool to keep records of scholarship opportunities, application requirements, award amounts, and deadlines.
  • Understand how outside scholarship may affect your financial aid. Our office will make every effort to reduce need-based student loans and work-study before making changes to need-based grants or university scholarships. However, if your outside scholarship funding exceeds your loan and work-study eligibility, we may be required to adjust other forms of need-based aid. If you have questions about how an outside scholarship could affect your financial aid package, please contact an Student Financial Services counselor. 

Scholarship Resources

Prospective and Current Undergraduate Students
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How to use our Outside Scholarship spreadsheet (PDF) to search for available opportunities.

Outside Scholarship Spreadsheet (excel)

Note: The above spreadsheet is provided to you as a reference tool. It should not be construed as an endorsement by the University of Vermont for any of the organizations listed.

 

Are you an organization that feels you may have a legitimate scholarship to add to our site? Please send us an email with information so that we can review this potential opportunity for our students.

Vermont Residents
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Vermont Student Assistance Corporation

Vermont Society of Engineers (VSE) Scholarship

  • Students must be enrolled in an Engineering curriculum at the University of Vermont, Norwich University or Vermont Technical College.
  • Students must have graduated (or will have graduated) from a Vermont high school and be in good academic standing.
  • VSE Scholars are awarded a scholarship of $3,000 per year.
  • Applications are available in March each year, and must be submitted to the Cheryl Miller in the Student Financial Services (SFS) office (cheryl.miller@uvm.edu) by May 15, 2026. Selected students will be notified in August. Download the 2026-2027 application (PDF) and a Release of Information Form (PDF) so your application can be sent to VSE.

4-H Scholarships

  • 4-H Scholarships for Higher Education are available to help reduce the cost of higher education. Scholarship application due dates and award levels will vary by county; please contact your 4-H Educator for additional details

Graduate Students
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Visit the page for Graduate Student Scholarships for a list of funding opportunities available to graduate students. 

Medical Students
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Visit the Medical Student Financial Services Comprehensive Scholarship Directory (PDF) for a comprehensive listing of outside scholarships available to medical students.

Scholarship Search Websites and Guides

Websites
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We have found the following websites helpful to students in providing free scholarship search services:

Note: The above list is provided to you as a reference tool. It should not be construed as an endorsement by the University of Vermont for any of the organizations listed.

Are you an organization that feels you may have a legitimate search site to add? Please send us an email (sfs@uvm.edu) with information so that we can review this potential opportunity for our students.

Guides
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Utilize these guides for help in navigating your way to free scholarships for college

Scholarship Scams

Tips to Spot a Scholarship Scam
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Protect your personal information and avoid losing money by watching out for these red flags:

  • Requests for payment: Legitimate scholarships do not charge fees. Avoid offers that ask for postage (the only postage you should pay is the cost for you to mail in an application), application fees, deposits, or credit card details.
  • False guarantees: Claims like "Guaranteed winner," "You've won a scholarship (that you didn't apply for)," or "We do all the work" are scams.
  • No privacy policy or one that says your information will be shared or sold.
  • Commercial ownership: Site run by companies to generate business leads.
  • Unusual personal information requests: Never share your Social Security number or other sensitive data.
  • Negative Reviews: Check the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and online reviews
  • No contact information: Legitimate organizations provide clear contact details

Other things you can check

  • If they claim to be a non-profit, verify on GuideStar or IRS Publication 78.
  • Are they a member of the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA)?

At UVM

Report or view recently reported phishing scams.

The Federal Trade Commission recommends that students and their families be cautious when using scholarship search companies. Some fraudulent organizations claim they can secure scholarships for students if an upfront fee is paid. Remember: legitimate scholarship providers do not guarantee awards.