Scholarship Universe Named a National 'Model' Program
The UA's scholarship matching system, Scholarship Universe, has been named a Models of Excellence honoree by University Business magazine.

University Relations - Communications
July 30, 2015

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Scholarship Universe was designed specifically for UA students, providing a financial aid boost during a time of accelerated divestment in higher education.
Scholarship Universe was designed specifically for UA students, providing a financial aid boost during a time of accelerated divestment in higher education. (Photo courtesy of Student Affairs Marketing)


The scholarship database the University of Arizona designed and built to match students with funding opportunities – launched in response to the global financial crisis of the last decade – is being honored by a national recognition program. 

University Business magazine, aimed at senior leaders at colleges and universities across the country, has named the UA's Scholarship Universe one of six Models of Excellence honorees, recognizing the University's efforts to support students' financial independence and responsibility. The UA, and other honorees, will be featured in the magazine's August issue. 

"The financial crash of 2008 gave Arizona's college students a one-two punch. First, the state’s financial support for students dropped the furthest in the country. Second, scholarship dollars grew scarcer as donors had less to give," said Ken Downs, Scholarship Universe's program manager.

The one-stop-shop scholarship management system also helped UA students earn more than $2.4 million in private scholarships in the last academic year, up from more than $2.3 million last year, Downs said.

Downs said the best available estimates indicate that the system has linked UA students to about $8 million in non-UA affiliated funding opportunities since its inception.

"Scholarship success is really allowing them to be successful in other areas," Downs said. "If you win scholarships, you may not have to take on a part-time job or two jobs that take away from your studies and take away from your time to explore and get involved with clubs and organizations and volunteer opportunities."

The Models of Excellence honor is the second national award Scholarship Universe has received, having also been recognized as a national innovator in 2012 by Campus Technology Magazine.

Chase Voirin, a graduate student in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment, has received the Navajo Nation Manuelito Scholarship and the Southern Arizona Environmental Management Society Scholarship, among others, through Scholarship Universe.   

"These scholarships have helped me to fully focus on my higher educational pursuits in that they have alleviated the burden of tuition, books, and fees, as well as other living expenses associated with college," Voirin said. 

The system also offers access to an additional $4 million in guaranteed internal awards, Downs said.

"The easier we can make the scholarship process for students, the faster we can make it, the more opportunities we can provide to students just allows them to build on other things and ultimately graduate with a degree," Downs said. 

Scholarship Universe matches students to scholarships for which they may qualify – based on grade point average, degree program, extracurricular activities, social identities and other qualifiers – and allows them to store documents they need for applications.

Students can also apply directly for internal UA scholarships, request letters of recommendation and issue thank you letters through the system. To ensure a strong user experience, the Scholarship Universe team partners with the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid, Student Affairs Marketing, the Student Affairs Systems Group and more than one dozen colleges across UA to update the site and keep students informed of funding opportunities.

"Applying for scholarships is very similar to applying for a job. You have to search for opportunities, gather all the necessary information to apply, and you have to be able to tell your story; explain why you are the best candidate for the opportunity," Downs said. "Scholarship Universe takes care of the searching part so students can spend more time on applying; telling their story."

Fernanda Bueno, a major in speech, language and hearing sciences, has received numerous awards through Scholarhip Universe, including the UA Hispanic Alumni Scholar award, McKale-Salmon/Sigma Nu Scholarship and the G. Koch and Elsie M. Koch Memorial Scholarship. 

"These scholarships have allowed me to continue my college education. As a result, I have been able to hold leadership roles on campus," said Bueno, who is has served as a standards board director and diversity co-director for the Associated Students of the University of Arizona.

"My involvement would have not been possible if I did not have the financial support from the University," Bueno said. "Since all these scholarships have helped me cover tuition throughout the four years I have been here, thus far, I have not had to take out any loans, which has been a blessing."

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Ken Downs

Scholarship Universe  

520-621-5579  

kvd@email.arizona.edu