Continuing Student FAQ

Each year, the College of L&S awards approximately 125 scholarships associated to the 2 applications for continuing students ranging in award amounts from $500 – $3,500. In addition, approximately, 10 scholarships are awarded each academic year by scholarship specific application.

Eligible applicants of the continuing student scholarships application are considered for many scholarships by completing one of two applications: L&S Application for Current First Year Students or L&S Application for Sophomores, Juniors & Seniors. In order to match to additional L&S scholarship applications, you must meet the specified criteria. Please contact https://scholarships.ls.wisc.edu/ if you would like the L&S Undergraduate Scholarships Office to review your eligibility.

Scholarships posted are part of a comprehensive list. Each listed scholarship fund does not always have available scholarship awards for each cycle. Additionally, a scholarship application must be open for students to match to it.

Applicants are considered for many scholarships by completing one of the following applications:

• College of Letters & Science Scholarships Application for Current First Year Students is available to non-transfer students who are currently in their first year of enrollment regardless of academic standing by credit completion. You must not be new to UW-Madison in the spring 2024 semester or graduating in spring or summer semesters of 2024.

• College of Letters & Science Scholarships Application for Sophomores, Juniors & Seniors is available to students who are current sophomores, juniors, or seniors who first enrolled at UW-Madison prior to summer semester 2023 or transfer students from another higher education institution who enrolled prior to spring semester 2024. You must not be graduating in spring or summer semesters of 2024.

Please review the Letters & Science scholarship criteria.

For the 2024-2025 academic year, the application for continuing students earning degrees from Letters & Science is available from December 8, 2023 to February 11, 2024. Other applications for specific awards are run throughout the year. Check Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH) for details.

WiSH (Wisconsin Scholarship Hub) is the online tool used by UW-Madison for scholarship processes. To establish your student dashboard in WiSH, please log into the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH) using your UW Net ID and password and complete the general application. The general application is a series of 10 questions used to match students to potential scholarship opportunities.

By completing the application presented to you, you are being considered for all scholarships associated to the application based upon your responses to the WiSH general application and student data. The online software will automatically match and present you with a list of eligible applications. However, it is a rare occurrence that a student receives multiple scholarships in the same cycle from the College of Letters & Science.

Available scholarships only present themselves on your WiSH dashboard when the application is open for application. You are encouraged to return to your personalized dashboard in WiSH regularly for updates regarding scholarship matches. You are also welcome to call or email the L&S Undergraduate Scholarships Office to find out when an application will be active or to review your eligibility for a particular scholarship application (scholarships@saa.ls.wisc.edu or 608-262-4852). Also, watch your campus email account for scholarship related communications. Be aware that email can inadvertently end up in junk or spam folders.

At UW-Madison, financial need is determined by the FAFSA, https://fafsa.ed.gov/. Cost of attendance and the estimated family contribution determine the student’s level of financial need. Most applications also include a section where you can share extenuating circumstances.

Scholarships are considered financial aid whether or not they include a requirement for financial need. The scholarship amount is included as part of your aid package and can result in financial aid adjustments. It is recommended that you contact the financial aid office to learn about potential impact on aid packages as a step in your application process.

Non-residents and international students are eligible to apply. However, some scholarships have Wisconsin residency preferences. For the purposes of scholarship, Minnesota residents are considered non-Wisconsin residents.

If you have a major in two different schools or colleges, you are not considered to be receiving a degree from Letters & Science and therefore are ineligible.
Many students are undecided and can apply for Letters & Science scholarships. However, if you intend to enter any other school or college you are not eligible for Letters & Science scholarships. The scholarships are awarded to students earning a degree(s) from the College of Letters & Science.

Many students are undecided and can apply for Letters & Science scholarships. However, if you intend to enter any other school or college you are not eligible for Letters & Science scholarships. The scholarships are awarded to students earning a degree from the College of Letters & Science.

Transfer students who enrolled prior to spring semester 2024 are eligible for the College of Letters & Science Scholarships Application for Sophomores, Juniors & Seniors. Students must not be graduating in spring or summer semesters of 2024.

Students enrolled in UW-Madison sponsored study abroad programs are eligible to apply for L&S scholarships. In some cases, a student can go through the consortium agreement process. See this link for more information: https://finaid.wisc.edu/general-faq.htm

Scholarship opportunities are reserved for full-time (minimum enrollment of 12 credits) students. On occasion exceptions are made. To discuss a specific situation, contact the L&S Scholarship Office at: scholarships@saa.ls.wisc.edu or 608-262-4852.

Please review the Continuing Student Recommendation Tips.

The WiSH tool used by the College of Letters and Science generates an automated request to your recommender after you input information (name and email) and provides a mechanism for the recommendation to be uploaded into your application.

If the application is still open, you can return to the application and send a reminder to your recommender or change the request a different recommender. If the recommender is experiencing challenges, they are welcome to contact the L&S Scholarship Office at: scholarships@saa.ls.wisc.edu or 608-262-4852 for assistance. Recommender requests for assistance must be made within a day or two of the deadline for timely response.

Please send an e-mail to scholarships@saa.ls.wisc.edu or call 608-262-4852.

If you are experiencing technical problems you may want to restart your computer or switch to a different browser. If you are still experiencing difficulties contact the DoIT helpdesk, help@doit.wisc.edu, (608) 264-4357, or https://kb.wisc.edu/helpdesk/page.php?id=1.

Even though the status is “Submitted,” you can still return to your application and make revisions with the “Update Application” button. You are able to return to your application and make revisions until the application closes.

Notification of scholarship awards will be emailed in late April or early May. You can also check your application status by emailing scholarships@saa.ls.wisc.edu.

The majority of L&S scholarships are paid in the upcoming academic year (fall 2024-spring 2025).

The scholarship amount is applied to your UW account for tuition and housing. Upon payment of financial requirements, remaining funds will be issued as a refund. The L&S Scholarships Office recommends the eRefund option, as it is faster and hassle-free. Please review the following website regarding information about the e Refund.

Many academic departments use the WiSH system for declared majors and some run independent application processes. Please ask your advisor for more information about department specific application processes.