{"id":15173,"date":"2023-03-24T14:56:03","date_gmt":"2023-03-24T19:56:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/finances\/?page_id=15173"},"modified":"2026-03-26T12:09:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T17:09:59","slug":"private-scholarships","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/finances\/scholarships\/private-scholarships\/","title":{"rendered":"Private Scholarships"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Private scholarships are a form of gift aid that is awarded to students by external organizations like community nonprofits or local businesses. If you&#8217;re looking for private scholarships, or if you&#8217;ve received one, you&#8217;ve come to the right place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-l-grid uwm-c-button--grid uwm-l-grid-row--30 uwm-l-grid-column--30 uwm-l-grid--3 uwm-l-grid--equal-y\">\n<a class=\"uwm-c-button\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/finances\/scholarships\/private-scholarships\/report-a-private-scholarship\/\" rel=\"\">Report a Private Scholarship<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"uwm-c-button\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/finances\/scholarships\/private-scholarships\/donor-notification-of-scholarship\/\" rel=\"\">Donor Notification of a Scholarship<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"uwm-c-button\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/finances\/scholarships\/private-scholarships\/request-to-post-private-scholarship\/\" rel=\"\">Request to Post Private Scholarship<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-where-can-i-find-private-scholarships\">Where can I find private scholarships?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Students have the most success receiving private scholarships from <strong>organizations they already know<\/strong>. Start your search by finding out what scholarships may be offered by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Your high school<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clubs or organizations where you are a member<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your&nbsp;employer or that of your parent(s)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Other local opportunities in your area (competitions, essay projects, etc.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re currently in high school, your guidance counseling team likely has some of the best information on great, local scholarships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve investigated local opportunities, you can&nbsp;<strong>expand your search to the web<\/strong>. Below are links to online search engines recommended to us by current students and alumni:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/accessscholarships.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Access Scholarships Search Engine<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bigfuture.collegeboard.org\/pay-for-college\/scholarship-search\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">College Board Big Future Scholarship Search Engine<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fastweb.com\/college-scholarships\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Fastweb Scholarship Search Engine<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You can find more external scholarship sources in the Frequently Asked Questions section below. We also publish a <a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.academicworks.com\/opportunities\/external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">list of external scholarships<\/a> we&#8217;ve heard of from organizations who reached out to us to solicit UWM applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You should never have to pay to search for or apply for scholarships.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Start your application early. Best of luck!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-frequently-asked-questions\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion\" data-accordion-prefix-classes=\"uwm\" data-accordion-cool-selectors=\"1\"><button class=\"uwm-p-accordion--toggle-button size-p-md\">Expand All<\/button>\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">Where else can I search for private scholarships?<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p>We encourage you to review the following sites for even more scholarship opportunities! Remember, you should never pay for scholarship opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/accessscholarships.com\/\">Access Scholarships<\/a> is a search tool striving to connect students with scholarship opportunities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bigfuture.collegeboard.org\/pay-for-college\/grants-scholarships\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Big Future<\/a> by College Board is a database of more than 2,300 sources of college funding.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.careeronestop.org\/toolkit\/training\/find-scholarships.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Career OneStop Scholarship Finder<\/a>, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/collegewhale.com\/scholarship-search\/\">College Whale<\/a> provides fast and easy access to one of the largest online scholarship databases.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.fastWEB.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fastweb<\/a>&nbsp;is a personalized search with a database of 1.5 million local, national, and college-specific scholarships.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.finaid.org\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Finaid<\/a> is a comprehensive source of student financial aid information, advice, and tools with a link to scholarships.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gilmanscholarship.org\/\">Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program<\/a> provides aid to undergraduates who wish to study abroad.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/globalscholarships.com\/\">Global Scholarships<\/a> provides scholarships for international students.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.petersons.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Peterson&#8217;s<\/a> offers more than 1.7 million awards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.scholarships.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Scholarships.com<\/a> offers unlimited access to a database of 2.4 million scholarships.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pathwaystoscience.org\/Undergrads.aspx\">Pathways to Science for Undergraduates<\/a>&nbsp;has a searchable database of 650+ summer research programs in all STEM disciplines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pathwaystoscience.org\/Grad.aspx\">Pathways to Science for Graduates<\/a>&nbsp;includes funding opportunities and professional development programs and resources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pathwaystoscience.org\/Postdocs_Portal.aspx\">Pathways to Science for Postdocs<\/a> includes programs and resources for prospective and current STEM postdoctoral researchers including postdoc positions, postdoctoral fellowships, travel awards, and professional development opportunities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wccf-wi.org\/scholarship-info\/\">Washington County Charitable Foundation<\/a> provides scholarships to residents of Washington County.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dcf.wisconsin.gov\/ys\/college\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wisconsin Department of Children and Families&#8217; Brighter Star Program<\/a> allows eligible youth\/young adult students who have been in out-of-home care (OHC; e.g., foster home, group home, or Kinship Care) to receive up to $5000 per school year in financial aid.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-undocumented-students\">Undocumented Students<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The following resources may be helpful to undocumented students:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedream.us\/scholarships\/\">The Dream.US Scholarships<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goldendoorscholars.org\/\">Golden Door Scholars<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.earnest.com\/student-loans\/scholarship\">Earnest<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mydocumentedlife.org\/2016\/09\/12\/scholarships-open-to-undocumented-students\/\">My Undocumented Life Scholarships<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/learnmore.scholarsapply.org\/dreamaward\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Scholarship America Dream Award<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/getschooled.com\/article\/1320-scholarships-for-undocumented-daca-mented-students-get-that-money\/\">Get Schooled DACA\/Undocumented Scholarships<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">Do I need to report my private scholarships to UWM?<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p>If your private scholarship donor makes funds payable to UWM, you do not need to notify UWM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your private scholarship donor makes funds payable to you (not UWM), yes, you must notify UWM using <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/finances\/finances\/types-of-financial-aid\/scholarships\/report-a-private-scholarship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">our private scholarship reporting form<\/a>. Payments made directly to you are still considered financial aid according to federal law and must be reported to UWM.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">To where should I mail my scholarship check?<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p><strong>All checks should be mailed to:<\/strong><br>UWM Office of Student Accounts<br>PO Box 500<br>Milwaukee, WI 53201-0500<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>NOTE: Be sure your donor <strong>includes your name and campus ID on the check<\/strong> to identify you as the recipient.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">Will my bill be reduced by the amount of my scholarship?<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p>Once UWM has received your private scholarship funds, it will be applied to your financial aid package within three weeks. After this occurs, your billing statement and account activity will be updated accordingly.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">How will my private scholarship be applied to my account?<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p>When private scholarship funds are received, UWM will add the funds for disbursement according&nbsp;to donor instruction (i.e., for a specific term or split between fall and spring terms). If no donor instructions are included,&nbsp;how the scholarship is applied is determined by the UWM Office of Student Scholarships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In most cases, if funds are received before or during the fall term, scholarships of $2500 or more will typically be split between fall and spring terms unless the student has a remaining balance that could be paid with the scholarship. Scholarship awards of less than $2500 will be added for fall only. If funds are received before or during the spring term, the scholarship will typically be added for the spring term, in full.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">My scholarship says it will be paid directly to UWM. How will I know when it arrives?<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p>You can check your Financial Aid tab in PAWS. When UWM receives and processes your check, you will see it listed there. Once UWM receives your check, it may take 2-3 weeks for it to be posted to your PAWS account, particularly during busy times of the year like the start of a new semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 1em\">If you don&#8217;t see your scholarship, contact your private scholarship organization to make sure they have sent the check. If they have and it has been over three weeks since they sent it, <\/span><a title=\"Contact Us\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"47aa389f-0c42-485a-8cac-cffdead9dd46\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/finances\/contact\/contact-student-scholarships\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">please feel free to contact us<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 1em\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">My scholarship is going to be paid directly to me. Do I need to let UWM know?<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p>Yes. Payments made directly to you are still considered financial aid according to federal law and must be reported to UWM. Please use <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/finances\/finances\/types-of-financial-aid\/scholarships\/report-a-private-scholarship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">our private scholarship reporting form<\/a>&nbsp;to let us know about your scholarship.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">Can scholarships impact my financial aid package?<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p>Sometimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because free and need-based sources of financial aid cannot exceed a student\u2019s financial need, if your current financial aid offer is already meeting your full financial need and another scholarship is reported \u2013 other financial aid will have to be reduced to make room for the additional funds. UWM will always notify you via email of any changes made to your financial aid.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Private scholarships are a form of gift aid that is awarded to students by external organizations like community nonprofits or local businesses. If you&#8217;re looking for private scholarships, or if you&#8217;ve received one, you&#8217;ve come to the right place. Where &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30870,"featured_media":0,"parent":17700,"menu_order":11,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[3041,19586,34594,37275,33688]},"class_list":["post-15173","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Student Financial Services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover private scholarship opportunities, application guidance, and resources to find and secure additional financial support.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/finances\/scholarships\/private-scholarships\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Private Scholarships\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover private scholarship opportunities, application guidance, and resources to find and secure additional financial support.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/finances\/scholarships\/private-scholarships\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Student Financial Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-26T17:09:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/finances\\\/scholarships\\\/private-scholarships\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/finances\\\/scholarships\\\/private-scholarships\\\/\",\"name\":\"Private Scholarships - 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