Scholarships
College is a big investment, and UW-Milwaukee is committed to helping students find ways to pay for it. Scholarships can help. Like grants, scholarships are a type of gift aid and need not be repaid. The Panther Scholarship Portal is your one-stop shop to find and apply for scholarships offered at UWM.
All schools and colleges and many academic departments and programs offer scholarships for students based on a variety of factors, including academic merit, leadership, and service. Some require demonstrated financial need, which means the student must submit a FAFSA to be considered. Access the Panther Scholarship Portal periodically to see if there are any new opportunities available that you might be eligible for. For more information, read the Panther Scholarship Portal FAQs.
Information by Student Type
Some scholarships for new freshmen require no action from the student as they are considered automatically through the admission process. Other scholarship opportunities require the student to complete an application in the Panther Scholarship Portal to be considered.
Once you have been admitted to UWM, use your ePantherID to sign in to the Panther Scholarship Portal and complete the General Application. Complete as much as possible, as this will be the primary source of information used to select recipients. Based on your answers in the General Application, you will be directed to fill out more specific applications tied to scholarships for which you are eligible.
Download our Scholarship Flyer
Each scholarship offered by UWM has unique eligibility criteria. Some are open to most or all students. Others have specific requirements about academic achievements, intended majors or careers, or even which high school a student attended. But the Panther Scholarship Portal uses your student data and your answers on the General Application to match you with open scholarship opportunities for which you are eligible. You can then complete and submit applications online.
Incoming students are assigned a school or college based on information they have listed in their application for admission.
Chancellor’s Merit Scholarship
The Chancellor’s Merit Scholarship is automatically awarded to new freshmen based on an unweighted final high school grade point average (GPA).
Black & Gold Scholarship
The Black & Gold Scholarship is automatically awarded to new freshmen based on high school grade point average (GPA).
Admission Scholarships
In recognition of outstanding academic achievement, UWM awards merit-based admission scholarships to incoming first-year students each year through a competitive scholarship awarding process. Awards range from $1,500 to $5,000, and some may be renewable.
How can I qualify for an admission scholarship?
After being admitted, new freshmen students are encouraged to complete the General Application in the Panther Scholarship Portal to be considered for merit-based scholarships.
What is considered in the awarding process?
In addition to the student’s responses on the General Application in the Panther Scholarship Portal, criteria such as high school grade point average, class rank, and ACT/SAT test scores (if provided) may be considered.
When will I hear if I’ve been awarded an admission scholarship?
Scholarship award notices are emailed beginning in late fall and continuing through the spring. Students with questions should contact the Office of Student Scholarships.
Out-of-State Students
UWM is a great value and an even better investment because we’re competitively priced and students qualify for special discount programs that bring your costs close to Wisconsin resident rates—and far below the price tags of private colleges. The $1,000 annual Milwaukee Advantage Program (MAP) award is offered to students from Illinois and Minnesota.
Use the New Freshman Scholarships filter to see opportunities specific to you in the Panther Scholarship Portal.
New transfer students at UWM are encouraged to complete the Panther Scholarship Portal General Application to be automatically considered for admission scholarships and others. Use the Transfer Student Scholarships filter to view opportunities specific to you.
New transfer students first enrolling at UWM for the spring semester should plan on being admitted by December 1st to be considered for University-Wide scholarships.
The following Schools and Colleges offer scholarship opportunities unique to incoming transfer students:
- Architecture and Urban Planning, School of
- Arts, Peck School of the
- Business, Sheldon B. Lubar College of
- Education, School of
- Health Sciences, College of
- Information Studies, School of
- Nursing, College of
- Public Health, Joseph J. Zilber School of
- Social Welfare, Helen Bader School of
Out-of-State Students
UWM is a great value and an even better investment because we’re competitively priced and students qualify for special discount programs that bring your costs close to Wisconsin resident rates—and far below the price tags of private colleges. The $1,000 annual Milwaukee Advantage Program (MAP) award is offered to students from Illinois and Minnesota.
Use the Transfer Student Scholarships filter to view opportunities specific to you in the Panther Scholarship Portal.
Continuing students can apply for most scholarship opportunities using the Panther Scholarship Portal.
Each scholarship offered by UWM has unique eligibility criteria. Some are open to most or all students. Others have specific requirements about academic achievements, intended majors or careers, or even which high school a student attended. But the Panther Scholarship Portal uses your student data to match you with open scholarship opportunities for which you are eligible. You can then complete and submit applications online.
If you submitted the General Application and/or a School/College/Department Application in previous academic years, many of your previous responses will carry forward each year to the next awarding cycle. There will be a few questions that require you to submit new responses, along with signing and dating your application(s) for the new awarding cycle. If you do not complete these steps, your application(s) will remain in draft status, and you may not be considered for some scholarship opportunities.
New scholarship applications open throughout the year, so be certain to access the Panther Scholarship Portal periodically to stay up to date with available opportunities. If you’re not currently matching to any scholarships, it is likely there are no scholarship opportunities open.
Check your UWM email for announcements about open applications, and explore the Panther Scholarship Portal for more information on start dates and new opportunities.
Most scholarship opportunities for graduate students come in the form of fellowships, assistantships, and tuition waivers and are offered by departments within the School or College. Visit the Graduate School for more information.
Graduate students are encouraged to visit the Panther Scholarship Portal for other scholarship opportunities.
Fellowships, as well as some tuition remissions or waivers, can affect your financial aid package. Teaching, Research, and Project Assistantships (TAs/RAs/PAs) no longer affect your eligibility for federal aid. Although TAs and PAs are no longer considered a financial aid resource, the earnings should be listed as untaxed income on your FAFSA. If you are receiving a tuition waiver or fellowship from the university, and it does not appear in your PAWS financial aid award, notify the Office of Student Scholarships as soon as possible.
If your other financial aid funds are disbursed prior to your remission/waiver, these will automatically be applied to your tuition account balance. You may not receive any expected refund check until after your tuition remission/waiver has been processed.
Note that graduate students are automatically assigned a Cost of Attendance that assumes in-state tuition and enrollment in eight or more credits. If you are an out-of-state resident and you do not receive non-resident tuition remission, you may contact the Financial Aid Office to request a review of your financial aid package for a possible revision. This may allow you to borrow additional loans (usually in the form of a Federal Direct Grad PLUS or a Private Alternative Loan.)
Non-traditional students typically include students who are returning adults looking to complete their education, students with children and/or dependents, and active members of the military or veterans. Visit the Panther Scholarship Portal for scholarship opportunities.
Students who previously attended UWM and are planning for re-entry may also be eligible for scholarships.
Additional Resources
All UWM campuses and schools/colleges offer scholarships to their students. Visit their pages below for additional information.
To apply for scholarships, visit the Panther Scholarship Portal.
Aging & Translational Research, Center for
Alumni Association
American Indian Student Center
Architecture and Urban Planning, School of
Arts, Peck School of the
Business, Sheldon B. Lubar College of
Education, School of
Engineering & Applied Science, College of
Freshwater Sciences, School of
Graduate School
Honors College
Health Sciences, College of
Information Studies, School of
International Education, Center for
Latin America & Caribbean Studies, Center for
Letters and Science, College of
LGBTQ+ Resource Center
Nursing, College of
Public Health, Joseph J. Zilber School of
Roberto Hernandez Center
Social Welfare, Helen Bader School of
Study Abroad Office
Undergraduate Research, Office of
UWM at Waukesha Foundation
To apply for scholarships, visit the Panther Scholarship Portal.
These are scholarships given by donors and organizations not affiliated with UWM. UWM does not endorse any of these companies, organizations, services, or products.
Some private scholarships can be found in the Panther Scholarship Portal. You do not need to log in to view these opportunities.
We encourage you to use caution when providing personal information, and you should never have to pay or purchase products or services in order to be eligible for a scholarship. If you have any concerns or negative experiences regarding any of these listed scholarships, contact the Office of Student Scholarships.
Do I have to report receiving a scholarship to anyone? Yes! If you do not report the private scholarship(s) you receive to the Office of Student Scholarships, you may have to repay federal and/or state aid.
I Have a Private Scholarship to Report
It may take up to two weeks from the time the Office of Student Scholarships receives the check to add and disburse private scholarships to a student’s PAWS account.
Donors or organizations who want to notify the Office of Student Scholarships of a scholarship for a UWM student may do so here:
Do you have a scholarship you would like us to post on our site? Complete our Post a Scholarship Form for consideration.
Tips for Applying
Review our scholarship application tips to put your best foot forward.
External Scholarship Sources
We encourage you to review the following search engines for even more scholarship opportunities! Remember, you should never pay for scholarship opportunities.
- Big Future by College Board is a database of more than 2,300 sources of college funding.
- Fastweb is a personalized search with a database of 1.5 million local, national and college-specific scholarships.
- Finaid is a comprehensive source of student financial aid information, advice, and tools with a link to scholarships.
- Gilman International Scholarship Program provides aid to undergraduates who wish to study abroad.
- Peterson’s offers more than 1.7 million awards
- Scholarships offers unlimited access to a database of 2.4 million scholarships.
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute provides scholarships for Latino youth.
- Sallie Mae offers more than 5 million awards.
- Pathway to Science (Undergraduates) has a searchable database of 650+ summer research programs in all STEM disciplines.
- Pathway to Science (Graduates) includes funding opportunities and professional development programs and resources.
- Pathway to Science for Postdocs includes programs and resources for prospective and current STEM postdoctoral researchers including postdoc positions, postdoctoral fellowships, travel awards, and professional development opportunities.
- Washington County Campus Foundation provides scholarships specifically for students attending UWM at Washington County.
- Wisconsin Department of Children and Families’ Brighter Star Program allows eligible youth/young adult students who have been in out-of-home (OHC) care (e.g., foster home, group home, or Kinship Care) to receive up to $5000 per school year in financial aid.
DACA & Dreamer Students
The following resources are for DACA and Dreamer students:
- The Dream.US Scholarships
- Golden Door Scholars
- Earnest
- My Undocumented Life Scholarships
- Hispanic Scholarship Fund
- Consejo de Federaciones Mexicanas Scholarships
- Scholarship America Dream Award
- Get Schooled DACA/Undocumented Scholarships
- UWM Roberto Hernandez Center Scholarships
- UWM Inclusive Excellence Center Scholarships for Undocumented Students
Use the links below to learn more about our scholarship recipients.
Learn more about our mission, purpose, core values, and staff team.
Contact Us
To contact the Office of Student Scholarships, use this online contact form. If you have a question about a specific scholarship, include the name of the scholarship and the School/College/Department that awarded it to you or administers it.
In-Person Questions:
Mellencamp Hall, Room 162
2442 E. Kenwood Blvd.
Milwaukee, WI 53211