Frequently Asked Questions: College Scholarships

All scholarship applicants must be a current student or have been admitted to UH to apply. Additionally, each scholarship has requirements that applicants must meet as defined by the individual scholarship criteria; applicants do not have to determine their own eligibility.

Applicants submit only one application. The Scholarship Committee will review each student's application and determine which College of Education scholarships are available for that applicant. Applicants may receive more than one scholarship.

• Please note that you must be a current student or have been admitted to UH to apply for a College of Education scholarship. 
• Make sure you have a CougarNet account set up by UH Information Technology. Log in to the application using your CougarNet credentials (these are tied to your UH email address). For example, if your email address is jsmith1@cougarnet.uh.edu:
  • CougarNet Username: jsmith1
  • CougarNet Password: xxxxxxxx
•  If you don’t know your username or password, use the CougarNet Password Wizard for help. Still unable to log in? Please submit a question to the College’s scholarship team, and we will get back to you within 48 hours Monday through Friday.

No. Only applications that have been submitted online with the required uploaded documents will be accepted. Applicants may access the application using one of our computer labs in the Science Building, McElhinney Hall or the computer lab in the M.D. Anderson Library on campus. High school students may visit their school’s college counselor or an administrator for computer access.

• Opens: Oct. 15, 2026
• Priority deadline: Dec. 15, 2026
  
  • Read the application instructions and complete the online application

You may use AI tools such as Grammarly to review spelling and grammar. You might also use AI to brainstorm ideas. However, we want to hear from you. Copying and pasting from AI is not ethical, including relying on AI to generate content/writing that replaces your unique voice, culture, community and lived experiences. 

Yes, although not all of the scholarships are available to new students.

• If you are a current undergraduate student graduating in the upcoming spring semester AND have been admitted to pursue a degree in a graduate program at the College of Education, you may apply for a scholarship/fellowship for the fall semester as a graduate student.
• Otherwise, no, students with anticipated graduation dates during the upcoming spring or summer semesters will not be considered.
• For additional clarity, please submit a question to the College’s scholarship team.

Yes, a limited number of scholarships are available to part-time students. Most scholarships require students to be enrolled full time and in good standing with the University. Undergraduate students enrolled in 12 credit hours or more are considered full-time students. Graduate students enrolled in 6 credit hours or more are considered full time.

• The University considers students to be in good academic standing with a minimum GPA of 2.0. However, GPA requirements vary for each scholarship. Please review the Scholarship Directory page for each scholarship’s criteria.
• Applicants do not determine their eligibility. The Scholarship Committee will determine an applicant's eligibility for each scholarship.

Yes.

The College of Education requires you to complete the online FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Texas students who are ineligible to apply for FAFSA may complete the TASFA (Texas Application for State Financial Aid). 

• No. Current college students may go online to your student account and download an unofficial transcript. For current UH students, go to your account at AccessUH. Select myUH, Academic Records and then UH Official Transcript on the left menu to download an unofficial transcript.
• High school students should submit an unofficial transcript from the most recent completed semester of their senior year. 

• No, simply provide names and contact information via the online application, and a recommendation form will be sent to your references.
• Please contact your references to ask for their permission prior to listing them on your application. It is very important that they are able to meet the deadline.

Yes. If you are a currently enrolled student or a new transfer student, you must have at least one college professor, advisor, academic mentor or staff member listed as reference; they can work at UH or a prior school. The second reference may be someone else familiar with you and your work such as teachers, other professors, school counselors, advisors, coaches, leaders of an organization you are associated with, or former or current employers. Incoming freshmen do not need a reference affiliated with a college.

• Ask potential references if they are comfortable and willing to write a letter of recommendation on your behalf far in advance of the deadline.
• Choose individuals who can speak to your academic and/or professional work. You can share your academic and professional goals with the potential reference and let them know the importance of the scholarship to you. Let the reference know the deadline upfront and email them a friendly reminder before the deadline. At the end of the process, send your references a thank you message.

The notification letters will be sent to your email address on file in PeopleSoft in March after the Scholarship Committee has made its selections.

Student Financial Services will disburse the awarded funds to your student account at the beginning of the fall/spring academic year.

Funds are typically posted to students’ accounts within the first 30 days of the semester of the new academic year. Award letters display the amount received in full for the year. However, disbursements are made by semester. For example, if a student is awarded $5,000, $2,500 will be disbursed during the fall semester and the remaining will be disbursed in the spring semester unless otherwise indicated in your award letter.

Please fill out our scholarship questions form and explain the situation. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.