University Of Houston

Meet Scholarship Universe

The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid is excited to offer students the use of Scholarship Universe, an online tool that makes finding and applying for both UH scholarships and external scholarships easier. The tool is located within your AccessUH account. Just look for the Scholarship Universe icon (pictured). New students gain access to the tool two terms prior to their admission (e.g. admitted fall 2024 students will gain access in late December 2023). Scholarship Universe will also match students to individual college scholarships for which they qualify*.

*Please note that some individual college scholarships are not currently listed in the tool. However, students can still apply separately for these scholarships by clicking on the college links below.

How does Scholarship Universe work?

Once students log in to the portal, they answer questions that match them to scholarship opportunities for which they are eligible
Students can then easily apply online to multiple scholarship opportunities through the personalized portal
Students can track their application statuses via the portal
Students are alerted whenever they are matched to a new scholarship opportunity

Types of Scholarships

University Funded Merit Scholarships

The University funds several academically-competitive scholarships for incoming freshmen. To be considered for a university-funded scholarship, you must meet the following criteria:

Apply for admission to UH for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.
Complete your application for admission, including the submission of all supporting documentation (application, application fee, official transcripts, and test scores), by the priority date( s), typically in early November of your senior year.

University-funded scholarships for incoming freshmen include:

Academic Excellence Scholarship
The Academic Excellence Scholarship offers competitive scholarships of various amount to new incoming freshman who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement. The scholarship can be received a total of four years (five years for Architecture students) if students meet the renewal criteria each year at UH. The academic profile of the incoming freshman class varies from year to year.

2024-25 Academic Excellence Scholarship Priority Deadlines

Application Deadline: Nov. 1, 2024
Supporting Information* Due: Nov. 8, 2024

*Supporting information includes application fee, self-reporting transcript information, test scores (if applicable) and rank . If applying without test scores, supporting information also includes your essay and resume.

Students with no class rank: Students without a class rank can still be considered for Academic Excellence Scholarships. In such cases, the University determines scholarship eligibility based on the other information available.

Distinguished Scholarship
Each year a select group of admitted applicants who represent those with the top merit credentials are provided an opportunity to apply for a University Distinguished Scholarship award. This scholarship award will be provided in addition to the Academic Excellence Scholarship and is eligible for renewal for up to four years. Eligible students will receive an invitation to apply for the Distinguished Scholarship. This scholarship is jointly funded by a generous match from the University’s endowment and private philanthropic donors.

Cullen Leadership Scholarship
Amount: $1,000 per year (renewable for up to four years)

Qualifications: For students who have a competitive academic profile and demonstrated leadership skills. Recipients are selected by the Student Financial Support Committee from among the pool of admitted applicants. No additional application is necessary.

National Merit Scholarship Finalist
Amount: Full cost of tuition and required fees, for four years (five years for architecture students). In addition, recipients are eligible for a one-time $1,000 undergraduate research stipend and a one-time $2,000 study abroad stipend. Candidates who complete the FAFSA may be eligible for additional financial support.

Qualifications: The University of Houston will automatically award scholarship support to National Merit Scholarship finalists who select the University of Houston as their first-choice institution in accordance with the rules and deadlines established by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

Tier One Scholarship
Amount: Full cost of tuition and required fees for four years (five years for architecture students). On-campus housing and meal plan for the first two years at UH. In addition, recipients are eligible for a one-time $1,000 undergraduate research stipend and a one-time $2,000 study abroad stipend. Candidates who complete the FAFSA may be eligible for additional financial support.

Qualifications: As in previous years, if you have a 1400 SAT or 30 ACT composite score and rank in the top 10% of your class, you’ll improve your chances of moving forward in the selection process. Test optional candidates are considered.

Based on the criteria used for the Tier One Scholarship, the average awardee for fall 2022 had a score of 1489 on the SAT (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing + Math) or an ACT Composite of 33, with a class rank in the top 3% and an unweighted core GPA of 3.98. (The unweighted GPA is calculated by the University of Houston using English, math, science and social studies grades.)

To compete for the Tier One Scholarship, incoming fall 2024 freshman students should complete the  Tier One Scholarship application and the application for admission to the University of Houston no later than Nov. 1, 2023. Additionally, a letter of recommendation is required. Instructions are provided in the application.

Top-scoring applicants will be invited to campus for the mandatory Tier One Invitational and interview in January. Applicants who have been selected to advance to the on-campus interviews will be notified in mid-December. Awardees will be notified in mid-March. To learn more about the Tier One Scholarship and the selection process, please visit the  Tier One Scholars website.

Award Maximums

Any scholarship counts as a financial resource and must be considered when constructing a financial aid award package. A student’s total financial aid cannot exceed the cost of attendance (COA). COA is an estimate of what it costs the typical student to attend the University of Houston. Your COA includes tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, transportation , and personal expenses. Exceptions are made for Federal Pell Grant Program recipients, whose financial aid packages can add up to the COA plus the amount of the Federal Pell Grant Program funds. Awards from the University of Houston are subject to change depending on the entire student award package and the student’s COA.

Scholarship Renewal Requirements

Academic Excellence, Distinguished Scholarships, National Merit, Tier One and Cullen Leadership Scholarships will renew each year (up to eight undergraduate semesters, or 10 semesters for architecture students) provided you meet the requirements listed below.

Maintain full-time enrollment (12 credit hours) at UH each fall and spring semester. Your scholarship funds will not credit to your account if you are enrolled in fewer than 12 credit hours.
Maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. The GPA calculation only includes courses taken at UH.
Complete and pass a total of 30 credit hours by the end of the summer following your first year at UH, 60 hours by the end of the second year, and 90 hours by the end of the third year. Transfer, AP, and dual credit hours will count toward this requirement.
Additional details to note:
- Transfer hours may be counted toward your total credit hours completed, but they do not count toward your cumulative GPA.
- Credit hours for repeated courses do not count toward the credit hour requirements. If you have AP or dual credit for a course and you take the course at UH, it is considered a repeat course and will not count toward your credit hour requirements.
- Courses completed with grades of I, U, W or F are not counted toward the credit hour requirements.
- Summer courses taken at UH will count toward your credit hours and GPA requirements, but tuition and fees for those courses will not be funded by the scholarship. The University strongly recommends completing your scholarship requirements during the fall and spring semesters.