Applying for any of the 262 privately funded scholarships that UAF has to offer was easier than ever this year.

The new application process has drastically increased the number of students who applied. Last year 688 students applied for scholarships, a hundred of those applicants were disqualified because the applicants did not follow the instructions correctly. The final numbers for this year are not out yet, but participation has already doubled since last year, and final numbers are expected to reach 1,500 applicants. The amount of awards rang from $500 scholarships to $15,000 fellowships awarded to graduate students to conduct research.

In previous years, applying involved a long process during which students had to submit an essay and two letters of recommendation. This year students only had to fill out a short application at UAF's financial aid page, listing their grade point averages and activities they participate in, and they answered a series of yes or no questions.

The new scholarship application process uses Banner, a computer database that provides students' information already logged in by the university. The privately funded scholarship applications also eliminated the need for recommendation letters because so many qualified students had trouble in the past finding someone to write one.

So, what happens when applications are submitted, either on paper or electronically?

All the information goes into a database after Scholarship Coordinator Naomi Horne looks over the applications to ensure all students have met the qualifications.

Then Horne carefully looks over the criteria for every scholarship and compiles the names and information of every qualified student. This list is sent to a department head who puts together a committee made up of staff within the university. The committee carefully reviews the candidates and their credentials, and then determines whom they will award the scholarship to. A list of names is then sent to Financial Aid Director Tamara

Hornbuckle who posts the scholarships on UAonline. Notification of awards begins March 1, but sometimes committees will request more information from the student to make their final decision.

This year, the 262 scholarships funded by private donors will total $600,000. When the donors give funds, they agree to allow the university to choose a student based on standards established by the donor. Many of the scholarships are endowments, which are awarded every year from interest earned on invested capital. When a donor wishes to create an endowment, they must make a minimum donation of $25,000. When the market is profitable, endowments yield more scholarships.

The type of students who receive scholarships varies greatly. Most of the scholarships are merit-based which means that committees consider G.P.A. because that is one of the few variables on the application. Horne assures applicants that not all committees seek only a 4.0 student.

"Some scholarships specifically request a G.P.A. below 3.5," Home said, "There are scholarships for single mothers, and there are scholarships for students in almost every major."

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