Scholarships

VCU’s College of Humanities and Sciences is committed to recognizing and rewarding student excellence, proudly offering 150+ scholarship awards that support its students with more than $400,000 annually.

Our scholarship awards are established by alumni, individuals and organizations, and recognize factors such as specific majors, financial need, academic achievement, service and leadership. These scholarships are a form of financial aid that does not need to be repaid.

Our scholarship portal lists scholarships available for students enrolled in VCU’s College of Humanities and Sciences only. The entire scholarship listing can be searched by keyword, or students can login and complete the general application which will generate a list of ‘Recommended Opportunities’ to consider that match GPA, major, etc. Application deadlines are noted for each advertised opportunity.

Applications open in late in the fall semester and award notifications are made late in the spring semester. Awards are processed and disbursed toward the following fall tuition cycle. Visit our 'Frequently Asked Questions' section below for answers to common questions.

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Scholarship deadline
March 15, 2025
How to apply
Instructions and advice

Student Stories

Maryum Elnasseh

As a journalism and political science double major, Maryum Elnasseh is passionate about story-telling and human rights. “[My] scholarship allows me to focus all my time and energy on my academics without having to worry about the financial burden to support myself. Receiving this financial support means I can jump with full force into my academics and extracurricular activities that will further my education — in and out of the classroom.”

When Maryum is not in the classroom, you can find her working with United2Heal, a non-profit humanitarian aid organization that collects surplus medical supplies and sends them to areas in need around the world, and Alternative Spring Break, organizing volunteer trips that send more than one hundred VCU students to various sites around the country, amounting to more than 5,000 community service hours each year that address different issues. “I am incredibly grateful for the generosity of the scholarship donors for supporting the education and the dreams of students such as myself,” she said. “This gives me hope and motivates me to work even harder to make them proud.”

Dalton Huey

Dalton Huey is pursuing a double major in biology and bioinformatics with a minor in chemistry. He became especially interested in molecular biology after completing a research position at the Massey Cancer Center and another in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology on the VCU health campus.

"With [scholarship] support, I can get out a lot more from VCU, opening up many more opportunities that I would otherwise not consider due to cost," Dalton said. "One of these is the ability to enroll in the year-long capstone course in biology, "Research and Thesis," a course that is fundamental to understanding a career in research. These experiences will surely help me become a better scientist and more adequately prepare me for my future experiences in this field." Dalton has ambitions of being a neuroscience researcher focusing on substance use disorders or anxiety and depression.

Claudia Bale

An international studies major with a minor in Spanish, Claudia Bale is involved with several human service volunteer extracurriculars—Stop Child Abuse Now Child Advocacy Center, Heartland Hospice, and she serves as a volunteer EMT. This past summer, Claudia had a chance to conduct research for the Hope of Life on malnutrition through support provided by the Baldacci Experiential Learning Fund scholarship.

"I am incredibly thankful for this award, I would not be able to participate in this experience without the support. This experiential learning opportunity will allow me to better understand how to assess the efficacy of humanitarian assistance and treatment for local communities’ health care needs,” she shared. “No research into Hope of Life’s programs have been conducted thus far and so I believe my project will make a positive contribution and provide useful feedback."

Frequently Asked Questions

For detailed instructions, visit the How to Apply page.

To see a complete list of scholarship opportunities, visit our scholarship portal. You can search by keyword ('psychology' or ‘internship,’ for example) to narrow your search or students can login and complete the general application which will generate a list of ‘Recommended Opportunities’ to consider that match their GPA, major, etc. Application deadlines are noted for each advertised opportunity.

Applications for donor-funded scholarships in the College of Humanities and Sciences open late in the fall semester (usually end of November/early December). Application deadlines are noted for each advertised opportunity. Award notifications to successful applicants are made late in the spring semester (late April/early May) with awards being disbursed toward the following fall tuition cycle.

Awards will be delivered via VCU Financial Aid. As with all financial aid, scholarships are subject to federal and state rules. Receiving a scholarship could affect your financial aid package. If you have questions, please contact your adviser in VCU Financial Aid and reference your award specifically.

The scholarships offered through our scholarship portal are for students who are currently enrolled in classes at VCU’s College of Humanities and Sciences. After your first semester of grades at VCU, you can visit our scholarship portal and see what scholarships would be available to you by completing the general application and browsing a list of recommended opportunities.

Students can obtain a copy of their unofficial transcript by visiting eServices and selecting the ‘Student’ tab, the ‘Student Records’ option and ‘Academic Transcript’ option. To save a copy of your unofficial transcript, use a screen shot/capture or copy and paste into a Word document or a PDF for upload.

VCU Career Services a great campus resource to build and help with edits to your résumé—use their online resources or visit them in person in the Student Commons to learn more. You might also consider asking an adviser, professor or mentor to look at a draft of your résumé.

Once a student completes a general application at our scholarship portal, the application syncs with student information (major, GPA, etc.) recorded in Banner. To view how that information is recorded with your application, login to our scholarship portal and open your general application. At the lower right, click on the gray button that reads ‘Applicant Record.’ If you see an error on this page, contact the Records and Registration office or your home department to have a correction made. The scholarship site refreshes this information nightly so if you have made a recent change to your major or had a grade updated, it may take up to 24 hours to appear. If your applicant information is blank, contact hsscholarship@vcu.edu for additional assistance.

Scholarships in the College of Humanities and Sciences require a faculty reference. When you complete the conditional application, you will be prompted to enter the name and email address of your faculty reference. The site will automatically email your professor with the request and share instructions with them on how to upload their letter. We recommend you also make this request with them in person or via email before submitting their name. You can check the status and date of their submission by logging back in to the site and visiting the ‘References’ tab, though you will not be able to view the contents of the reference.

The References tab allows the applicant to see the status of a reference. Applicants can send reminders to references by clicking the yellow ‘Resend Request’ button. Before sending a reminder, check to make sure the email address listed is correct. If it isn’t, select ‘Add a New Reference’ under the question and send the request to the correct email. You might also consider asking a new person to serve as a reference and send them a request. A new request can be sent by returning to the original request and clicking ‘Add a New Reference.’

Applications for scholarships in the College of Humanities and Sciences require a reference from a faculty member in the College of Humanities and Sciences. We will accept other references (an adviser or professor from another institution if you are a transfer student) but strongly recommend getting a reference who is a faculty member of the College of Humanities and Sciences.

Generally speaking, scholarships are available to rising sophomores, juniors and seniors but if you are currently a senior and will continue your courses in the fall semester, you are eligible. Scholarship awards are credited to the fall tuition cycle.

Congratulations on receiving an award! Scholarships are disbursed to your student account in late summer and credited in full to your fall tuition bill. For other questions about award processing, contact hsscholarship@vcu.edu.

The College of Humanities and Sciences offers several scholarships that provide financial support for students participating in experiential learning opportunities like internships, research experiences, study abroad trips, conference attendance or presentation or leading a social entrepreneurship project. Awards up to $5,000 will support these types of experiential learning activities. Applicants for these funds must be full-time undergraduate rising juniors or seniors, in good academic standing (cumulative GPA of ≥ 2.0) and be primary majors in the College of Humanities and Sciences. To be considered, complete the College scholarship application at our scholarship portal.

Awards supporting experiential learning are delivered via VCU Financial Aid. As with all financial aid, scholarships are subject to federal and state rules. Receiving a scholarship could affect your financial aid package. If you have questions, please contact your adviser in VCU Financial Aid and reference your award specifically.

Scholarships are available to students from a variety of offices and units on campus. See the following links for additional details and deadlines. Also consider visiting Financial Aid for additional information on resources to make college affordable.