Both Presidential Scholars and Texas Excellence award students with excellent academic credentials a scholarship of up to $20,000 (up to $5,000 per year over their four years at UT).
Students who first received the award prior to 2020 are considered Presidential Scholars; students who were notified in Spring 2020 that they would begin receiving the award in Fall 2020 are part of Texas Excellence. Presidential Scholars and Texas Excellence students are enrolled in all the colleges and schools at UT and may also be members of honors programs and other university organizations and communities.
To be eligible for the award, Presidential Scholars and Texas Excellence students must:
- Be enrolled at UT full time
- Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year before the priority deadline
- Complete at least 30 credit hours per year, including transfer credit and credit by exam
- Maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA
There is no application required to be selected for the award; Texas residents who graduated from a Texas high school are considered for the award based on their academic achievements and the information provided in their FAFSA.
Presidential Scholars and Texas Excellence are expected to:
- Complete at least 30 credit hours per year, including transfer credit and credit by exam
- Maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA
- Stay on track to graduate in four years
To support these requirements, the program coordinator will regularly review students’ progress toward their degree and refer them to academic and personal support resources, such as tutoring services, academic advising, and CARE counselors. Students may contact the program coordinator any time, and the program coordinator will refer them to the best resources.
All Presidential Scholars who enrolled at UT after Summer 2013 and up to Fall 2019 and are actively meeting program requirements are eligible for the Individual Opportunity Scholarship.
The Individual Opportunity Scholarship is a one-time additional scholarship of $1,500 that can be used to support an approved experiential learning opportunity like:
- An internship
- Attending a professional or scholarly conference
- Research experience
- Study abroad
Once a Presidential Scholar has received confirmation that they have been accepted to participate in an experiential learning opportunity, they will complete the Individual Opportunity Scholarship application to request the funds. The application must include details about the proposed opportunity, a draft budget, a detailed explanation of how this experience will enrich their experience at UT, and any other supporting documents.
Individual Opportunity Scholarship Application
The request should be specific to a particular semester that the student intends to use the funding (fall, spring, or summer). If a student requests funds for a semester but their experience falls through (e.g. the enrichment experience is canceled), the student may submit another funding request at a later date — the funds are not forfeited. An award will not be granted for a prior experiential learning opportunity.
Review of a complete Presidential Scholars Individual Opportunity Scholarship application can take up to four weeks. Once the application has been approved, the award will be disbursed to the Presidential Scholar prior to the semester’s enrichment experience.
This $1,500 scholarship might impact a Presidential Scholar’s financial aid award. Students can contact the program coordinator with questions.