Scholarship Universe

Adams State University Now Has Access to a Whole Other Universe

Lilliana Chavez

Starting off the new semester, Adams State University (ASU) has implemented the Scholarship Universe program. This program gives ASU students a medium through which to apply for scholarships. This efficient platform allows students access to a great variety of scholarships. The Scholarship Universe manages both the 175 internal scholarships offered through the Adams State Foundation with an application deadline of March 15 and the external scholarships that are nationally recognized. With both the internal and external scholarships, students have access to over 14,000 scholarships offered across the country. This platform was also designed with students in mind. It has a straightforward layout, and it is easily accessible with an Adams State student ID and password. This sort of layout is already familiar to students, and it should offer easy access as students begin to apply for scholarships.

The implementation of the Scholarship Universe began to promote efficiency in the scholarship application process and to simplify it. “There was a need,” said Phil Schroeder, the  Director of Student Financial Aid at ASU. Traditionally, scholarship applications have been submitted manually using paper forms and physical mail systems. In order to have a fighting chance at being awarded a scholarship, students must apply for numerous scholarships. The applications do not always come easy, though. One must also take into consideration the time it takes to write scholarship letters tailored to individual scholarships, format them, print them, and mail them. This process is daunting, and it can be costly for students who must pay to print out their scholarship applications. The Scholarship Universe system was developed in partnership by the University of Arizona and Phoenix, AZ based CampusLogic in order to get away from this manual process. ASU is actually the second institution in the entire country, only after D’Youville College in Buffalo, NY, to implement this platform for its students.

As with all promising programs, the process of implementing the Scholarship Universe did not simply happen overnight. ASU actually began evaluating other platforms for this purpose  in the Spring of 2018. After thoroughly researching other platforms, it was decided that the Scholarship Universe was the best option to choose for the sake of the students. In order for ASU to provide access to this helpful platform, the rights to use it had to be purchased. The funds necessary to purchase these rights were provided by the Adams State Foundation. With the Scholarship Universe now active, officially launching in early January of this year, students can now use this system to find information on and apply for scholarships that were previously unavailable or difficult to find. The ASU Financial Aid Office plans to work on a future project dealing with the verification of data from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The project would work with the FAFSA’s Verification Process in order to simplify the process for those who are selected for verification.

For more information on the Scholarship Universe, head to: https://www.adams.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/, and start applying for scholarships today!