External scholarships

Many scholarships are available each year from organizations that are not affiliated with the University of Nevada, Reno. We refer to these as, “external scholarships.” All students are encouraged to apply for external scholarships.

Each external scholarship organization determines its own criteria and deadlines, so be sure to read through all information carefully. In general, the best time to apply for external scholarships is at the end of the calendar year prior to the start of each fall semester.

The Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships has reviewed and approved the following list of external scholarship opportunities for announcement. Each scholarship is a continuing program (this is not the first time the scholarship has been awarded) of at least $500 that directly issues funds made payable to the winner’s school. We do not promote scholarships requiring social media interaction. Learn more about scholarship information for external organizations.

 This list is provided as a courtesy to our current and prospective students. The University of Nevada, Reno has no influence over external scholarship application or selection processes. The links provided may take you to websites that are not accessible for people with disabilities. You should never pay for scholarship applications or scholarship search services, and if you feel uncomfortable with any application or awarding components, you are under no obligation to proceed.

External scholarship award notification process

If you are awarded an external scholarship, you must submit a copy of your award notification and your NSHE ID to the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships by emailing finaid@unr.edu so we can add a placeholder to your account. Once we receive a check from the external scholarship organization, we will remove the placeholder and apply the scholarship.

If you do not submit a copy of your award notice to our office, many complications can arise, including reduced aid from other sources. Checks received by the University just prior to the start of each semester may be posted to your account after University fees are due because of processing delays. If your scholarship is not applied before tuition and fees are due, you will either need to pay your outstanding balance or sign up for a payment plan and make the first payment so that you are not penalized with late fees or course cancellation.