Scholarships
Scholarships are awards based on merit, awarded to students who demonstrate academic excellence, athletic or artistic talent, leadership, volunteering, or other traits. They can be considered a type of financial aid, and sometimes – but not always – require students to have financial need.
Scholarships can be funded by UTEP, our generous donors, or foundations such as the Terry Foundation, McDonald’s El Paso Scholarships, and the Hector and Gloria Lopez Foundation. Students can also apply for external scholarships.
Scholarships for high school seniors
If you are a high school student considering attending UTEP and you are in the top 25% of your junior class, you should apply for the UTEP Excellence Scholarship. Recipients of this award have different backgrounds and experiences, but they all demonstrate academic excellence, leadership, and service to others.
The application opens each year on October 1st for students graduating high school the following year. The deadline to apply is January 31st before your high school graduation, and state residents, international, and out-of-state students are welcome to apply. Submit your application at utep.edu/excellence.
The scholarship amount ranges from $2,000 to $8,000 per year and is renewable for up to four years. To remain eligible, students must enroll full-time, maintain a 3.0 GPA, earn 30 credits each year, and participate in service activities at UTEP.
Up to five top applicants are selected for the Presidential Scholarship, which covers the student’s full cost of attendance, up to $20,000 per academic year.
You may also qualify for state and external scholarships, listed below.
Scholarships for UTEP students
After you are admitted to UTEP, dig into the ScholarMine! With one single application, ScholarMine can match you with any of more than three hundred donor scholarships. These awards have different eligibility criteria, like college, field of study, GPA, etc. Apply at utep.edu/scholarmine.
If selected for a UTEP scholarship funded by a donor, you will be asked to write a letter thanking them. Writing a thank you letter for a stranger may be awkward at first, but it is a valuable skill. Read our guide for tips on how to write a thank you letter to your donor.
You may also qualify for external scholarships, listed below.
Scholarships for graduate and doctoral students
If you are a graduate student at UTEP, you may qualify for fellowships through the Graduate School.
If you're a doctoral student, you may also qualify for the Texas Leadership Research Scholars program if you meet the following:
- You graduated from a Texas public high school or an institution of higher education in Texas (public, private, or independent).
- When you were an undergraduate student, you received either a Pell Grant, a TEXAS or TEG Grant, or a Leadership Scholarship.
- You are enrolled full-time in a research doctoral degree program at UTEP.
- You apply for financial aid.
- You are nominated by the Graduate School based on merit and leadership potential.
- More information is available at the program website.
The state of Texas also offers scholarships:
- The Texas Leadership Scholars Program, for top performing students with demonstrated financial need, leadership in their high school community, and academic success. You may be eligible if you:
- are a high school student graduating from an accredited Texas high school,
- you are graduating in the top 10% of your class or are nominated by a high school staff member,
- submit a FAFSA or TASFA demonstrating financial need,
- you are eligible for the TEXAS Grant,
- have evidence of leadership and service within your high school and community,
- are accepted to UTEP,
- and complete an application process.
- If you are planning to become a member of the armed forces, you may qualify for the Texas Armed Services Scholarship program.
Athletic and other scholarships
Student athletes may be eligible to receive a scholarship from UTEP Athletics to cover tuition and fees or other educational expenses. If you are awarded an athletic scholarship, it will be incorporated into your financial aid award offer. For more information, visit the financial aid and scholarships for student athletes compliance page.
In addition to UTEP scholarships, there are many external opportunities you can explore using a search engine, such as:
If you are an admitted student, explore our external scholarships bulletin board and events site, where you can find up-to-date information about external scholarship opportunities, application deadlines, workshops, and more.
