Types of Scholarships

We have a variety of scholarships available to help make an Alfred University education affordable for you.

A scholarship is a form of gift assistance awarded based on merit. Most scholarships are renewable for four years. It usually denotes a merit-based award which recognizes academic achievement and promise or another special attribute. Alfred University offers a wide variety of scholarships to acknowledge the special abilities of new first year, transfer and international students. Students can apply for most of the scholarships listed, except as noted, by completing the application for admission. Scholarship amounts reflected on this webpage are for first time first year and transfer students and are capped at the students first year tuition rate.

Scholarships for Undergraduates

Alfred University is committed to providing a very competitive scholarship program. If you are a strong academic student, we have a range of scholarships and awards you may qualify for. The Office of Admissions awards all scholarships based on a holistic review process including consideration of a student's cumulative GPA, rigor of curriculum and board score (if submitted). A student's strength in high school/college courses, high school quality, leadership and service and participation in extracurricular activities is also taken into consideration. A student must complete the entire admission application process to be eligible for scholarships. Most undergraduate scholarships are renewable annually at AU. There is no separate application process to be considered for a scholarship.

Art Portfolio Scholarship
Students who apply to the School of Art and Design will automatically be considered for this scholarship based on the work submitted in the portfolio. Students must complete the admissions process and submit their portfolio by February 1 for first-year students and March 1 for transfer students

Phi Theta Kappa
Full-time transfer students who are currently members of PTK will automatically be considered for this scholarship

Unless otherwise noted, most undergraduate scholarships are renewed on an annual basis as long as a student is enrolled full-time (12 credit hours) and maintains satisfactory academic progress.


For students enrolling Fall 2023:

Students are eligible for a combination of scholarship and awards up to $21,000 (New York State School of Art and Design; Biomaterials, Ceramic, Glass & Materials Science Engineering) and up to $33,000 for all other majors.

  • Alfred University Scholar - $18,000 - $30,000 per year
    Eligibility: Attend a High School in the US or US Territory and be nominated directly by your school. If you receive this award, you will only be eligible for up to $3,000 additional scholarships totaling either $21,000 or $33,000. You will still qualify for need based financial aid.
  • Closer to Home Award - $2,000 per year
    Eligibility: Apply before February 1, 2023 and live in the following NY counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Schuyler, & Steuben or PA counties: Bradford, Erie, McKean, Potter, Tioga and Warren.
  • Honors Award - $1,000 per year
    Eligibility: Apply to the Honors Program by March 1st and be accepted into the Honors Program. Please note, this award is only available to students who apply to the Honors Program during the admission process - current students at Alfred University who apply to the Honors Program after matriculating will not qualify.
  • Legacy Award - $2,000 per year
    Eligibility: Did you have a sibling, parent and/or grandparent graduate from Alfred University? If so, you will receive a $2,000 per year scholarship. You will only receive one scholarship, regardless of how many family members have graduated from Alfred University. Step-parents/grandparents also qualify.
  • Military Awards - Did you know that members of the military and those in the ROTC program are entitled to exclusive benefits, including eligibility for state and federal aid? In addition to applying for federal aid via the FAFSA, Alfred University strongly encourages you to consider applying for additional financial assistance.
  • Sibling Grant - Financial aid will take 12.5% off each respective sibling's tuition
    Eligibility: Families that have two or more children attending Alfred University concurrently enrolled on a full-time basis. When there is one remaining sibling enrolled at the University the grant will revert to the Legacy Award.
  • Visit Award - $1,000 per year
    Eligibility: Visit Alfred University by March 1, 2023 of the year you intend to enroll either with an on-campus or virtual visit (virtual open house, Zoom meeting or virtual one-on-one).

Alfred University also offers Competition Scholarships for first year students who may compete in the academic areas of engineering, mathematics, and English composition. The scholarships are $1,000 to $2,500 per year. Awards are renewable provided the student maintains a 3.0 cumulative grade point average, continuous full-time enrollment, and good citizenship.

The competitions are held on the Alfred University campus during the fall and winter of the senior year of high school. The Lelia E. Tupper Writing Competition is determined by an essay submission.

William Varick Nevins III Mathematics Competition
Campus Exam
Autumn

Lelia E. Tupper Writing Competition
Essay
Winter

Inamori School of Engineering
Campus Exam
Autumn

Full-time students who are certified as eligible to participate by a member institution within the Tuition Exchange Inc. Program are eligible for the standard full-time tuition rate up to a maximum of eight semesters for enrollment in one of the University's undergraduate degree programs.

Scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis by a University committee. Candidates are evaluated based on high school/college academic performance, standardized test scores, extracurricular involvement, and citizenship.

Students must apply for admission by the preferred application deadline of February 1st. Be certified as eligible to participate by a Tuition Exchange Inc. member institution and demonstrate a completed application for admission with all supporting documents and credentials by February 15.

The Office of Financial Aid is excited to be working with ScholarshipUniverse - a tool that makes funding and applying for external scholarships easier.

What is ScholarshipUniverse?
It is a matching system that maximizes scholarship opportunities for students. It allows students to create an academic profile that enables them to connect with various external scholarship opportunities. Updating your profile regularly will ensure you are seeing all of the external scholarships for which you qualify.

How does ScholarshipUniverse Work?

  • You answer questions and are matched to scholarship opportunities for which you are eligible
  • You can easily apply online to multiple scholarship opportunities through a personalized portal
  • You can track your application status via the portal
  • You are alerted whenever you are matched to a new scholarship opportunity
  • You will receive automatic reminders about outstanding tasks and next steps

How do I use ScholarshipUniverse?

  • Current and newly deposited students will access ScholarshipUniverse and enter your Alfred credentials
  • There are detailed ScholarshipUniverse navigation instructions and FAQ's built in that you may find helpful as you explore the tool

*Please note: ScholarshipUniverse is only compatible with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge browsers.

Private Scholarships and Outside Resources Policy