USA Scholarships
University of Georgia Undergraduate Scholarships 2027
University of Georgia undergraduate scholarships work differently from most awards you will read about this year, because for the great majority of them there is nothing to apply for. UGA says it awards thousands of academic scholarships to incoming first-year students during the admissions cycle, and that unless the chart says otherwise, students are evaluated automatically once they are admitted. Your admission application is the scholarship application. The Office of Student Financial Aid weighs cumulative GPA, standardised test scores, course rigour and extracurricular engagement as they appear in that file, then finalises the awards by early April. Georgia residents are in the running for stipends of $2,000 to $5,000 a year. Out-of-state and international applicants are scored instead for tuition waivers that cut the non-resident premium in half or remove it entirely, which in 2026-27 money is a gap of roughly $21,670 a year. Two awards break the pattern and need forms of their own: the Foundation Fellowship, due 1 November, and the CURO Honors Scholarship, due 15 January.
What are the University of Georgia undergraduate scholarships?
University of Georgia undergraduate scholarships are, for the most part, awards you never apply for. UGA says it gives out thousands of academic scholarships to incoming first-year students every admissions cycle, and the Office of Student Financial Aid screens admitted students automatically using the cumulative GPA, test scores, course rigour and activities already sitting in the admission file. No essay prompt, no separate portal, no nomination. The awarding runs through the winter and is typically finished by early April, when UGA emails students to say the process is complete. That makes the admission deadline the real scholarship deadline for most applicants, which is why the October calendar matters more here than at universities where merit money has its own form.
What you can win depends heavily on where you live. Georgia residents are scored for a set of cash stipends: $2,000 a year from the Charter, Baldwin or Georgia Incentive Scholarships, $3,000 from One UGA or the Presidential Leadership Scholarship, and $5,000 from the Charles McDonald Brown or Woodruff Scholarships. There are targeted awards inside the list too, including the Harris Scholarship for graduates of Clarke County high schools and the John Lewis Legacy of Courage Scholarship, which gives preference to graduates of Title 1 schools in the Atlanta Public School system. Out-of-state and international applicants get the opposite structure. The Classic Scholarship waives half the difference between in-state and non-resident tuition and Classic City Scholars waives all of it, which against 2026-27 rates of $10,134 and $31,804 is a difference of about $21,670 a year. International applicants have one extra hurdle that catches people out: OSFA states they must hold F-1 visas to qualify for these scholarships at all.
Two awards sit above the automatic ladder and do have forms. The Foundation Fellowship is UGA's premier undergraduate scholarship, run through the Morehead Honors College, and it pays a $15,750 annual stipend in state, $25,930 out of state and $30,000 for international Fellows, with the non-resident tuition differential waived on top. Fellows also get a funded Maymester at the University of Oxford after their first year, three funded spring travel-study programmes, up to $10,000 in individual travel grants and up to $2,000 in research and conference money. More than 1,000 students apply each November for about 30 offers, finalists hear by late January, and interviews happen over the last full weekend in February at a weekend the Honors College describes as mandatory with no alternate dates. Six Fellows a year are also nominated to interview for the national Stamps Scholars Program. The smaller sibling is the CURO Honors Scholarship, $3,000 a year for up to four years, aimed at students who want research at the centre of their degree, with a 15 January deadline and roughly 10 offers a year. One warning on figures: the Honors College page still lists older Fellowship stipends of $15,050, $25,900 and $28,800, while the OSFA chart marked as 2026-27 gives the higher numbers used here. Ask the Fellowship office if that gap changes your decision.
The last layer is need-based and quiet. Georgia Commitment Scholars, the Goizueta Foundation Scholarship at $4,000 a year, the Ed Hoard Memorial First Tee Scholarship at $4,500 and the Annexstad Leaders for Tomorrow programme at $5,000 a year all screen students automatically from the FAFSA, and all of them favour applicants whose form is processed by 15 December with UGA school code 001598 on it. Funding is limited and runs out, so a February FAFSA is usually a missed award rather than a late one. Once you are enrolled, the map changes again: each UGA college and school administers its own scholarships, from Terry College of Business to the Odum School of Ecology and the Grady College of Journalism, and OSFA sends students to those departments directly. Get admitted early, file the FAFSA early, keep the renewal GPA in sight, and the money at UGA tends to find you.
Eligibility
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✓Admitted as a first-year student at UGAThe academic scholarship chart covers incoming first-year students, and OSFA evaluates you automatically once you are admitted. There is no separate form for these awards and no way to nominate yourself. Transfer students and current UGA undergraduates are not on this list, and the two competitive honours scholarships shut them out by name.
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✓An admission application filed by 15 October or 1 JanuaryEarly Action closes on 15 October with supporting materials due 29 October. Regular Decision closes on 1 January with materials due 15 January. Both routes are non-binding and get the same review, but the Foundation Fellowship deadline of 1 November sits between them, so anyone chasing the top award is working to the October calendar in practice.
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✓Georgia residency, which decides your shortlistBaldwin, Charter, Georgia Incentive, Harris, Woodruff, Charles McDonald Brown and the John Lewis Legacy of Courage Scholarship are open to in-state applicants only. The Classic Scholarship and Classic City Scholars are the mirror image, reserved for out-of-state and international applicants. One UGA, Presidential Leadership, the Dr. Henry King Stanford Scholarship and the Foundation Fellowship are open to all three groups.
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✓An F-1 visa if you are an international applicantOSFA states plainly that international applicants must hold F-1 visas to be eligible for these academic scholarships. Other visa categories are out. Federal and state money is a separate matter: HOPE and Zell Miller are Georgia programmes for residents, and the need-based awards below run off the FAFSA, which most international students cannot file.
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✓A separate application for the two competitive awardsThe Foundation Fellowship application is unlocked only after you submit a UGA first-year admission application, and it must be in by 1 November. The CURO Honors Scholarship follows the same pattern with a 15 January cutoff. Both are limited to graduating high school seniors heading straight into UGA, and the Fellowship also accepts dual-enrolled seniors and international students who have not matriculated elsewhere.
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✓Renewal GPA and full-time enrolmentMost academic scholarships renew for up to eight semesters of full-time enrolment, defined as 12 hours, or until you finish the degree. The standard renewal bar is a 3.00 cumulative UGA GPA. Woodruff, Stanford and Foundation Fellowship recipients need 3.40, and the John Lewis Legacy of Courage Scholarship sits lower at 2.80. Lose an award on GPA and the cancellation is final, with no reinstatement.
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✓A FAFSA by 15 December for the need-based add-onsGeorgia Commitment Scholars, the Goizueta Foundation Scholarship and the Annexstad Leaders for Tomorrow programme all run off the FAFSA, and priority goes to students whose form reaches the processor by 15 December with UGA school code 001598 listed. Funding is limited and awarded until it runs out, so a late FAFSA usually means no consideration at all rather than a smaller award.
Benefits
- Charter Scholarship $2,000 a year, in-state
- Baldwin and Georgia Incentive Scholarships $2,000 a year each, in-state
- One UGA Scholarship $3,000 in-state, $1,500 out-of-state and international
- Presidential Leadership Scholarship $3,000 a year, all residency groups
- Charles McDonald Brown and Woodruff Scholarships $5,000 a year, in-state
- Harris Scholarship $2,000 a year for Clarke County high school graduates
- John Lewis Legacy of Courage Scholarship Amount varies, in-state, Atlanta Title 1 preference
- Renewal Up to eight semesters at 12 hours a term
- Separate application None, you are screened on admission
- Housing, food and books Not covered, these are cash stipends toward your bill
- Transfer and current students Not eligible for this first-year chart
- Reinstatement after a GPA drop Not possible, cancellation is final
- Classic City Scholars Waiver of the full in-state to non-resident tuition difference
- Classic Scholarship Waiver of half that difference
- Size of the gap being waived Tuition is $10,134 in-state and $31,804 non-resident in 2026-27
- One UGA Scholarship $1,500 stipend plus the full differential waiver
- Presidential Leadership Scholarship $3,000 stipend plus the full differential waiver
- Dr. Henry King Stanford Scholarship $5,000 plus the full waiver, for Fellowship applicants admitted to Honors
- Visa categories other than F-1 Not eligible for academic scholarships
- HOPE and Zell Miller Not available, these are Georgia resident programmes
- In-state stipend awards Not available to non-residents
- Foundation Fellowship stipend, in-state $15,750 a year
- Foundation Fellowship stipend, out-of-state $25,930 a year plus the full tuition differential waiver
- Foundation Fellowship stipend, international $30,000 a year plus the full tuition differential waiver
- Oxford Maymester after the first year Fully funded, valued at $9,000
- Three spring travel-study programmes Fully funded, valued at $13,500
- Individual travel-study grants Up to $10,000 cumulative
- Research and conference grants Up to $2,000 cumulative
- CURO Honors Scholarship $3,000 a year, renewable up to four years
- Stamps Scholars nomination Six Fellows a year are nominated to interview
- Automatic consideration No, both awards need their own application
- Transfer or current UGA students Not eligible for either award
- Alternative interview dates Not offered, Fellowship interview weekend is mandatory
- Georgia Commitment Scholars Program Amount varies, renewable up to eight semesters
- Goizueta Foundation Scholarship $4,000 a year, paid $2,000 a term
- Ed Hoard Memorial First Tee Scholarship $4,500 a year for First Tee graduates
- Annexstad Leaders for Tomorrow $5,000 a year for three years, then $10,000
- Application None beyond the FAFSA by 15 December
- Out-of-state students Not eligible, these awards require Georgia residency
- International students Not eligible, Goizueta also requires citizenship or permanent residency
- Guaranteed funding No, funding is limited and priority goes to early FAFSA filers
Document checklist
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✓UGA first-year admission applicationThe one document that matters most, because it doubles as the scholarship application for every automatic award. Submit it by 15 October for Early Action or 1 January for Regular Decision. You cannot start a Foundation Fellowship application until this one is in and you have set a permanent password on your status page.
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✓Official high school transcriptPart of the materials package due 29 October for Early Action or 15 January for Regular Decision. Course rigour is one of the four things OSFA says it weighs when handing out academic scholarships, so the transcript is read twice, once for admission and once for money.
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✓Standardised test scoresUGA lists test scores among the materials due by the materials deadline, and OSFA names standardised test scores as one of the factors in its scholarship evaluation. Send them through the testing agency early enough to clear the 29 October or 15 January cutoff rather than assuming a self-report will do.
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✓School report and counsellor materialsFiled by your school alongside the transcript and due on the same materials deadline. Ask your counsellor in September rather than October, because UGA counts materials as late when they arrive after the cutoff even if the application itself went in on time.
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✓Letters of recommendationOptional for admission, and reused rather than duplicated: the Morehead Honors College states that recommendations submitted for the first-year admission application are the ones used for the Foundation Fellowship. One good letter that lands before 29 October covers both purposes.
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✓Morehead Honors College and Foundation Fellowship applicationA single linked application. Starting the Fellowship application means applying to the Morehead Honors College at the same time, and the whole thing is due 1 November. Questions have to come from the student rather than a parent, which the Fellowship office says is deliberate.
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✓CURO Honors Scholarship applicationA separate form for research-minded applicants, open once your UGA application is submitted and closing 15 January. No applications are accepted after that date. Prior research experience is not required, but you are expected to start a research agenda in your first semester if you win.
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✓FAFSA with UGA school code 001598Not needed for merit awards, essential for the need-based layer. Priority consideration goes to students whose FAFSA is processed by 15 December, and the same form drives Georgia Commitment Scholars, Goizueta and Annexstad screening.
How to apply
Deadline and timeline
FAQ
What scholarships does the University of Georgia offer undergraduates?
The core list is the academic scholarship chart published by the Office of Student Financial Aid, which covers the Baldwin, Charter, Georgia Incentive, Harris, Charles McDonald Brown, John Lewis Legacy of Courage, Woodruff, One UGA, Presidential Leadership, Classic, Classic City, Dr. Henry King Stanford and Foundation Fellowship awards. Around that sit the Morehead Honors College awards, the need-based Georgia Commitment Scholars Program, external programmes such as HOPE and Zell Miller for Georgia residents, and hundreds of college and departmental funds that you only reach once you are enrolled.
Do you have to apply separately for University of Georgia scholarships?
For almost all of them, no. UGA states that unless the chart says otherwise, students are automatically evaluated for academic scholarships upon admission, using the information already in the admission application. Two awards break that rule. The Foundation Fellowship needs its own application by 1 November, and the CURO Honors Scholarship needs one by 15 January. Need-based awards need a FAFSA rather than an application, ideally processed by 15 December.
How much are University of Georgia undergraduate scholarships worth?
Most automatic awards pay $2,000 to $5,000 a year. Charter, Baldwin, Georgia Incentive and Harris sit at $2,000, One UGA and Presidential Leadership at $3,000, and Charles McDonald Brown, Woodruff and Stanford at $5,000. Out-of-state and international students get tuition waivers instead, worth half or all of the difference between in-state and non-resident tuition. The Foundation Fellowship is the outlier, and here UGA's own pages disagree: the OSFA chart for 2026-27 gives $15,750 in state, $25,930 out of state and $30,000 for international Fellows, while the Morehead Honors College page still lists $15,050, $25,900 and $28,800. Take the OSFA chart as current, and confirm with the Fellowship office if the difference matters to you.
Can international students get University of Georgia undergraduate scholarships?
Yes, with one hard condition. OSFA states that international applicants must hold F-1 visas to be eligible for academic scholarships. Eligible international applicants are considered for the Classic Scholarship and Classic City Scholars tuition waivers, One UGA, Presidential Leadership, the Stanford Scholarship and the Foundation Fellowship, whose international stipend is the largest on the chart. What international students cannot access is the Georgia resident money, HOPE and Zell Miller included, and the FAFSA-driven need-based awards.
What is the University of Georgia scholarship deadline for 2027 entry?
The only true scholarship deadline is 1 November 2026, for the Foundation Fellowship and the Morehead Honors College application it is attached to. Everything else hangs off admission dates: 15 October 2026 for Early Action with materials by 29 October, 1 January 2027 for Regular Decision with materials by 15 January, 15 January 2027 for the CURO Honors Scholarship, and 15 December 2026 for a FAFSA that carries priority for need-based funds.
Does the University of Georgia offer full-ride scholarships?
The Foundation Fellowship is the closest thing to one. The Morehead Honors College says the stipend approximates the cost of attendance, and for 2026-27 UGA puts the in-state undergraduate cost of attendance at $29,920 on campus against a Fellowship stipend of $15,750 plus the Zell Miller Scholarship for eligible Georgia residents. Out-of-state and international Fellows get a larger stipend plus a waiver of the non-resident tuition premium. Add the funded Oxford Maymester, three spring travel-study programmes and up to $10,000 in individual travel grants, and it is the most generous undergraduate package UGA offers. Roughly 30 offers go out each year.
What GPA do you need to keep a UGA scholarship?
A 3.00 cumulative UGA GPA with full-time enrolment covers most awards on the chart. Woodruff, Stanford and Foundation Fellowship recipients need 3.40, and the John Lewis Legacy of Courage Scholarship needs 2.80. Awards renew for up to eight semesters of 12-hour enrolment or until you finish the bachelor's degree. There is a one-time exception that lets you drop below full-time for a single semester and keep the money, but once a scholarship is cancelled for missing the GPA, UGA says the cancellation is final.
Can out-of-state students get University of Georgia scholarships?
Yes, and the money is shaped differently. Instead of a cash stipend, non-residents are considered for the Classic Scholarship, which waives half the difference between in-state and non-resident tuition, and Classic City Scholars, which waives the whole difference. With tuition at $10,134 in state and $31,804 for non-residents in 2026-27, that full waiver is worth roughly $21,670 a year. One UGA, Presidential Leadership, the Stanford Scholarship and the Foundation Fellowship pair a stipend with the same full waiver.
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