University of Miami Stamps Scholarship 2027 - Full Ride
The University of Miami Stamps Scholarship 2027 is the most valuable merit award the university offers, and it behaves differently from the tuition-only scholarships sitting next to it on the same page. Stamps Scholars receive the full cost of attendance: tuition and fees, on-campus housing, a meal plan, University health insurance, textbooks and a laptop allowance, held for eight semesters or ten for students in five-year degree programmes, or until the first degree is finished, whichever comes first. Layered on top is a $12,000 enrichment fund that the scholar decides how to spend, normally on study abroad, research or an internship that would otherwise be out of reach. Put a number on it: UM lists the 2026-27 cost of attendance at $98,872 for a student living on campus, and $104,091 for an international student once mandatory health insurance is counted, so four years of this award runs close to $400,000. The application route is the part that trips people up. There is no separate Stamps form to fill in, just the Common Application, but you have to be admitted through Early Decision I or Early Action, both of which close on 1 November 2026. Apply Early Decision II or Regular Decision in January and you are considered for standard merit money only, with the premier awards already gone. Citizenship is not a barrier here: where the Hammond, Weeks and Jenkins scholarships are restricted to US citizens and permanent residents, Stamps is open to all first-year applicants.
What is the University of Miami Stamps Scholarship?
The University of Miami Stamps Scholarship is the largest award the university gives an undergraduate, and the wording on its own page is worth reading closely. It covers the full cost of attendance, not tuition. That distinction decides whether a family is still writing cheques for four years. Tuition and fees, on-campus housing, a meal plan, University health insurance, textbooks and a laptop allowance all sit inside the award, which holds for eight semesters, or ten if your degree is a five-year programme, or until you finish the first degree, whichever arrives first. Then there is the $12,000 enrichment fund, which the scholar directs towards study abroad, research or an internship. UM lists the 2026-27 cost of attendance at $98,872 on campus and $104,091 for an international student once health insurance is added, so across four years you are looking at something near $400,000.
Now the part that decides most outcomes, and it has nothing to do with how good you are. Stamps consideration is welded to the admission plan you pick. Only students admitted through Early Decision I or Early Action are reviewed for it, and both of those close on 1 November 2026. Early Decision II and Regular Decision applicants have until 5 January and are read for standard merit scholarships, but the premier awards are gone by then. Every year a set of genuinely competitive students files a strong application in January and never learns that the money was decided in the autumn. There is no separate Stamps form to submit and no scholarship essay, which cuts both ways: nothing extra to write, and nothing to fall back on if the Common Application itself is ordinary.
For international applicants this award deserves more attention than it usually gets. UM restricts several of its premier scholarships by citizenship, with Hammond and Weeks open only to US citizens and permanent residents, and the Jenkins Scholarship narrowed to particular states. Stamps carries no such limit and is open to all first-year applicants, as is the Isaac Bashevis Singer Scholarship, which covers full tuition. Fully funded US undergraduate awards that admit international students at all are rare, and ones that cover housing and meals alongside tuition are rarer still. File the CSS Profile by 15 November if you want to be considered for assistance; the FAFSA applies only to US citizens and eligible non-citizens.
The selection calendar moves quickly once the deadline passes. Semi-finalists hear from UM in mid-January, finalists are named as Early Action decisions come out in late January, and the interviews follow: a faculty interview, a Scholarship Weekend on campus, and an interview with the Stamps Foundation itself. Recipients are announced in early March 2027. The profile the Stamps programme page describes is an A average and a top 5 per cent class position, with scores near 1500 SAT or 34 ACT among scholars, though UM is test-optional and no score is required. Come to the interview with a real answer about the enrichment fund, because being handed $12,000 to spend on your own judgement is the part of this scholarship that says most about who they are trying to pick. If you are weighing up other autumn-deadline full rides, the Stamps Scholars Program guide explains how the same award works at the other partner universities, and the Gabelli Presidential Scholarship guide covers a comparable 1 November award at Boston College. Full terms sit on the official University of Miami Stamps Scholarship page.
Eligibility
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✓Admission through Early Decision I or Early ActionThis is the hard gate, and it is the one that quietly removes most candidates. Only applicants admitted through Early Decision I or Early Action are considered for the University of Miami Stamps Scholarship, and both plans close on 1 November 2026. Early Decision II and Regular Decision applicants, who have until 5 January, are reviewed for standard merit scholarships but not for the premier awards.
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✓Entering first-year student at UMThe award is built for students starting their first undergraduate degree at the University of Miami in autumn 2027. It is not a transfer award, not a graduate award, and it cannot be picked up partway through a degree.
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✓Open to applicants of any citizenshipUnlike several other UM premier scholarships, Stamps carries no citizenship restriction and is available to all first-year applicants. The Ronald A. Hammond and Marta S. and L. Austin Weeks scholarships are limited to US citizens and permanent residents, and the George W. Jenkins Scholarship narrows further to specific states, so international applicants should aim squarely at Stamps and the Isaac Bashevis Singer Scholarship.
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✓A strong academic recordThe Stamps programme page for Miami describes the successful profile as an A average with a place in the top 5 per cent of the high school class. Standardised tests are optional at UM, though the same page points to scores around 1500 SAT or 34 ACT among admitted scholars, which tells you the level of the pool rather than a formal cut-off.
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✓The Common Application, filed on timeNo separate scholarship application exists. The admission file you submit through the Common Application by 1 November 2026 is the whole entry, and selection runs off the holistic review UM already performs. Nothing extra to write, which also means nothing to fall back on if the application itself is thin.
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✓Availability for interviewsSemi-finalists are contacted from mid-January and finalists sit interviews with the Stamps Foundation, alongside a faculty interview and a Scholarship Weekend on campus. Keep late January through February free enough to travel.
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✓Ability to hold the renewal termsScholars carry at least 12 credit hours in each of the autumn and spring semesters, a minimum of 24 credit hours per academic year, and a 3.0 GPA for the year. The first GPA calculation lands at the end of the second semester of attendance.
Benefits
- Tuition and fees Covered
- On-campus housing Covered
- Meal plan Covered
- University health insurance Covered
- Textbooks and laptop allowance Covered
- Enrichment fund $12,000, directed by the scholar
- Duration 8 semesters, or 10 in a five-year degree programme
- Study beyond the first undergraduate degree Support ends at the first degree
- Early Decision II and Regular Decision applicants Not considered for Stamps
- 2026-27 cost of attendance, living on campus $98,872
- Tuition $66,312
- Fees $2,030
- On-campus housing $16,958
- Meals $9,400
- International cost of attendance $104,091, including mandatory health insurance
- Financial need requirement None, selection is on merit
- Moving the award to another university Not possible, it belongs to UM
Document checklist
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✓The Common ApplicationFiled under Early Decision I or Early Action by 1 November 2026. This single document is what puts you in the Stamps pool, so treat it as a scholarship application rather than an admission formality.
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✓Official high school transcriptSent by your school through the most recent marking period, showing courses, grades and class rank where your school reports it. Rank matters more than usual here given the top 5 per cent profile.
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✓Counselor recommendation and school reportSubmitted by your school counselor through the Common Application. A counselor who can place you against your own cohort, rather than describe you in general terms, is doing real work for this award.
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✓Teacher recommendationAt least one letter from a teacher in a core academic subject. Selection reads for intellectual curiosity as much as performance, so pick the teacher who has seen you chase something beyond the syllabus.
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✓Application essaysThe Common Application personal essay plus any UM-specific writing. Since there is no separate Stamps essay, these carry the full weight of your case for the award.
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✓SAT or ACT scores, optionalUM is test-optional, so scores are never required. The Stamps page for Miami references roughly 1500 SAT or 34 ACT among scholars, so submit if you are at or near that band and leave them out if you are not.
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✓CSS ProfileRequired of every applicant who wants to be considered for financial assistance, international applicants included, by 15 November for Early Decision I and Early Action. Stamps itself is merit-based, but the aid file should still be complete.
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✓FAFSA, for those eligibleRequired only of US citizens and eligible non-citizens, due on the same 15 November date for the early plans. International applicants file the CSS Profile alone.
How to apply
Deadline and timeline
FAQ
What is the University of Miami Stamps Scholarship?
It is the most prestigious merit award the University of Miami offers, funded jointly with the Stamps Foundation and given to entering first-year students whose academic record, leadership and curiosity stand out in the admission pool. Scholars receive the full cost of attendance rather than a tuition discount, meaning tuition and fees, on-campus housing, a meal plan, University health insurance, textbooks and a laptop allowance, plus a $12,000 enrichment fund. Support runs for eight semesters, or ten for students in five-year degree programmes, or until the first degree is complete.
How much is the University of Miami Stamps Scholarship worth?
UM puts the 2026-27 cost of attendance at $98,872 for a student living on campus, made up of $66,312 tuition, $2,030 fees, $16,958 housing and $9,400 meals, with allowances for books, personal expenses and transport. An international student sits at $104,091 once mandatory health insurance of $4,483 is added. Because Stamps covers the full cost of attendance for four years and then adds $12,000 of enrichment funding on top, the total package comes to roughly $400,000.
What is the deadline for the University of Miami Stamps Scholarship 2027?
The deadline is 1 November 2026, which is the closing date for both the Early Decision I and Early Action admission plans. There is no later scholarship deadline, because consideration is tied to the admission plan rather than to a separate form. Financial aid documents follow shortly after, with the CSS Profile due 15 November 2026 for both early plans.
Can international students apply for the University of Miami Stamps Scholarship?
Yes. Stamps is available to all first-year applicants with no citizenship restriction, which makes it one of the strongest routes into a fully funded US undergraduate degree for an international student. That is not true of every UM premier award: the Ronald A. Hammond and Marta S. and L. Austin Weeks scholarships are restricted to US citizens and permanent residents, and the George W. Jenkins Scholarship goes further and limits eligibility to applicants from particular states. International applicants should also file the CSS Profile, though the FAFSA applies only to US citizens and eligible non-citizens.
Do you need a separate application for the Stamps Scholarship at Miami?
No. UM states plainly that there is no separate application outside the Common Application, and every applicant admitted through Early Decision I or Early Action is considered automatically through the holistic review process. That sounds easier than it is. With no scholarship essay to argue your case, the admission file has to carry the whole thing, so the activities list, essays and recommendations need to be written as though a scholarship committee will read them, because one will.
What GPA and test scores do you need for the UM Stamps Scholarship?
The Stamps programme page for Miami describes the successful profile as an A average with a top 5 per cent class rank, and points to scores in the region of 1500 SAT or 34 ACT. Those are descriptions of the pool rather than published cut-offs, and UM is test-optional, so no score is required at any stage. As a scholar you then hold a 3.0 GPA across the academic year and carry at least 12 credit hours each autumn and spring semester to keep the award.
How is this different from the Frost School of Music Stamps Scholarship?
They are two separate awards that share a name and a funder. The university-wide Stamps Scholarship described here is open across the whole institution and runs on the 1 November admission deadline. The Frost School of Music runs its own Stamps Ensemble Scholarship for a small group of incoming musicians who form chamber ensembles such as a string quartet, woodwind quintet, brass quintet or jazz quintet, and it requires both the UM application and a separate Frost School application by 1 December. If you are a performer, check which one you are actually chasing before you plan your dates.
Can Early Decision II or Regular Decision applicants win a Stamps Scholarship?
No. Premier scholarship consideration belongs to Early Decision I and Early Action applicants only. Apply by the 5 January Early Decision II or Regular Decision deadline and you are still reviewed for standard merit awards, including the President Scholarship at up to $30,000 a year and the Canes Achievement Award at up to $20,000 a year, but the Stamps, Singer, Hammond, Weeks and Jenkins awards have already been allocated from the early pool. Missing 1 November costs you the premier awards outright.
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