USA Scholarships
William C. Powers Jr. Scholarship 2026
The William C. Powers Jr. Scholarship 2026 recognizes students who have already put time into the University of Texas at Austin, not seniors applying from high school. If you are enrolled now and you have finished two full long semesters, the Senate of College Councils will read your application from Monday 5 October 2026 until Friday 16 October 2026 at 3:00 p.m. CST. Reviewers look at what you have given the university, your community or organizations, and your job. Financial need matters only when two applicants look equally strong as leaders. The form sits behind a UT EID login.
What is the William C. Powers Jr. Scholarship?
The William C. Powers Jr. Scholarship 2026 is how the Senate of College Councils marks students who have already done something useful at the University of Texas at Austin. William C. Powers Jr. was a UT president, and the Senate named this endowed award for that campus role. You do not apply as a high school senior hoping to be admitted. You apply as someone who has finished two long semesters and can point to a record.
Fall 2026 is a short window. The Senate opened applications on Monday 5 October and closes them on Friday 16 October at 3:00 p.m. CST. That clock is on the scholarships table next to a status of OPEN. Undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students share the same form. The public rules never mention citizenship, so an international student who is already enrolled and past the two-semester mark is in the same pool as a Texas resident.
Money is the part the Senate does not spell out on the public page. A 2019 notice from the McCombs MPA office described awards up to $1,500 and late-November interviews. The 2026 page does not repeat either detail, so treat both as history until the UT EID form says otherwise. What the current page does repeat is the scoring: university contribution, community or organizational involvement, job or work involvement, and financial need only when two leadership records look equal.
If you are comparing Texas awards, the Fred Finch Scholarship is a different fund with its own rules. Powers-Knapp, despite the shared first name, belongs to Wisconsin. For a leadership award that is not locked to one campus, read the Lytal Reiter Leadership Award beside this one and apply only where you actually qualify. Questions about the Senate form can go to [email protected].
Eligibility
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✓Enrolled at UT Austin nowYou must be a currently enrolled student at the University of Texas at Austin. The William C. Powers Jr. Scholarship 2026 is tied to this campus, so a student at another Texas school cannot use it. The public rules do not add a citizenship test, which means an international student who already studies at UT and meets the semester rule can apply.
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✓Two long semesters finishedYou need two full terms, meaning long semesters, already completed at UT Austin before you apply. A student still in a first long semester is too early. Summer terms are not described as a substitute on the Senate page.
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✓Undergraduate, graduate, or doctoralThe Senate opens the award to undergraduates, graduate students, and doctoral students. A law, business, or PhD student qualifies on level as long as the two-semester rule is met.
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✓A record the Senate can scoreApplicants are evaluated on contribution to the university, community or organizational involvement, and job or work involvement. These are the gates the board actually reads, not a GPA cutoff. The Fall 2026 page does not publish a minimum GPA.
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✓File by 3:00 p.m. CST on 16 OctoberApplications opened Monday 5 October 2026 and close Friday 16 October 2026 at 3:00 p.m. CST. A late file is outside the window the Senate published.
Benefits
- William C. Powers Jr. Scholarship 2026 cash award Amount is not published on the public page
- Leadership recognition from the Senate of College Councils Included
- Full tuition Not a full-tuition award
- Room and board Not covered as a package
- Open to students who have not yet enrolled at UT Not offered
Document checklist
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✓UT EID loginThe application link on the Senate scholarships table goes to a Dean of Students form at deanofstudents.utexas.edu. You sign in with your UT EID. A guest account will not open it.
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✓Senate application formComplete the William C. Powers Jr. Endowed Scholarship application for Fall 2026 while the status on the Senate table says OPEN.
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✓University contribution examplesBe ready to show how you have contributed to UT. The board scores this directly. Use specific roles, dates, and what changed because you were there.
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✓Community or organization recordList community and organizational involvement the same way. A title with no description of the work is thin next to a short account of what you actually did.
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✓Job or work involvementPaid work counts. The Senate lists job and work involvement as its own review item, separate from campus clubs.
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✓Need details, if you want them weighedFinancial need is used only to decide between equally meritorious students with comparable leadership. If you want that tie-break available, give the form whatever need information it asks for. Need alone does not replace the leadership record.
How to apply
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1
Check the two-semester rule first
Count long semesters you have already finished at UT Austin. If you are still inside your first long semester, wait for a later cycle.
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2
Open the Senate scholarships table
Go to senateofcollegecouncils.utexas.edu/scholarships and confirm the William C. Powers Jr. Endowed Scholarship row still says OPEN, with a deadline of 16 October 2026 at 3:00 p.m. CST.
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3
Sign in with your UT EID
Use the application link, which points at the Dean of Students secure form. Sign in with your own EID. Do not bookmark the sign-in screen itself or the next visit can land on a stale-request page.
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4
Write to the four review items
Address university contribution, community or organizational involvement, and job or work involvement. Add financial need only as the tie-break the Senate described.
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5
Submit before 3:00 p.m. CST on 16 October 2026
The close is a clock time, not the end of the calendar day. Send the form with time to spare. Questions can go to [email protected].
Deadline and timeline
FAQ
Who can apply for the William C. Powers Jr. Scholarship?
Currently enrolled UT Austin undergraduates, graduate students, and doctoral students who have completed two full long semesters. The award is for impact you have already made on the university, in the community, or at work.
When is the William C. Powers Jr. Scholarship deadline for 2026?
Friday 16 October 2026 at 3:00 p.m. CST. The window opened Monday 5 October 2026. Treat 3:00 p.m. as the cutoff, not midnight.
How much is the William C. Powers Jr. Scholarship?
The Fall 2026 Senate page does not publish a dollar amount. A 2019 McCombs notice described awards up to $1,500 for an earlier cycle. Do not budget that figure until you see it inside the current UT EID form.
Can international students apply for the William C. Powers Jr. Scholarship?
The published rules ask for current UT enrollment and two completed long semesters. They do not require U.S. citizenship. An international student who already meets those two tests can apply. A student still abroad, or admitted but not yet enrolled, cannot.
Do graduate students qualify for the William C. Powers Jr. Scholarship?
Yes. The Senate says any currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate student, including doctoral students, may apply after two long semesters at UT Austin.
What does the William C. Powers Jr. Scholarship committee score?
Contribution to the university, community or organizational involvement, and job or work involvement. Financial need is used only to separate equally meritorious students with comparable leadership.
Where do I apply for the William C. Powers Jr. Scholarship?
Start at senateofcollegecouncils.utexas.edu/william-c-powers-jr-endowed-scholarship, then use the application link on the Senate scholarships table. The form requires a UT EID.
Is the William C. Powers Jr. Scholarship the same as Powers-Knapp?
No. Powers-Knapp is a University of Wisconsin program. The William C. Powers Jr. Scholarship is a UT Austin Senate of College Councils award named for the late UT president. Different school, different form, different deadline.
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