New portal makes it easier for students to apply for scholarships

November 24, 2015
Categories: General News Tags: Academic Affairs, Student Life

Students interested in applying for UNC Charlotte scholarships now have an easier way.

The new NinerScholars Portal enables students to apply for more than 500 scholarship opportunities offered by colleges, departments, programs and offices at the University with one application and through one online system.

Students build their student profile in the portal. They provide details that include their academic history and current student status. They can upload letters of recommendation or other documentation, too. The portal then compares the student’s profile to individual scholarship criteria to determine for which scholarships students are eligible. Results are provided in real time.

Mark Walter, director of the University Scholarship Office, spearheaded the launch of this new system.

“There’s no question that students will benefit from the functionality of the NinerScholars Portal. In the past, if students wanted to apply for several scholarships, they would have had to search multiple websites to find opportunities they qualified for, then submit separate applications and documents to each department offering the scholarship,” said Walter. “Now, they just enter their information once, and the NinerScholars Portal matches their profile to all the scholarships for which they are eligible.”

The new system also simplifies the process for UNC Charlotte faculty and staff who administer and award scholarships for their departments. Since the portal uses live data from each student’s admission application or Banner record, scholarship administrators no longer have to screen applications to confirm eligibility. And, because all applications are submitted electronically, paper applications and attachments are eliminated.

The new streamlined process allows administrators to review applicants and their documentation online, collect committee member recommendations in the portal and send the awarded students electronically to be keyed for processing by the Office of Financial Aid.