When Avery Krohn of Victoria applied to attend the University of Houston-Victoria in the fall semester, she was worried about how she would pay for classes, but then she was awarded the UHV Presidential Scholarship.
“It was like this huge weight of worry turning into relief,” the incoming freshman biology major said. “It’s going to significantly reduce my financial burden, which will let me focus more on classes instead of worrying about how I’m going to make my tuition payments.”
Krohn is one of the 557 new and 396 returning UHV students who have been awarded more than $688,000 in scholarships through the university for the 2018-2019 academic year as of June 19. More scholarships will be awarded as students apply for financial aid, said Lashon Williams, director of financial aid.
Scholarships are only a portion of the $31,763,777 in financial aid UHV has awarded so far, but much of the other funds come from sources such as federal or state aid such as Pell grants, direct loans, TEXAS Grants and other institutional aid within the university, Williams said.
Many of UHV’s scholarships are available thanks to contributions from community organizations or individuals, said Jesse Pisors, UHV vice president for advancement and external relations. They are endowed scholarships that are awarded based on returns from an initial gift, as well as scholarships funded immediately by cash donations. Whatever the source, UHV tries to award as many scholarships as possible during each school year.
“Scholarships are where UHV, our students and the community come together,” Pisors said. “It take a special kind of generous spirit to invest in a stranger’s education by supporting or creating scholarship funds. And it’s an amazing statement of trust in UHV to relinquish control of funds and let the university select the best student to receive the aid. We are grateful for the support we’ve received from everyone who contributes to our scholarships.”
With all the concerns surrounding student loans and students graduating from college with overwhelming debt, UHV sophomore Keir Walker was grateful for scholarships that would help him avoid taking on loans.
“When I first was accepted and started learning about college loans, it was overwhelming,” said Walker, a biology major from Victoria. “It means a lot to know that people are investing in these scholarships that are helping me get my education. Growing up, people think the world is easy, but it can actually be hard. It’s encouraging to know there are people who want to help and invest in the potential they see in me.”
Scholarships are given out based on a variety of criteria. Although a student’s grades often are included, other factors can be community volunteering, involvement in student organizations, a student’s academic major or even where a student lives. The university also offers scholarships for student-athletes.
Athletics scholarships rely on community support, because no state funds may be used for athletics, UHV Athletics Director Ashley Walyuchow said. The university has about 140 student-athletes, and many of those students benefit from athletic scholarships.
“Our coaches do an excellent job of distributing our scholarship funds to help bring quality student-athletes to UHV,” Walyuchow said. “In addition to being leaders on the field, our scholarship recipients often participate in many service opportunities, student organizations and community events. It gives us so much pride to know that our community values these students and helps them pay for their education.”
As the fall semester approaches, students still have time to apply for financial aid, but many scholarships are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, Williams said.
“We might not be able to give every student a scholarship, but we try to give out every bit of funding we can,” Williams said. “Every person in the Financial Aid office has stories of how helping students get scholarships has helped the students accomplish their dreams.”
To learn more about UHV’s scholarships and how to contribute to or start a fund, contact UHV University Advancement at 361-570-4306 or pisorsj@uhv.edu.