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Graduate Studies Jump Start Scholarship

Want a jump start on graduate school? Take advantage of this one-time opportunity to further your education and professional skills!

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About the Scholarship

The Office of Graduate Studies understands life circumstances and financial needs continue to shift during unprecedented times. In response, the Jump Start Scholarship was created to help graduating UNO seniors achieve their academic and professional goals.

This scholarship is a one-time award (not recurring) for students beginning or exploring a graduate degree program at UNO, or to cover one graduate course for a graduating UNO senior considering a future application to a UNO graduate program.

 

Eligibility

There are three Jump Start Scholarship eligibility groups. To be eligible, you must qualify under one of the groups:

  • Jump Start 1: Recent UNO graduates (May 2020 and beyond) admitted for a starting term up to Fall 2021
  • Jump Start 2: UNO undergraduate student with 105+ credit hours as of December 2020, and enrolled full-time for Spring 2021 (with an expected graduation date in May 2021)
  • Jump Start 3: UNO undergraduate student graduating in December 2020 who has not applied or been admitted to a graduate program for Spring 2021

Jump Start 1

To be eligible for the Jump Start Scholarship, you must meet the following criteria:

  • (I) Be a UNO student graduating from an undergraduate program in May 2020, August 2020, December 2020, May 2021, or August 2021
  • (II) Be admitted to a UNO graduate degree program for Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Summer 2021, or Fall 2021 
  • (III) Be enrolled in UNO graduate degree program — award is not eligible for undergraduate prerequisite or foundational courses

If eligible under Jump Start 1, follow these steps to be considered for the scholarship:

  1. Email the Office of Graduate Studies (gradschool@unomaha.edu) and request the registration form link.
  2. After submission of the registration form, Graduate Studies will provide a one-time application fee waiver code to enter near the end of the application.
  3. After admission to a graduate program and enrollment, the Office of Graduate Studies will coordinate the scholarship funds to be applied to your account.

The amount of scholarship funds varies under this eligibility group.

December 2020 graduates receive one free course, plus additional funds based on the number of credits enrolled in during the Spring 2021 term.

May 2021 and August 2021 graduates will be eligible for a scholarship amount based only on the number of credits enrolled in during their first term (see table below for rates). 

 First Semester Enrollment  Scholarship Amount
 3-5 credit hours  $750
 6-8 credit hours  $1,000
 9+ credit hours  $1,500

 

Jump Start 2

If you are a current UNO undergraduate senior with 105+ credits completed by the end of the Fall 2020 term and enrolled full-time for Spring 2021 (12+ undergraduate credit hours), follow these steps to be considered for the Jump Start Scholarship:

  1. Complete the Undergraduate Seniors Request to Register for Graduate Credit form. You will work with your advisor to determine which graduate course to take. Consider a graduate course in a different discipline by exploring all graduate programs in the UNO Graduate Catalog.
  2. Email the Office of Graduate Studies (gradschool@unomaha.edu) and request the registration form link. Attach the completed Undergraduate Seniors Request to Register for Graduate Credit form with the required signatures from the respective dean and department/school representative.
  3. After submission of the registration form and validation of the completed Undergraduate Seniors Request to Register for Graduate Credit form, Graduate Studies will coordinate the scholarship funds to be applied to your account after enrollment in a graduate course is complete.

Jump Start 3

If you are a UNO undergraduate student graduating in December 2020 and have not applied to a graduate program for Spring 2021, please follow these steps to be considered for the Jump Start Scholarship:

  1. Visit the UNO Graduate Catalog to determine which graduate program you are interested in exploring.
  2. Contact the "Graduate Program Chair" or "Advisor" stated on the "Overview" tab of the program's listing. Express your interest enrolling with the Jump Start Scholarship and ask which courses you could take in the Spring 2021 term. You may also ask for permission to take a specific course.
  3. The Graduate Program Chair or advisor will contact the Office of Graduate Studies and recommend you for a Jump Start Scholarship.
  4. The Office of Graduate Studies will send you a link to complete a registration form for the scholarship
  5. After submission of the registration form, Graduate Studies will provide the student instructions to complete a non-degree graduate application with a one-time application fee waiver code.
  6. After receiving notification of admission, the student may enroll in a course.
  7. The Office of Graduate Studies will verify enrollment and coordinate the scholarship funds to be applied to your account.

Scholarship Amount

The value of the scholarship is equal to the cost of one graduate course (estimated value is $1,000 to $2,000).

The amount of the scholarship is the same for both Nebraska residents and non-residents. 

The Jump Start Scholarship cannot be combined with other tuition remissions, including but not limited to: graduate assistantships or the NU Employee Scholarship.

The scholarship funds will be applied to student accounts near the start of the semester. Students will be notified of further instructions on accepting the scholarship after enrolling in courses.

 

Contact

For more information, please contact the UNO Office of Graduate Studies at gradschool@unomaha.edu.