“What happens after I apply for a scholarship through NinerScholars?” “How do I know if I have been awarded a scholarship?” “How long should I wait before expecting an award notification?” These are all commonly asked questions after scholarship applications close, so we want to take the time to address the scholarship award process when using NinerScholars.
Post-Application Process
After a scholarship application closes on the specified deadline, the review process for each application begins. Much like the student portal, administrators and reviewers have their own portals in which they review submitted applications. Review committees work together to identify the best qualified applicants based on the criteria specified on the application. Once the review committee selects the scholarship recipients, award notifications are sent out.
Award Notifications
If a student receives a scholarship award, they will be notified by email. It is very important to check your official @uncc.edu email account frequently in order to receive these communications.
While each scholarship varies in the length of time it takes to select a recipient, students who are offered a scholarship should be notified by email within 90 days of the application deadline. Students who are awarded a scholarship will also have a notification displayed on the “Dashboard” section in NinerScholars.
Accepting an Award
Students who are awarded a scholarship must complete the “Scholarship Offer & Acceptance Form” within 15 days of the award notification. Again, it's important to check your UNCC email regularly so you do not miss this deadline. If a student does not accept the award within the 15-day window, the scholarship administrators will award the funds to another student.
The Scholarship Offer & Acceptance Form will be available in the NinerScholars Portal after the award offer is made, and no funds will be distributed until the acceptance form is received.
Adding the Funds to your Student Account
Once a student has accepted the scholarship award, a credit for the funds will be applied to their student account ten days prior to the first day of class for the awarding semester(s). This is the same time when all other financial aid and students loans are processed, allowing students to view any remaining balance on their account. If a scholarship is awarded after the student account is fully paid, then the scholarship will be awarded to the student as a refund. Either your refund will be issued to you by direct deposit or a check will be mailed to your permanent address.
Don’t Miss Out!
We know that students put in a lot of hard work in order to apply for scholarships, so we want to make sure that all students who receive a scholarship award are able to take full advantage of the funds.
If you are awarded a scholarship and are not sure what to do next, please do not hesitate to contact the University Scholarship Office immediately at scholarships@uncc.edu or at (704) 687-5871.
The original blog was written by Taylor J. Valley, a Graduate Assistant in the University Scholarship Office at UNC Charlotte, and a student in the Master of Public Administration program. It was most recently edited by Katie Franck, an Undergraduate Project Assistant in the University Scholarship Office, and a student in the Bachelor of Science Psychology program.