University of Oregon Diversity-Building Scholarship

The University of Oregon Diversity-Building Scholarship recognizes undergraduate and graduate students who enhance the educational experience of all students by sharing diverse cultural experiences. These scholarships are an integral part of the university's effort to meet the educational-diversity needs of its students, and they complement other programs in the UO campus diversity plan. The Diversity-Building Scholarship is a tuition-remission scholarship with awards ranging from partial to full tuition and fee waivers. The amount of each award is determined by the UO Diversity-Building Scholarship Committee. Scholarships are renewable. The duration of each award depends on the recipient's class standing at the time of initial award. Recipients must meet specific scholarship-renewal requirements to retain their scholarships.

In order to be considered for this scholarship, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

Be a United States citizen or permanent resident
Apply for admission and meet standard UO admission requirements or be a currently enrolled UO student in good academic standing
Complete and submit the 2008-9 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the federal processor no later than February 1, 2008. List the UO as one of your first six choices. The school code is 003223.
Meet the DBS minimum GPA requirements. Freshmen must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. All other applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50.

All students applying for the Diversity-Building Scholarship must submit the application and supporting documents by January 15, 2008.

New Freshmen:
Incoming freshmen may apply for the Diversity-Building Scholarship in one of two ways:

Apply Electronically

New freshmen who apply for online admission to the University of Oregon are given the opportunity to apply for the Diversity-Building Scholarship as part of the electronic process. When applying in this manner, applicants submit their personal statement and activities summary electronically. Please note, however, that a hard copy of the letter of recommendation must be submitted directly to the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships. For instructions and to download the form to accompany this letter go here.

If you have or will apply for admission and the Diversity-Building Scholarship online, you DO NOT need to submit a separate DBS application.

OR
Apply with the Paper Application
If you did not and will not complete the scholarship sections of the online admissions application, but still want to apply for the Diversity-Building Scholarship, follow the instructions outline below.

Transfer, Undergraduate and Graduate Applicants:
To apply for the Diversity-Building Scholarship, you must complete and submit the following:

Diversity-Building Scholarship Application form
Personal Statement
Letter of recommendation
Official transcripts – All applicants (with the exception of incoming freshmen) must submit official transcripts from all schools but the University of Oregon. Sophomores must provide final high school transcripts and college transcripts. Juniors, seniors, graduate and law applicants must provide transcripts for college-level work only.

The application and all supporting materials must be submitted by the application deadline to the Office of Student Financial Aid & Scholarships.

New freshmen, transfer and graduate students must also submit:

An application for admission by January 15, 2008.

Download the Diversity-Building Scholarship application in PDF FORMAT.

The UO Diversity-Building Scholarship Committee, when selecting scholarship recipients, gives priority to students who demonstrate the following:

Strong academic background as documented by official high school and/or college transcripts
Financial need as defined by federal guidelines
Family educational history—priority given to first-generation and/or nontraditional students as defined by federal guidelines
Residency status—preference given to Oregon residents
Commitment to diversity through documented history of community service, leadership, or other activities

Ethnic background—priority given, but not limited, to members of an ethnic minority community who reflect the UO Campus Diversity Plan

To maintain scholarship eligibility, recipients must:

Maintain good academic standing
Make satisfactory progress toward completion of degree objective
Meet regularly with scholarship adviser
Participate in campus or community service projects that provide opportunities to share cultural heritage, special skills and abilities, and diversity experiences

Recipients of the UO Diversity-Building Scholarship will be notified by April 15, 2008.

Download the Diversity-Building Scholarship application in PDF FORMAT.

Educational-Diversity Needs Statement
The University of Oregon is a public comprehensive research university that serves its students through the creation and transfer of knowledge in the liberal arts, the natural and social sciences, and the professions. A cornerstone of the university’s mission is the belief that the education of Oregon’s future citizens must incorporate a global perspective, recognizing the need to interact sensitively and effectively with people of diverse cultures. An educational experience that prepares undergraduate and graduate students for effective participation in society offers opportunities for learning, living, socializing, and studying with people from a wide variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, levels of educational preparation, financial resources, and individual perspectives. The university’s curriculum is enhanced by discourse made possible when its students and faculty share heterogeneous backgrounds. To meet this curricular goal, the university relies on academic programs, educational services, and scholarships to recruit and retain a diverse student body. Institutional progress toward meeting this educational goal is assessed against a five-year diversity enrollment plan, which is reviewed and updated annually based on current-year enrollments.