All students who believe they meet a scholarship's qualifications should email [email protected], indicating the scholarship for which they believe they are qualified. SFS will reply with further instructions.
Enslaved Ancestors College Access Scholarship Program
This program was created under § 23.1-615.1 of the Code of Virginia and under guidance provided by the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV). In the words of § 23.1-615.1, the program aims to provide “a tangible benefit … for individuals … with a demonstrated historic connection to slavery that will empower families to be lifted out of the cycle of poverty.” Towards this end, the program provides scholarships to one or more students each year who are enrolled in degree or certificate programs at UVA. To set priorities for the program, identify Scholars, and establish processes that honor the legacies of enslaved ancestors and their descendants, UVA collaborates with the Descendants of Enslaved Communities at UVA (DEC-UVA), an independent, non-profit, self-determined organization.
According to SCHEV guidance, Scholars must:
- Be Virginia residents as defined by Virginia Code § 23.1-502 through § 23.1-505
- Demonstrate membership in a community that continues to experience the negative legacy of slavery in Virginia or demonstrate a personal and historic connection to slavery in Virginia;
- Intend to begin, continue, or complete education at UVA.
For the purpose of the scholarship, the guidance offers the following definitions:
- An “enslaved individual,” in the historical context, is any person who was deemed property of the institution or was forbidden to quit their service for another person or corporate entity. An enslaved individual, in the historical context, may have been placed under this condition of servitude due to indebtedness, military defeat, having a parent who was enslaved, and in most cases for Native Americans and Africans through forcible removal from their native community, or forced in-place enslavement of entire communities.
- “Experiencing the negative legacy of slavery” means social and economic conditions born out of the institution of slavery which negatively impact an individual’s ability to fairly achieve in society. This negative legacy may include, but is not limited to, economic inequality and limited access to communal networks of assistance and technology and inadequate funding of K-12 education.
UVA policy requires that all scholarship recipients maintain satisfactory academic progress in order to be eligible for and to renew their scholarships from year to year.
UVA and DEC-UVA have agreed to prioritize the scholarships in this order:
- Students who are direct descendants of ancestors enslaved on an estate or property currently or previously owned by UVA, or of ancestors enslaved on an estate or property owned by those who helped finance and found UVA.
- Other students who demonstrate membership in a community that continues to experience the negative legacy of slavery in Virginia or a personal and historic connection to slavery in Virginia.
Newly enrolling undergraduate students, whether first year or transfer, receive priority, followed by returning undergraduate students. New and returning students in certificate or degree programs in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies also are eligible, as are students enrolled in graduate and professional programs.
In identifying Scholars, UVA may share application materials with DEC-UVA and with UVA historians and genealogists.
For students in all schools except the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS), the application cycle is closed and will reopen in winter 2025 for the 2025-2026 academic year. Scholarships will be awarded, subject to the availability of funds, by May 31, 2024. Please also review our guide for questions and answers about the Scholarship.
For students in SCPS, please find your application on this page.
Oliver Linwood Perry Endowed Scholarship:
Criteria: This renewable scholarship provides support to undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate a history of service with Native American tribes. Preference is given to those who work with tribes that are indigenous to Virginia. To be considered for this scholarship, students must submit one letter of reference from a Native American tribal leader.
History: The Oliver Linwood Perry Endowed Scholarship was established by Oliver Linwood Perry, Jr., of Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, in February 1995.
University of Virginia Faculty & Staff Scholarship:
Criteria for Awarding: This scholarship provides support to the child of a current full-time University of Virginia or University of Virginia's College at Wise employee who has been employed for at least one year. To be eligible, student must be an undergraduate student who may be a first-year applicant, a transfer student, or a student currently enrolled at the university. Students must have demonstrated need as determined by the FAFSA. The application for this scholarship is typically available from February 1 through March 1 each year in the Forms directory on the SFS website.
History: The Faculty & Staff Scholarship was established in efforts to support Thomas Jefferson’s vision to provide nation’s most promising young people, regardless of their financial status, be afforded a full education. This scholarship was established in June 1996.
Thomas Francis Farrell II Scholarship:
Criteria: This scholarship provides support to undergraduate students whose mother or father (or stepparent, as the case may be) is currently serving in any branch of the United States Armed Forces, or whose parent or stepparent has retired from or been honorably discharged from the military during the preceding ten years. To be eligible for an award, students must submit a copy of the parent’s DD Form 214 or proof of active duty status.
History: The Thomas Francis Farrell II scholarship was established by Robert S. Parsley and Peter F. Farrell to honor Thomas Francis Farrell II (College ’76, Law ’79) for his many years of service to the University of Virginia, most notably as a member of the Board of Visitors and Rector of Board of Visitors, and for his very generous support of the university, its students, schools and programs.
Neall Family Scholarship:
Criteria: This scholarship provides support to a veteran, or an incoming first-year undergraduate student who is the child of a veteran, who is enrolled in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and who is seeking a degree in Engineering. Preference is given to a veteran of the Afghanistan/Iraq war or recent conflict or the child of a veteran of the Afghanistan/Iraq war or recent conflict. To be eligible for an award, students must submit a copy of theirs or their parent’s DD Form 214 and must maintain a cumulative GPA greater than or equal to 3.0.
History: The Neall Family Scholarship was established by George and Clara Neall Charitable Foundation Trust in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Nealls’ grandsons, George Quick, who was a 1991 University of Virginia graduate with a degree in Chemical Engineering. This scholarship was created in 2012.
Leonard W. and Jerry S. Sandridge Scholarship:
Criteria: This scholarship provides support to those attending the University of Virginia (or at UVA's College at Wise), who are the children or grandchildren of current, full-time University of Virginia faculty or staff. To be eligible for this scholarship, students must be an undergraduate student, and demonstrate financial need as determined by both the FAFSA and the CSS Profile.
History: The Leonard W. and Jerry S. Sandridge Scholarship was established by Teresa A. Sullivan, H. Douglas Laycock, John O. Wynne, and Susan S. Wynne in July 2011. Leonard W. Sandridge (GNAS ’74) and his wife, Jerry S. Sandridge, were a vital part of the University community for over 44 years.
Alexander and Josephine Morrison Scholarship Fund:
This scholarship provides funding to students who are Blind or low-vision for personal assistance, auxiliary aids, technical assistance and other disability-related support as deemed necessary by the disability.
Interested applicants should complete the application form and return it as an attachment to Barbara Zunder at [email protected]. Recipients will be selected by SDAC and Student Financial Services, and the award amount varies.