Scholarship administration

You can use the scholarship automation process to pay institutional scholarship, grant, or fellowship amounts that help students cover the cost of attendance (COA). 

To request access, complete the Scholarship Entry Access Request Form (ARF) and select the appropriate Dept ID(s).

After filling out the ARF, view the Scholarship Automation training guide to learn how to use the scholarship automation process. 

More resources

• Department scholarship file template (download file)
• Tips on adjusting/adding scholarships 

Fill out the following two request forms to gain access to the STAR system: 

• Dept IDs for STAR Access Request Form (ARF)
• DMS Access Form—Submit to [email protected] once completed.
  • STAR is housed on the University of Minnesota Foundation’s DMS (Donor Management System). Visit the DMS Access Policy and Request Form page for more information.
  • DMS Help Phone: 612-626-8544 Opt 1

Once access is granted, the STAR tool will be available in MyU Reporting Center under Student Services. You can also reference online training videos within STAR once you have access.

For more information on STAR, review the STAR handbook. 

To use the Online Scholarship Application tool, the Office of Student Finance must set up administrator access for at least one staff member in your college.

Email [email protected] (OSF Scholarship Unit) to request administrator access. Administrators can then add access for other staff members in their college.

For information on how to use the Online Scholarship Application tool, review the Scholarship Application Training Guide.

Fill out the Promotional Scholarship Access Request Form (ARF) to gain access to the promotional scholarship pages in PeopleSoft.

More resources

• Promotional scholarship training guide
• Promotional scholarship guidelines and tips 

All meetings will be 1:00-2:00 p.m. on Wednesdays held via Zoom unless otherwise indicated. Invitations and meeting details are sent prior to the meeting date. Individuals are welcome to submit agenda topics in advance to [email protected].

• June 4, 2025 (CANCELLED)
• August 6, 2025
• October 1, 2025
• December 3, 2025

View meeting minutes for scholarship administrators.

• Best practices for naming scholarships
• Gift aid impacts
• Scholarship awarding best practices
• Scholarship Disbursement with UM Analytics reports
• Scholarship item type award message guide
• TMOG #8 - Payments to Students

Note for Scholarship Data Reporting: Neither the “Scholarship Student Selector” nor the “FA Funds Summary” report in Reporting Center include all relevant data for official financial aid or scholarship reporting purposes. For any information you need for financial aid or scholarship statistical data, please contact the University’s Office of Institutional Research at 612-624-4851.

These scholarships must be entered via Scholarship Automation at the following times:

• Freshmen Scholarships must be entered in early February for scholarships to appear on the initial financial aid award notices sent to new freshmen.
• Continuing student scholarships must be entered at the end of June for scholarships to appear on initial financial aid packages sent to students in the third week of July. 

University policy says that any financial assistance (scholarships, grants, fellowships, etc.) paid through OSF will be set up to first pay any outstanding charges on a student’s account.

• Enter both Fall AND Spring scholarships in the initial scholarship file.
  • When scholarship awards are entered on time, there are the following benefits:
    • Students can see their total aid package and can better plan their budget for the year.
    • Departments can also review grades or other eligibility criteria in time to cancel spring semester scholarships before financial aid disburses.
  • Scholarship awards that are entered late will have the following negative consequences:
    • Financial aid packages will require revision to keep the University in compliance with federal aid regulations.
    • OSF (Office of Student Finance) has to adjust other aid, return loan funds, and place a hold on the student’s record until aid is reversed and sent back.
    • Funds may be reduced and cancelled to prevent the student from being over-awarded, and the student may not see additional money in their account.
• Review MOAs (Memoranda of Agreement) before requesting that OSF disburse a scholarship on less than full-time enrollment.
  • To comply with financial aid regulations, scholarship item types are set to disburse only if the student is enrolled full-time, unless the MOA states something different.
• Enter scholarships using full dollar amounts for each term—round up or down to the nearest dollar.
• Do not enter scholarships for a semester that has ended.
  • When the student is not enrolled, the scholarship will not post to the student’s account. OSF cannot pay a non-student.
• Do not award scholarships between aid years.
  • The financial aid academic year is fall/spring. Summer scholarships are awarded separately.
• Do not enter scholarships one semester at a time. Enter the full year’s scholarship.
  • Note: One-term scholarship entry is okay if a student is graduating early or studying abroad during one semester. Contact the OSF Scholarship Unit if you have questions.
• If a student is not active in an academic program, do not enter a scholarship—Scholarship Automation will not accept it (e.g., students returning from a Leave of Absence must have their program activated before uploading a scholarship file in PeopleSoft).