AcademicWorks Offers ‘One-Stop’ Access to Campus Scholarships

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AcademicWorks, a “one-stop” online application center for most scholarships offered on campus, is up and running and accessible with a student’s UMass Net ID.

Until now, students have had to search for scholarships in multiple locations, such as their college, department, RSOs, the Financial Aid office, etc. Each required its own application form.

AcademicWorks software consolidates applications and also lets students request letters of reference and submit thank-you letters to scholarship donors, all in the same place.

All of the university’s schools and colleges are adding their scholarships to AcademicWorks with the goal to have them in the system during the fall semester. 

Available to any student who has matriculated at UMass Amherst, AcademicWorks is accessed with the student’s UMass Net ID.

AcademicWorks is online at https://umass.academicworks.com/

Jennifer Beane, associate director of stewardship and donor relations, is handling training and implementation for AcademicWorks.

“We know how important it is to connect students with the scholarship opportunities currently available to them on this campus,” she said. “There are more than 800 scholarships in the AcademicWorks system, and new funds are continually being created mostly through the generosity of our alumni and friends. We hope that students will take full advantage of this new resource, which is designed to make the scholarship application process faster and easier.”

AcademicWorks walks the student through a general application, in which much information is auto-filled from the university’s SPIRE database. The system recognizes applicants’ qualifications and automatically applies them for any appropriate scholarships.

The form can be worked on, put aside and completed later with no loss of information.

There are five basic questions in the general application about things like previous awards, campus involvement and community service. The application is filled out once a year, and once completed, the student is automatically entered for a number of general eligibility scholarships.

Next, it walks the student though a college-specific application and departmental scholarships for which the student is eligible and that require additional information.

AcademicWorks includes applications for scholarships which fund research opportunities, internships and study abroad, and also has links for select external scholarships that have historically been awarded to campus applicants.

The software includes profiles of the many donors who fund the scholarships, and information about sending them letters of thanks.

Scholarship recipients receive award notifications through their UMass Amherst email account.

Students with questions about the software should email acadworks@umass.edu. 

AcademicWorks is funded by the Provost’s Office and the Office for University Advancement.