DRAFT: UNO awards named merit scholarships (Academic through the $75,000 Homer Hitt) straight from the admission file with no separate application — but only to NEW students entering in Fall or Summer, and funding is limited, so meeting the cutoffs guarantees nothing.
Verified Jun 20264 days ago· COWORK
Merit tiers8See requirements
Last verifiedJun 2026Analyst COWORK
Rules that bite at UNO
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from UNO's own published policy, not generic advice.
capHard $30,799 cost-of-attendance ceiling
Institutional aid at UNO cannot push the package past $30,799. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.
Common merit-aid mistakes at UNO
UNO states institutional scholarships are only offered to new students who enroll in Fall or Summer; Spring entrants 'are unfortunately unable to receive Institutional scholarships' because funding is typically exhausted on Fall enrollees.
Continuing students (1+ semesters at UNO) 'are unfortunately not eligible for Institutional scholarships' — only departmental scholarships through their academic college.
UNO states 'All scholarships and grants are limited in funding, and meeting qualifications do not guarantee receipt of scholarship or grant.'
An offer 'must be accepted in the specified timeframe, as indicated. Failure to accept a scholarship offer within the prescribed timeframe is considered a forfeiture of the offer.'
Per the overaward policy, any award processed after packaging can exceed the COA cap and force reductions in scholarships, grants, and loans — and if funds were already disbursed, the student must repay the overaward portion. UNO tells students to contact a counselor immediately if an award isn't on their notification.
Each merit tier lists an admissions application/acceptance deadline of July 15; the Homer Hitt requires a final application by February 1, acceptance by May 1, and an interview March 1-10.
UNO strongly encourages the FAFSA 'for the best award package' — only awards marked (*) are made without a FAFSA on file, and the final package is built after FAFSA receipt.
Who this school is for
DRAFT: Fall/Summer-entry freshmen with at least a 20 ACT/1030 SAT + 2.75 GPA (or a 3.00+ GPA alone); top students with 32 ACT/1420 SAT and a 3.5 should target the interview-based Homer Hitt; test-optional students can qualify on non-weighted GPA alone.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $30,799 for Not labeled on page (current COA page as of 2026-06-07; see Section C). Source
Institutional merit aid tiers
Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.
$75,000 (4-year value)
Homer Hitt (in-state and out-of-state versions)
ApplicationRenewable
GPA
3.5
SAT
1420
ACT
32
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Interview required (interview dates March 1-10); admissions application/acceptance deadline: Final February 1 / May 1
Notes
UNO's top award; identical published criteria for in-state and out-of-state students (separate rules PDFs linked on the page). Detailed renewal terms live in the linked rules-and-regulations PDFs, which were not opened for this extraction.
Up to $2,000/year…Up to $2,000/year (up to $4,000 2-year value)
UNO Transfer Scholarship*
ApplicationRenewable
GPA
3.0 cumulative
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Full-time domestic transfer; admissions application/acceptance deadline July 15; (*) awarded without a FAFSA on file
Notes
Companion UNO Transfer Award: up to $1,000/year (up to $2,000 2-year value) at 2.5 cumulative GPA. Phi Theta Kappa: $2,000/year (up to $4,000 2-year value) at 3.0 GPA with PTK membership, all final transcripts by July 15.
Amount not published…Amount not published (on the UNO pages opened)
TOPS (Taylor Opportunity Program for Students) — Louisiana state award
ApplicationRenewable
View requirements+
Eligibility
Louisiana residents; administered by the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA), external to UNO; preferred UNO Application for Admission completion date no later than June 1
Notes
UNO uses TOPS plus UNO scholarships in incoming students' estimated packages. TOPS amounts/criteria are set by the state; UNO's page defers to LOSFA.
UNO caps all aid at the cost of attendance per federal and UL System policy. Any scholarship, tuition waiver, fee exemption, or stipend processed after the initial package is built can create an 'Overaward,' which is fixed by reducing other awards (scholarships, SEOG, Perkins, Direct loans, PLUS) — and if funds were already disbursed, the student must repay the overaward portion.
Two official statements: (1) 'When combined with TOPS, waivers, fee exemptions, state aid, federal financial grants or loans, or Federal College Work Study Program and all other aid, university scholarships should not exceed the cost of attendance.' (2) The overaward policy reduces 'Scholarships, SEOG, Perkins, Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, and/or Plus Loans, etc.' — no fixed reduction order is published, and private/outside scholarships are not specifically addressed.
AmountAmount not publishedEligibilitySpring entrants and continuing students are directed to their academic college for departmental scholarship opportunities
The only institutional pathway mentioned for students not eligible for new-student institutional scholarships.
Most UNO freshman merit awards list an admissions application/acceptance deadline of July 15 (no year printed on the page). The Homer Hitt's final deadline is February 1 (application) / May 1 (acceptance) with interviews March 1-10. International awards have a December 15 priority deadline. UNO's preferred admission-application completion date is June 1.
Do I need a separate scholarship application?
No. 'Most scholarships are awarded based on academic credentials and student accomplishments reviewed through the admission's process. A separate scholarship application is not required' — but send ACT/SAT scores and an official current high school transcript as soon as possible.
Can I qualify without test scores?
Yes — each tier publishes an alternative non-weighted cumulative GPA-only band (e.g., 3.90-4.00 for President, 3.00-3.29 for Academic).
Are the dollar amounts per year?
The domestic freshman awards are published as 4-Year Values (e.g., President $20,000 total over four years, not per year). Transfer and international awards are published as per-aid-year amounts with 2- or 4-year totals.
What happens if my aid exceeds the cost of attendance?
UNO cannot package above the COA. A late scholarship/waiver/stipend creates an 'Overaward,' your other aid is reduced, and if everything has already disbursed you must repay the overaward portion.
How UNO compares across our verified dataset
160 of 751 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.
UNO is in a recognizable cluster (160 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
UNO is one of them. The cohort minority (82 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against UNO’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
