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Scholarships

Over 1,000 students fill 70 positions that contribute to Recreational Sports' overall mission of advancing the well-being of Longhorns by providing education through recreation. Thanks to the generous contributions of former employees and participants, Recreational Sports is able to award over $37,000 in endowed scholarships annually. Scholarships are awarded to exemplary student employees who provide outstanding leadership and vision, demonstrate initiative, serve as role models for their peers, go above and beyond their responsibilities regularly and represent the department in a favorable manner. 

For questions about the RecSports Student Employee Scholarship program or application process, please contact Randall Ford, Director for Communications and Development, at rford@austin.utexas.edu. 

Meet the 2023 RecSports Scholarship Recipients

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following requirements: 

  1.  Enrollment at UT Austin as an undergraduate student during the Spring 2024 term.
  2. Current employment in good standing as a student employee at RecSports during the Spring 2024 term.
  3. A minimum of three complete terms of employment at RecSports, the Spring 2024 term may count toward this requirement if you are employed the entire term. These terms do not need to be consecutive, and summer terms count if you worked the entire summer. Please note that your work history will be verified should you become a finalist.
  4. Awards may be made to students in their final year before graduation if a less than a full-time course load will enable them to complete their degree.
  5. Applicants must be enrolled in the spring 2024 term and working at RecSports to receive an award.
  6. Previous recipients of any RecSports student employee scholarships are not eligible.
Financial Aid Information
  • Scholarships are awarded through the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid after spring enrollment has been verified.
  • Students with previously awarded financial aid may see their total financial aid package reduced by the award amount if their total funding package exceeds the cost of attendance.
  • Financial aid reductions are not always mandatory or automatic, it is case by case, and when reduction is required, the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid will reduce loans first.
  • Additional questions about how receiving a Recreational Sports scholarship could potentially affect your financial aid should be directed to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid by phone or email.
  • All scholarship applicants will be notified by Recreational Sports in early March of whether or not they are the recipient of an award.
Application Process
  • All applications must be submitted online. 
  • Applicants need only submit one application and are eligible to receive only one award. 
  • Applications must be submitted by Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, at 10am CST. Late applications will not be accepted.

Access the Scholarship Application

Selection Process

A selection committee will review applications and rate them on the following:

  • Effectiveness of essay (i.e. content, grammar)
  • Resume presentation and format
  • Length of RecSports employment

The two students with the highest scores in the review process will be awarded the Hart Endowed Scholarship. The next two highest scores will receive the Dison Endowed Scholarship. The remaining finalists are slated for each of the remaining scholarships based on the criteria of each award. 

All scholarship recipients will be asked to submit thank you letters to scholarship donors and to attend a special event where they will be recognized.

RecSports Student Employee Scholarships 
 
Undergraduate Scholarships Amount Minimum GPA Jr. or Sr. Status Required? Student Status Required
Mark L. Hart, Jr. Endowed Scholarship (2) $5,000 SAP ♦ Yes Part-Time
Thomas W. Dison Endowed Scholarship (2) $3,500 2.5 Yes Full-Time
John M. Childs Endowed Scholarship ♦♦ $2,500 3.0 No Full-Time
Acacia Fraternity Endowed Scholarship $1,500 SAP ♦ No Full-Time
Sylvie and Gary Crum Endowed Scholarship $1,500 2.5 Yes Full-Time
Delta Tau Delta Endowed Scholarship $1,500 SAP ♦ No Full-Time
Kenneth Ford Family Endowed Scholarship ♦♦♦ $1,500 2.5 Yes Full-Time
Bill Frisbie Endowed Scholarship $1,500 SAP ♦ No Part-Time
Bill Patman Endowed Scholarship $1,500 2.5 Yes Full-Time
Phi Gamma Delta Endowed Scholarship $1,500 2.5 Yes Full-Time
Recreational Sports Endowed Scholarship $1,500 2.5 Yes Full-Time
Robert G. Childress Endowed Scholarship $1,500 SAP ♦ Yes Full-Time
Susan and Mark Baletka Endowed Scholarship♦♦♦♦ $1,500 SAP ♦ Yes Full-Time
Charles & Carolyn Spence, James & Kathryn (Spence) Nance, and William (Spence) & Edith Nance Endowed Scholarship Honoring Michael Monsoor ♦♦♦♦♦ $1,500 SAP ♦ No Part-Time
DeDe and Joe Bill Watkins Endowed Scholarship $1,500 2.5 Yes Full-Time

♦ Satisfactory Academic Progress, as defined by the UT Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. Each applicant's eligibility will be verified by the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid prior to consideration of the application.

♦♦ Must be an official for the Intramural Sports program.

♦♦♦ Primary consideration will be given to applicants planning to work in a field related to medicine or health care.

♦♦♦♦ Primary consideration will be given to applicants that work in the Outdoor Recreation program.

♦♦♦♦♦ Military connection required. Candidates must satisfy at least one of the following requirements:

  1. Be a veteran of the U.S. military who was honorably discharged from service
  2. Be enrolled in any Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program
  3. Be committed to post-graduate military training and/or service
  4. Be a child of a veteran satisfying criteria #1 above.