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Personalized “Scholarship Universe” portal uses algorithm to match students with educational funds
With over 1.8 million scholarships being offered to college students each year, it’s difficult for UC Riverside students to know exactly what’s out there, or for which opportunities they qualify.
Until now. UCR recently launched Scholarship Universe, a platform that analyzes a student’s academic history and interests to match them with relevant awards. The tool was made possible through a partnership with UCR’s Office of Financial Aid, University Advancement, and Information Technology Solutions.
Internal campus opportunities are added on a rolling basis by UCR’s staff and faculty. The Office of Financial Aid projects that UCR will promote 100 internal awards annually.
External scholarships are reviewed by the Scholarship Universe staff and added to the platform regularly — there are currently over 4,000.
Once students log in and build their profiles by answering questions, the personalized portal continually searches its database for relevant funding sources, saving students time and energy. The tool also gives metrics to determine a student’s chances of obtaining the award and the effort required to apply. Users even get a personalized snapshot of their dashboard emailed every week, which breaks down new opportunities, application status, pending tasks, deadlines, and more.
“The tool is a game changer,” UCR’s Financial Aid Scholarship Manager Monica Martinez-Daniels said. “Students don’t have to spend time looking for scholarships, and it makes the application collection process so much easier for staff and faculty. The more UCR scholarships we can get in the system, the better it is for the student. Together, we can build one centralized place for students to seek funding opportunities.”
Five things to know about Scholarship Universe:
How to use Scholarship Universe:
900 University Ave.
Riverside, CA 92521
Tel: (951) 827-1012
900 University Ave.
Riverside, CA 92521
tel: (951) 827-1012
email: webmaster@ucr.edu
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