Scholarships & Awards

Limited departmental scholarships are available for both undergraduate and graduate social work students. 

To apply for a departmental scholarship, complete the UNI Scholarship Application on the UNI Financial Aid website by January 15.  UNI uses a streamlined application process, so one application allows you to apply for hundreds of scholarships across UNI.

The Department of Social Work is grateful to offer the below scholarships and awards.

Undergraduate
Graduate
Social Work

Undergraduate Scholarships

Anna McCullagh Memorial Endowed Scholarship

  • Social Work major
  • Began their college education at UNI and are now in their senior year
  • Preference shall be given to applicants who demonstrate a commitment to service, including mission trips, volunteer work in any number of settings (the requirement of 30 hrs. for the Social Services and Social Work does not count), unpaid leadership positions in high school, at UNI, at a church, mosque, synagogue, or other faith tradition, boy or girl scouts, 4-H, etc., and volunteer work at a social service or human service agency such as Big Brothers-Big Sisters during their high school and freshman, sophomore, and junior university years
  • Preference shall also be given to students with relevant work experiences involving, for example, people at Bremwood, Comprehensive Care, Quakerdale, Four Oaks, Exceptional Persons, Inc. (EPI) which indicates a commitment to helping others
  • Recipients shall maintain a UNI GPA of 3.0

Diane H. Schaeffer Scholarship

  • Undergraduate junior or senior
  • Social Work major
  • Financial need
  • GPA of 3.0 or above
  • Preference shall be given to students interested in families and children impacted by sexual assault

Dr. Jim McCullagh Award for Academic Excellence

  • Social Work Major
  • Highest UNI GPA
  • Has attended UNI all four years or has at least 110 hours of credit at UNI with no courses counted toward the final GPA from other colleges or universities

Mary L. Padovan Endowed School Social Work Scholarship

  • Social Work major
  • Interested in a career as a school social worker

Robert A. Schneider Award for Excellence in Leadership

  • Social Work major
  • Undergraduate senior
  • Demonstrated excellent leadership for the past two years as a major at UNI

Ruth Bluford Anderson Social Work Scholarship

  • Social Work Major
  • Undergraduate
  • Resident of Iowa
  • Preference given to African-American students from Waterloo
  • Students may practice social work anywhere in Iowa, with preference given to those who plan to remain in the Waterloo area

Graduate Scholarships

Robert Runkle Endowed Scholarship in Social Work

  • Enrolled in the MSW program
  • Intent to become a certified and licensed social worker
  • Financial need
  • GPA of at least 3.2
  • Non-renewable