Scholarship Awarding University:
University of Texas at Dallas
Type of degree:
Bachelor’s
Scholarship Deadline:
Applications for this scholarship will close on the
Scholarship Summary:
McDermott Scholars (domestic and international) receive one of the most selective and generous undergraduate merit awards in the nation with access to UT Dallas’ rigorous education, leadership training, cultural enrichment, and personalized opportunities designed to equip them with the skills, experience, and confidence to succeed as leaders.
Scholarship Applicant Criteria:
Eligibility for review of your McDermott Application will be determined by the following required factors:
1) First-time-in-college first-year student admitted for the fall term immediately following high school graduation
- Scholars enter UT Dallas in the fall semester immediately after high-school graduation — no transfers, no gap years, no deferrals. Domestic and international students, in any major, are welcomed.
2) Be highly academically qualified
- GPA — minimum (weighted, four-point): 3.6
- Test Score — minimum SAT: 1490, minimum ACT: 34
3) Have demonstrated leadership
- Applicants have led real activities — like being a founder, captain, creator — with real stakes and evidence of what their effort produced.
4) Have demonstrated meaningful community citizenship
- Applicants have contributed to their communities — through school clubs, nonprofits, service organizations, civic associations, cultural groups, and their own initiatives — in ways that improve outcomes now and for the long term.
5) Have shown an innovative spirit
- Applicants have brought new ideas to — and maybe even created — a product, a school club, an app, a nonprofit organization, a business, a research tool. They’re unafraid of uncertainty and failure, they can explain the why of their successes, and when things don’t go as intended, they can articulate what they would do differently next time.
Value of Scholarship:
The Eugene McDermott Scholarship provides:
i. Coverage of UT Dallas tuition and mandatory fees.
ii. Stipends for housing and living:
- Stipends for housing: For the first two semesters, on-campus Honors Housing, then a semesterly amount for housing on or off campus.
- Stipends for living: For the first two semesters, a Comet Unlimited meal plan and a living stipend, then a semesterly amount for meals and living expenses.
iii. Personal & Professional Development resources, including:
- Weekly seminars and other cohort experiences
- Up to $15,000 for study abroad experiences and other engagement.
- First-year seminar
- Special events, such as arts and culture outings, service activities, semesterly book events and graduation celebrations.
- Cohort travel to Santa Fe, New Mexico (orientation); Austin, Texas; and Washington, D.C.
- Membership in the University’s Hobson Wildenthal Honors College and its Collegium V academic honors program.
Scholarship Application Guide:
To apply,
i. Complete your Admission Application
Submit your . Your materials will automatically be reviewed for the Academic Excellence Scholarship and for eligibility to apply for the McDermott Scholars Program.
- Include supplementary documentation such as an application essay response through Common App, letter(s) of recommendation, resume, official college transcripts for dual credit courses, official AP test scores, and/or official SAT or ACT scores when submitting your application.
- Set up the password for your UT Dallas NetID for step 2 (instructions sent by email once you apply to UT Dallas).
ii. Watch Your Email
Once you’ve applied to UT Dallas and activated your NetID, the Eugene McDermott Scholars Program will review applicant information to identify eligible candidates.
- Students selected to move forward will receive an email invitation with instructions for accessing and completing the scholarship application and a waiver for their UT Dallas application fee.
Scholarship Website:
Find further information on this scholarship opportunity at the UT Dallas McDermott Scholarship Page.