Computing at UW-MadisonDivision of Information Technology
Students Faculty/Staff Services Services A through D Services E through L Services M through R Services S through Z Help Desk Tech Store About DoIT   
IT Bytes

News


DoIT provides timely computing information to students through IT Bytes, which appears monthly in a campus newspaper. IT Bytes includes usage tips, computing advice from the DoIT Help Desk, training schedules, information on new products available at the DoIT Tech Store, and more — all focused on the interests and needs of UW-Madison students.

Student showing off the new Scholarships@UW Madison web application

So Many Scholarships...Only One Application

If you were an undergraduate in L&S applying for scholarships this fall, you only had to complete one application, and it was online. By the end of next year, the rest of UW-Madison’s undergraduates will have it just as easy.

Scholarships@UW-Madison is a software system (found on the Finances tab in the My UW-Madison portal) that 1) provides information on scholarships available through all of UW-Madison’s schools and colleges and 2) enables students to apply online for the campus-based scholarships for which they are eligible.

Instead of poring through multiple Web sites and other sources for information and then applying for each scholarship separately, students can one-stop shop. They identify what they’re eligible for and only need to enter application information once.

The new Scholarships@UW-Madison application went live in mid-September with a pilot for the College of Letters and Science; in October, freshmen applying to the College of Engineering for Fall 2010 began using it. Here is the roll-out schedule for other schools and colleges:

  • Human Ecology: December 1
  • Undergraduate Academic Awards (UAA) Office: December 1
  • Business: December 15
  • Nursing: December 15
  • L&S incoming students: December 18
  • Engineering continuing students: April 10
  • Journalism: June 1, 2010
  • CALS: October 31, 2010
“The rollout is phased because the cycle of application deadlines is unique for many schools and colleges,” says Jim Buske of the Office of Student Financial Aid. He added that only school-wide scholarships are included in the new application feature; department-specific scholarships will be included later.

The application feature was based in extensive input from departments, alumni and students. Focus groups and usability testing by students resulted in a tool that meets students’ needs and work styles.

“The student is the customer, and we wanted to be sure that what we developed would be used by the students,” says Buske. “The reaction has been positive so far.”