Undergraduate
Please submit all application materials to the Department of Sociology at sociology@unl.edu.
- Use “undergraduate awards” in the email subject line
- Include your name, mailing address, phone number, and email
- Submit one application to be considered for any of the awards/scholarships—just include the relevant materials for each award to be eligible
Please contact Dr. Kelsy Burke (kburke@unl.edu) with questions.
Apply by March 13, 2026
Many additional funding opportunities exist to assist students. For instance, you might be eligible for support from the Nebraska Leaves No Veterans Behind fund, administered year-round by the NU Foundation. It gives preference to students who are U.S. military veterans, can demonstrate financial need, and are pursuing a degree at UNL. For more information, please contact Joe Brownell, Director of UNL’s Military & Veteran Success Center (jbrownell2@unl.edu), or visit vetsuccess.unl.edu.
To apply, please submit:
- An unofficial (copy of your) transcript.
- A vita or resume summarizing your academic, extracurricular, and work activities.
- A personal statement (500 word limit) with content as specified in the award and scholarship descriptions.
- A sample of your written or creative work in Sociology (e.g., thesis, term paper/project, original research).
- A letter of recommendation. For the Alan P. Bates Award, the letter must come from a faculty member. For the other scholarships, you may use a letter of recommendation from any instructor, whether faculty, lecturer, or graduate student. Please ask the letter writer to send the letter directly to sociology@unl.edu, putting “undergraduate awards” and your name in the subject line.
Alan P. Bates Outstanding Undergraduate Award
Sociology majors who will graduate in May 2026 are invited to apply for this award. To be considered for this award, students must have a minimum 3.0 overall GPA and a minimum 3.0 GPA in Sociology. In your personal statement, describe your contributions to the campus and/or the community, your future goals, and how these relate to the "sociological imagination." In addition to the monetary awards, the awardee’s name is added to a commemorative plaque located in the Sociology Department. This award will be paid out in Spring 2026. The winner will receive $1,000.
Vanetta Aaron Award for Outstanding Paper in Race, Class, Or Gender
Sociology majors and minors are invited to submit a paper on the topic of race, class, or gender to the annual paper competition. Papers do not have to have been written for Sociology classes, though demonstrating a “sociological imagination” is key to the selection process. The winner will receive $500. This award will be paid out in Fall 2026.
Alice Frost Howard Memorial Scholarship
Sociology majors are eligible to apply for this scholarship. In your personal statement, describe why you chose to major in Sociology, your future goals, and how these relate to the "sociological imagination" (500 word limit). Priority will be given to a rising Sophomore (will be a Sophomore in Fall 2026). The winner will receive $500.
Alice Lou Crank Scholarship in Sociology
Sociology majors are eligible to apply for this scholarship. In your personal statement, describe why you chose to major in Sociology, your future goals, and how these relate to the "sociological imagination" (500 word limit). Priority will be given to a rising Junior (will be a Junior in Fall 2026). The winner will receive $1,000.
UNL Opportunities Scholarship in Sociology
Must be a Sociology major or minor. In your personal statement, discuss how you have been helping to advance and cultivate a rich and inclusive campus environment at UNL. You may also discuss how your own economic disadvantages, community circumstances, experiences, background, and/or special talents connect with these goals.* The winners (up to two) will receive $1,000 each.
Hoyt Campus Engagement Scholarship
Must be a Sociology major or minor. In your personal statement, discuss how you have been helping to advance and cultivate a campus environment that is welcoming and supportive of all students at UNL regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, or religion. You may discuss your engagement with a Registered Student Organization, work of volunteer opportunities, or other actions. You may also discuss how your own economic disadvantages, community circumstances, experiences, background, and/or special talents connect with these goals.* The winner will receive $1,000.
Graduate
Cheryl Applegate Teaching Award
An annual award established to recognize graduate students who display exceptional quality in teaching and working with undergraduate students. The intent is to encourage students to perform top quality work in teaching, instructional development, and working with undergraduates. The award is named in honor of Cheryl Applegate, an ABD graduate student who died of cancer before completing her Ph.D. work. Cheryl described herself as a Black-woman activist, a teacher, and social change maker.
Nicholas Babchuk Endowment for Excellence in Research by Sociology Graduate Students
Dr. Babchuk was a faculty member of the sociology department from 1959 to 1987. This award is used to support graduate student research in sociology, a priority to Dr. Babchuk throughout his distinguished career. Annual awards are made to support the research activities of an outstanding graduate student in sociology.
Alice Frost Howard Graduate Student Research Fellowship
Alice Frost Howard was the first woman to graduate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Class of 1876. The Alice Frost Howard Graduate Student Research Fellowship is to support the research work of an outstanding graduate student in sociology.
BOSR Summer Applied Experience
This applied experience provides students the opportunity to do research at the Bureau of Sociological Research (BOSR) for the summer with pay to gain valuable data collection and research experience.
Joyce O. Hertzler Sociology Research Award
Joyce O. Hertzler was on the faculty of the sociology department from 1923 to 1961. This award provides graduate students and/or assistant professors in sociology support for scholarship activities.
Dan Hoyt Graduate Student Publication Award
Dr. Hoyt, sociology emeritus faculty member, former chair, and alum, created this award to recognize the best high-impact peer-reviewed journal publication by a sociology graduate student.
David C. & Marilyn S. Moore University of Nebraska-Lincoln Graduate Student Quantitative Research Award
This award was created by Nebraska sociology alum, Dr. David Moore. Recipients will use the award to assist with expenses related to quantitative research methods training, most especially the ICPSR summer program, or quantitative research projects.
Sociology TA Professional Development Award
This award was created by retired Sociology faculty member and chair, Dr. Helen Moore, Emerita Aaron Douglass Professor of Teaching Excellence. It was established to recognize any doctoral student making good progress toward the degree and who has developed a course portfolio or scholarly manuscript that investigates student learning. Preference is given to sociology students teaching courses cross-listed with ethnic studies or women and gender Studies or with a focus on inequality.
J.J & Eleanor S. Ogle Fellowship
This fellowship award is specifically designed to support outstanding graduate students. Recipient(s) of this award will able to focus solely on their own research or dissertation/thesis work.
James M. Reinhardt Graduate Student Research Fellowship
This fellowship is designed specifically to support graduate student research in the areas of criminology or delinquency.
Fernando I. Rivera Sociology Research Award
An award, created by Nebraska sociology alum, designed to support a sociology graduate student engaging in research in the area of sociology of health/medical sociology the opportunity to present at a national conference.
Scott C. Whiteford Graduate Student Support Award
Dr. Scott C. Whiteford, department of sociology alum, received his M.A in 2000 and his Ph.D. in 2004. This award was created by Dr. Whiteford to support sociology graduate students. Candidates should have an accumulative grade point average of 3.0 with preference being given to those who have demonstrated financial need.
Department of Sociology Research Award
An annual award established to recognize exceptional quality in research papers written in graduate courses. The intent is to encourage students to perform top-quality work on course papers, and for the department to recognize those papers that have exceptional potential to lead to publication.
Department of Sociology Teaching Award
An annual award established to recognize evidence of superior teaching as a teaching assistant (TA), recitation instructor, and/or primary instructor of a sociology class.
