The Appalachian Scholarship Application Portal, also known as ASAP, streamlines scholarships to students, offering more opportunities to find scholarships that were under-applied to in the past. 

ASAP is a program currently enrolled students can use to find major-specific and non-major-specific scholarships by submitting a single application, qualifying them for university scholarships.

Once a student submits their application, the program, which is accessed via AppalNet, will pull information such as GPA, home country, major and credit hours from the university’s database. The system automatically enrolls students into the pool of applicants for each scholarship they meet the requirements for. Some scholarships require additional information. 

After students declare their major, they can find major-specific scholarships through the scholarship portal. 

The portal with 2023-24 scholarships opened Dec. 1 and closes Feb. 7. 

Eveline Watts, associate director of University Scholarships, said the switch to ASAP has made a difference in the number of applicants and ease of filling out applications.

Previously, students would have to search for scholarships on different websites and through different departments and submit a unique application for each scholarship they applied for.

“The feedback that we have received from students is that they love it because it’s in AppalNet,” Watts said.

Watts also said the system makes scholarships more accessible, “a one-stop shop.”

Some of the under-applied-for scholarships are from smaller, more concentrated programs with fewer students, Watts said. During these instances, faculty members are encouraged to inform students of such scholarships.

Funding for these scholarships depends on several factors and does not necessarily depend on the number of students in a certain program or concentration, according to the Office of Student Financial Aid & University Scholarships.

“We are depending greatly on faculty members supporting that effort,” Watts said.

In addition to faculty members, the department uses various outreach methods to promote scholarships, such as posting flyers, sending out newsletters and promoting on social media.

“We are advertising widely across campus to make students aware of the opportunity to apply for scholarships for the next academic year,” Watts said.

Additionally, the department “targets” students who meet the requirements of certain scholarships they have not yet applied to and notifies them via email.
“We send them an email and say ‘Hey, did you know there was a scholarship for underwater basket weaving and you are eligible? Please apply,’” Watts said.

Watts said the process is a “huge team effort,” saying the department wants “nothing more than for students to receive scholarship funding.”

Students can access the ASAP portal through the link under the Student tab in their AppalNet account.