Michigan Stamps Scholarship
Before you spend hours on this
Will this scholarship actually lower your cost?
Not always. Many colleges reduce your financial-aid package when you win an outside scholarship — sometimes dollar-for-dollar — so the money can end up saving the school instead of you. It's called scholarship displacement. Two free tools tell you where you actually stand:
General guidance, not financial advice — your school's financial aid office is the only authority on how they treat outside awards. Always confirm with them before deciding.
Best fit for
Top-tier students whose target schools are Stamps partners. Strong fit if you want flexibility to fund research or international experiences at a top public or private school.
What they actually look for
Stamps is the umbrella foundation — each partner school's Stamps Scholars program is slightly different. At most schools, Stamps covers FULL tuition + $12K-$15K enrichment fund for research/study abroad/conferences. The selection is at the school level, so the partner school's admissions team picks Stamps Scholars from their top admit pool. You don't apply to Stamps separately at most schools — you apply to the school + the school nominates.
What you'll need
- Apply to a Stamps partner school (Michigan + 40+ other top universities including Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, USC, Florida, Notre Dame, etc.)
- Be in the top 1-3% of admits at that school (admission alone isn't enough)
- Multiple essays + recommendations + leadership track record
- Stamps interview round at the partner school (finalists only)
When to start
Apply to the partner school by their regular Early Action / Early Decision deadline (Stamps consideration usually happens automatically for top admits, but check each school's specific Stamps process).
Watch out for
Each Stamps program has different terms — Georgia Tech Stamps covers tuition + research stipend, Michigan Stamps covers full COA, USC Stamps is full tuition only. Verify the specific package at each school before assuming. Also: enrichment fund must be used, not pocketed — Stamps watches how scholars use it.