Eman Ghacham/The Cougar
Ahead of the 2021-2022 academic year, the University of Houston launched the Scholarship Universe, a directory aimed to simplify the scholarship search and application process by accumulating internal and external aid in one place.
Strangely, the helpful tool suddenly disappeared at the beginning of the Spring 2025 semester. On Jan. 7, a pop-up box stated the portal was no longer available and the icon disappeared from AccessUH pages.
The sudden closing and lack of explanation left users confused. A proper warning should have been issued by the school, preparing students for the closing rather than taking it away overnight.
“The new contracts annual cost was the primary reason we did not renew the contract,” said Bryan Luhn, Director of Media Relations.
The renewal terms, which were not disclosed, exceeded the original contract and were deemed not cost-effective. This judgment led to the shutdown.
Understandably, departments must adhere to budgets; however, there seems to be a growing trend in financial aid getting the short end of the stick. Students are facing the worst of this, from allegedly receiving less aid over time to having resources taken away.
Financial hardships for college students is nothing new. However, in a time when the cost of living is discouragingly high and one class alone is over $1,200, the University owes it to students better support.
Luhn says updates were posted in MyUH to notify students of the Scholarship Universe’s termination, but a singular notice only available upon logging in is ineffective. It is even less helpful when the notice does not explain the decision or provide alternatives.
Emails or posts on the University’s social media pages would have been a better way to inform students. Further, notices should have been distributed days before the service ended. The communication rollout was overall poorly done and inconvenient; external scholarships remained active and many continued to search for aid before the start of the semester.
Though the Scholarship Universe is gone, a replacement is in the works. A new application, and accompanying campaign, will launch ahead of the following academic year.
“Students will have sufficient time to submit applications before the 2025-2026 review process commences,” said Luhn.
Details of the new service and when it will be available are unknown, but in the meantime, students are encouraged to continue searching for scholarships on their own. The alumni association opened several last month, and external applications can be found year-round. That being said, students should apply to unaffiliated awards with caution, though, as some can be scams.
Searching and applying to scholarships can be a time-consuming, complicated process. The Scholarship Universe eliminated many hurdles and students can only hope that its replacement will do the same. While students continue to manage tuition costs, the university should seek to improve supportive services and maintain transparency, keeping students up-to-date.
Anaya Baxter is an integrated communications junior who can be reached at [email protected]
