Named scholarships & funds
When it comes to earning a college degree, the greatest obstacle can be funding.
For this reason, The University of Akron is pleased for the opportunity each year to assist talented, deserving students achieve their dreams, thanks to more than 1,300 named scholarships established through the kindness and generosity of thousands of °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ alumni and friends, corporations, and foundations.
Scholarships truly are the best way to ensure that today’s students persist to graduation. Scholarships allow students to enroll full time and remain focused on their studies; they also reduce drop-out rates, decrease the stress of student loans, and shorten the road to graduation.
If you are interested in making a significant contribution to student success, please consider a gift to scholarships. You may also establish a named scholarship at The University of Akron, which can be created to honor a living person, in memory of a loved one, or to contribute to the growth of an area of study.
To learn more, please contact the Department of Development at 330-972-7238.
How do I apply for a scholarship?
This is not the page to apply for scholarships.
Students who want to apply for scholarships should visit the scholarship page on the Financial Aid site. You can find the link for the online application here.
The Department of Development does not accept applications for or distribute scholarships. Scholarships are distributed through the University’s Office of Student Financial Aid.
Search for a Named Scholarship
Prepetit-Barnett, Nadja Anne Scholarship
The Nadja Anne Prepetit-Barnett Scholarship was established in June 2021 by University of Akron alumna Nadja Anne Prepetit-Barnett and revised in August 2024. The scholarship provides financial assistance for people in the workforce returning to college to prepare for new careers in nursing. Mrs. Barnett, a native of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, came to Akron in 1982. She holds multiple degrees from °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ, including an associate degree in business management technology (1987), a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design (1990), a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (1998), and Master of Science in Nursing, with the title Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist in (2004).
As a student, Mrs. Barnett met her husband, Carlton, in 1982 in an area of °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ's campus now known as the Coleman Common. After working in graphic design, she returned to °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ to study nursing. Later, after earning her first nursing degree, she then worked at the Cleveland Clinic in the cardio-thoracic ICU for five years before returning for a master's degree. Mrs. Barnett joined the U.S. Army Reserves as a nurse in 2002 and spent nine years, two tours of active duty and finishing as a U.S. Army Captain. She worked with Summa Health System for more than 17 years, and previously served as a clinical instructor in the ICU at Akron General.
Through her experiences, Mrs. Barnett has overcome the challenges of returning to college from the workforce. These efforts led her to establish a scholarship making it easier for others to do the same.
The Nadja Anne Prepetit-Barnett Scholarship hopes to provide scholarship assistance to those in the workforce returning to college to prepare for new careers in the field of nursing. All University of Akron students pursuing a nursing degree in the College of Health and Human Sciences are eligible to receive the scholarship; however, first preference shall be given to students changing to or beginning a new professional career path in nursing. The scholarship will be awarded to a full- or part-time undergraduate student with a cumulative grade point average of 2.8 or higher, with consideration given to students who have faced significant educational or economic challenges and participate in student organizations or programs aimed at supporting historically underrepresented populations in higher education. Selection will be made by the College of Health and Human Sciences and students should apply through the College's scholarship application process for consideration.
To make a tax-deductible gift to this scholarship, please visit °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ’s . Select “A different designation” from the drop-down menu and enter “Prepetit-Barnett Scholarship” in the text box. Thank you!
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