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
DeVries, Louis R. Endowed Memorial Scholarship in Instrumental Music Performance
Patricia D. Gold established The Louis R. DeVries Endowed Memorial Scholarship in Instrumental Music Performance in 2022 to honor the memory of her brother. Patricia is a 1972 alumna of The University of Akron who earned a bachelor's degree in French. Additionally, Patricia was a member of the °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ Orchestra for two years. In 1979, she obtained her master's in Library Science from Kent State University and worked at the Akron Public Library for several years prior to her marriage and subsequent move to Columbus, Ohio, in 1981.
Louis R. De Vries, an Akron native, developed an interest in music at an early age. A member of the band and orchestra at Akron's John R. Buchtel High School, he went on to obtain his Bachelor of Science in Music Education from The University of Akron. While pursuing his degree, he was student director of the °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ band. His years at the Conservatory of Music were some of his happiest. He made lifelong friends there. Louis went on to obtain a Master of Music Education degree from the University of Michigan. He taught instrumental music in Lorain, Ohio and was double bass instructor at both The University of Akron and Malone College in Canton, Ohio.
Louis played professionally with the Blossom Festival Band, the Akron Symphony, the Canton Symphony, the Youngstown Symphony, the Erie Philharmonic, the Tuscarawas Philharmonic, the Orquestra Filarmonica de Caracas, the Mississippi Symphony, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, and the Rapides Symphony Orchestra. He was the former conductor of the Natchez (Miss.) Community Band and performed several double bass recitals in Natchez. He was a member of the Natchez Baroque Ensemble and the Natchez Opera Festival, and he was a conductor of the St. Joseph Community Orchestra and the Jazz Ensemble in St. Joseph, La., for nearly 10 years.
Recipients of The Louis R. DeVries Endowed Memorial Scholarship in Instrumental Music Performance shall be full- or part-time students enrolled in The University of Akron School of Music majoring in Instrumental Performance. Recipients must be in good standing at the University and carry a minimum 3.0 grade point average (GPA). Recipient selection will be made by the Director of the School of Music.
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