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
Boyes, James D. and Mary Jo Scholarship in Athletics
The James D. and Mary Jo Boyes Scholarship in Athletics was established in 2014 by Mr. James D. Boyes. Mr. and Mrs. Boyes are dedicated Akron Athletics fans and longtime supporters of The University of Akron and its students.
Mr. Boyes is an alumnus of The University of Akron, having received a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1970 and a Master of Arts in school administration in 1977. Mr. Boyes is also an alumnus of the Lone Star Fraternity.
Mr. Boyes retired from The University of Akron in 2013, after serving as director of the Medina County University Center for four years. Prior to that position, he worked as an educator and education administrator during a 40-year career. His titles included teacher, principal, superintendent, and higher education administrator.
Mr. Boyes is married to Mary Jo Boyes, and together they have three sons.
Mrs. Boyes shares a dedication to education and has worked in the field since 1972, after receiving a Bachelor of Science in education from Bowling Green State University. After taking time away from the classroom to raise her sons, she resumed her career in 1996. Mrs. Boyes received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Medina County City Schools’ Foundation in 2002 and retired in 2010.
Mr. and Mrs. Boyes have been men’s basketball season ticket holders for years. Mr. Boyes has been attending Zips men’s basketball games since 1959, when he was just 12 years old. His brother, Richard, had a paper route and made deliveries to Buchtel Hall. The Buchtel Hall secretaries rewarded young Richard for his hard work with two passes to watch the men’s basketball games in Memorial Hall. Mr. Boyes, his brother, and two other young men would take turns using the passes – two watched the game while the other two waited outside. These early memories fostered a great appreciation for the University’s basketball program and turned Mr. Boyes into a lifelong Zips fan.
The purpose of The James D. and Mary Jo Boyes Scholarship in Athletics is to provide an annual award to a student-athlete on the men’s basketball team, a graduate student working in an assistantship capacity, or a student otherwise working or volunteering with the men’s basketball program.
This award should be used for academically related expenses, including but not limited to, tuition expenses (including summer school), tutoring fees, materials required for classes in which the award recipient is enrolled (award will be presented in the form of a gift card for the on-campus bookstore), fees and other expenses related to the award recipient’s enrollment, or other related expenses as approved by the Department of Athletics.
Recipients of this scholarship shall be student-athletes, graduate students working in an assistantship capacity, or students otherwise working or volunteering with the men’s basketball program, who have earned a 3.0 GPA or higher while attending The University of Akron. The recipients of this scholarship will be selected by the Department of Athletics in cooperation with the Office of Student Financial Aid.
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