Scholarships
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The University of Texas at Dallas was among the first of a growing number of universities to promote the integration of chess, academics and scholarship. UT Dallas supports its chess team through competitive scholarships awarded at local, state, national and international tournaments. In addition to winning competitive scholarships, students may submit a recruiting form directly to the program director after reading the important information below.
Chess Scholarships
There are now three categories of Chess Scholarships: Chess I, Chess II and Chess III. To read more details about the chess program scholarships, please go to Chess Program Scholarships.
Another approach that students might take in applying for scholarships at the UT Dallas Chess Program is that of tournament-based scholarships. Each year, UT Dallas offers several full four-year tuition (and fees toward housing) scholarships. These scholarships are typically at the Chess II or Chess III level, and may be upgraded to a higher level if the student’s academic qualifications merit an upgrade. Most of these awards go to the winners of local and state events, while some are reserved for national and international events.
Admissions Process: It is very important that both U.S. and international students go to admissions to understand the steps in the admissions process at UT Dallas. Everyone must complete an on-line application before he or she is recognized by the University system. Decisions on admission to UT Dallas and Chess Scholarship awards are made continuously upon receipt of completed application materials. Students who are awarded a Chess Scholarship will be informed of their award soon after receiving notification of admission to UT Dallas. Funds available for each year’s new scholarship awards are limited, and admission applications that are completed after February 1 will be considered for scholarship awards contingent upon availability of funding.
| February 1 | To guarantee an admission decision prior to the March 31 deadline, applicants should submit a completed application for admission with all required materials prior to February 1. |
|---|---|
| March 1 | Priority consideration for scholarships is given to students who are admitted to the University by March 1. |
Mandatory: All scholarships are only for students who are accepted to and matriculate at UT Dallas. Thus, it is very important to be admitted to UT Dallas as soon as possible in order to be considered (see Admissions below). To maintain the award, the student must earn at least 15 credit hours per semester and maintain a semester grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale.
Transfer Students: The Transfer Student Admission Process requires that students follow guidelines that will vary according to the number of transferable hours. Please read these requirements to determine whether an SAT exam is needed.
International Students: The MOST CRITICAL factor is that students allow time to schedule, study, and take the TOEFL and SAT exams, which are listed on the admissions webpage. Ideally, a student will start reading this webpage the spring semester (March-May) the year before a scholarship is to be awarded. International students need extra time since TOEFL and SAT exams are not always easy to schedule.
Academic performance must be high. Thus, students may wish to take the exams a second time to improve their scores. Please read My Experience with the SAT Exam by IM Marko Zivanic. In the spring semester, even after admission to the University and the award of a scholarship, there will still be some time required for paperwork to submit for visas.
Maintaining Chess Scholarships: Once a scholarship is granted, these guidelines will apply to ensure a student is still eligible to continue benefitting from the scholarship.
Titled Players: Masters, International Masters and Grandmasters are invited to contact Jim Stallings. The U.S. Chess Federation rule restrictions for titled players, such as International Masters and International Grandmasters, were amended to allow older students to compete on college chess teams. For more information, see Chess Eligibility.
Graduate Students: There is now a Chess I.g Scholarship available on a limited basis for high rated titled players (GMs and IMs) pursuing a two=year master's degree program. Please contact Director Jim Stallings for more information.
More information: If you have questions on any of the above, please contact the Chess Program Director, Jim Stallings.
Recruiting Form: If you are interested in applying to UT Dallas to become a member of the UT Dallas Chess Team, please fill out our Recruiting Form.
