How Scholarship Teams Are Doubling Applications: A Composite Case Study

What would it take to double the number of scholarship applications your institution receives in a single cycle?

We’ve seen it happen.

This post highlights a composite case study based on several real AwardSpring client outcomes. While the institution described here is fictional, the tactics are drawn directly from teams who reimagined their scholarship process and saw dramatic increases in applications, efficiency, and equity.

If your goal is to make your next cycle your most effective one yet—this story offers a roadmap.

The Situation: Low Visibility, Fragmented Process

Across many institutions, common challenges hold scholarship programs back:

• Separate applications for every scholarship
• Little to no promotion beyond a website listing
• Manual processes for reviewers and staff
• Unclear timelines and limited student support

Students were overwhelmed. Staff were overworked. Applications were underwhelming in both volume and diversity.

In this representative case, a mid-sized public university faced these exact challenges and decided to make a change.

What Changed: Centralized Access + Smart Outreach

Working with AwardSpring, the university implemented a new scholarship management system and strategic process overhaul focused on three areas:

1. Launched a Unified Scholarship Portal

Instead of asking students to find and apply to each scholarship individually, the school implemented a single-entry application. Students answered one set of questions and were automatically matched to eligible awards.

“We saw a 2x increase in completed applications after implementing AwardSpring. The one-stop portal removed so many barriers.” – AwardSpring Client Feedback

2. Created a Campaign, Not Just a Deadline

They built a light, but strategic, promotion plan that included:

• Countdown-style reminder emails
• Student ambassadors sharing stories on Instagram
• Short videos of past recipients sharing how the aid helped
• Faculty toolkits to promote scholarships in class and online

3. Simplified the Review Process

They also restructured the review workflow:

• Created a universal scoring rubric
• Trained reviewers in 30-minute virtual sessions
• Used AwardSpring to assign reviewers and manage scores centrally

This created faster decisions and a better experience for internal stakeholders—key to sustaining the new process.

The Outcome: More Applications, More Equity

By the end of the first full cycle with the new approach:

• Application volume more than doubled
• Review and awarding time dropped by 40%
• Awarding reached more first-gen and Pell-eligible students
• Several previously unawarded funds were utilized fully

These results are consistent with outcomes reported by multiple AwardSpring partners. In fact, some clients have publicly stated that they “more than doubled the number of applicants” in their first year using the platform (source).

Why It Worked

The strategy wasn’t flashy—it was focused. Here’s what made the difference:

• Access: A unified application made scholarships feel possible
• Visibility: The program reached students where they actually are
• Efficiency: The team had more time to focus on strategy, not chasing paperwork
• Data: Built-in reporting made it easier to track outcomes, gaps, and donor reporting

These changes didn’t require a massive new budget—just a rethinking of where effort and tools were being applied.

Final Thoughts: You Don’t Need to Start from Scratch

If you’ve been thinking about reworking your scholarship strategy, let this composite story inspire your next step. Whether you’re managing five funds or five hundred, a better system—and better outcomes—are within reach.

AwardSpring helps institutions simplify the scholarship experience for students, reviewers, and donors alike. Want to see how others are doubling their impact?