Scholarships & Awards

The Department of Classical and Near Eastern Religions and Cultures (CNRC) awards yearly scholarships to declared majors and minors in the department. The following scholarships are open to students continuing in the department and incoming students, including incoming first-year students. The application window for 2026-2027 awards will open January 2, 2026.

Interested students should submit the following by February 16, 2026:

Complete the application form
Attach a brief personal statement (750–1,000 words) explaining how a particular experience studying the ancient world has impacted their intellectual development and outlook

Laura Hutchinson Fellowship - $10,000 & $5,000 per year

The Laura Hutchinson Fellowship offers one $10,000 award and one $5,000 award per year, occurring for the duration of the awardee's time in the program. The fellowship is open to CNRC undergraduate majors only.

Tom Clayton Scholarship - $2,500

The Tom Clayton Scholarship is a one-time award for one undergraduate student majoring or minoring in CNRC.

Elizabeth Belfiore Memorial Scholarship - $2,000

The Elizabeth Belfiore Memorial Scholarship was established in honor of Betty Belfiore, Professor Emerita. It is a one-time award for one undergraduate student majoring or minoring in CNRC.

Robert Cram Memorial Scholarship - $1,500

The Robert Cram Memorial Scholarship is a one-time award for one undergraduate student minoring in CNRC.

Arthur M. Kremer Fund for Classical Languages Scholarship - $1,500

The Arthur M. Kremer Fund for Classical Languages Scholarship is a one-time award for one undergraduate student majoring or minoring in Greek or Latin.

Traust Group Fund Scholarship - $1,000

The Traust Group Fund Scholarship is a one-time award for one undergraduate student minoring in CNRC.

Mary E. Hahn Fellowship - $3,000

The Mary E. Hahn Fellowship is a one-time award given to one undergraduate student majoring or minoring in CNRC to support a study program, participation in archaeological fieldwork, or other appropriate learning activity requiring travel abroad. Travel can occur summer 2026* through spring 2027.

*For summer 2026 support, students must be registered for credit in the summer term.

Students taking part in one of the programs organized through the Learning Abroad Center need to ensure they are fulfilling all the Center's requirements. All students going overseas to study, excavate, or engage in other scholarly work that is NOT recognized by the Learning Abroad Center MUST register their travel with the University's Global Partnership Strategy Alliance (GPS Alliance). View the complete University of Minnesota policy on study abroad, as well as a full list of Student Pre-Travel Requirements.

CLA Scholarship Information

The College of Liberal Arts offers scholarships for continuing students currently enrolled in CLA. Each year, academically talented CLA students receive scholarships based on need or merit.