1,022 Alaska High School Seniors Recognized with UA Scholars Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 12, 2026

Each Receives a $15,000 Scholarship

(Fairbanks, AK) - The University of Alaska (UA) is pleased to announce that 1,022 graduating seniors from over 250 Alaska high schools have been identified as the 2026 Class of UA Scholars, making this one of the largest classes in over a decade. Each student ranks in the top 10% of their class and will receive a $15,000 scholarship to attend any University of Alaska campus.

Established in 1999, the UA Scholars Award encourages Alaska's best and brightest to pursue higher education in-state. Since then, the program has helped thousands of students earn more than 8,000 degrees and launch successful careers across Alaska.

"The UA Scholars program continues to celebrate excellence from every corner of Alaska," said UA President Pat Pitney. "We're proud to support these students as they build their futures here at home."

Alumni of the program often credit the scholarship with making higher education both accessible and meaningful. "The UA Scholars Award gave me the opportunity to focus on what I wanted to do and my goals and dreams without having to worry about any extra financial load or burden," said Lawrence Giron Jr., UAA '23 BS Mechanical Engineering & Mathematics, UAA '25 MS Mechanical Engineering.

"Not having to work during the school year to pay for the next semester was a huge relief off my shoulders. I could just focus on school, and I think that's one of the reasons why I was able to be competitive and go to dental school and get in," said Dr. Cristina Mondelli, UAF '20 BS Biological Science.

Recipients receive $1,875 per semester for up to eight semesters, and the Award may be combined with other financial aid, such as the Alaska Performance Scholarship and UA Foundation Scholarships. The program is funded by the University of Alaska Land Grant Trust Fund.

A complete list of 2026 UA Scholars is available online at alaska.edu/scholars and will be published in Alaska newspapers in May. For more information, visitalaska.edu/scholars.

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Media Contact:
Lael Oldmixon
UA Scholars, Executive Director
[email protected]
907-450-8115