Liberal Arts Honors Programs | College of Liberal Arts
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Larry Temple Scholarship Endowment

The Larry Temple Scholarship Endowment was established by The University of Texas System Board of Regents for the benefit of The University of Texas at Austin on October 12, 1990. The Scholarship, a $11,000 a year award renewable for two years, honors Larry Eugene Temple, Austin lawyer and public servant.

Liberal Arts majors should consider applying for the Temple Scholarship if they are interested in engaging with their communities, whether that be through academic research, creative arts, or public service.  Watch the videos below to hear LAH Larry Temple Scholars talk about the application process and the scholarship's impact on their education.  Application criteria and instructions are at the bottom.

Byron Xu, Class of 2024

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Zoe Alvarez, Class of 2024

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Soni Shukla, Class of 2026

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Criteria for Selection

  • Temple Scholarships are awarded to students in the College of Liberal Arts who have completed their freshman year (at least 24 hours) in residence at The University, and have a 3.9 gpa or higher. The Scholarship, awarded at the beginning of the sophomore year, is renewable for two years, but students must remain in the College of Liberal Arts and maintain a 3.5 gpa.
  • Temple Scholars are selected primarily on the basis of superior academic merit. Additional consideration shall be given to those with a record of independent scholastic activities, extracurricular activities, and leadership. In evaluating candidates, the Selection Committee will take into account financial need.
  • Recipients may be of any residence status, with preference given to Texas residents.
  • The motivation and purpose of the Temple Scholarship is to allow recipients to enjoy and learn from University life and experiences. It is expected, therefore, that Temple Scholars will not be employed more than 15 hours per week.

Application Process

The application consist of three parts: first, a written portion with several short essays and information about your extracurriculars;  second, a brief video of yourself; and third, a recommendation from a member of the UT Austin faculty.

  • First, the written portion of the Temple application is available online.  Eligible students received an email invitation to apply.  
  • Second, upload a 60-second-or-less video of yourself 
    In this video, first greet the viewer and introduce yourself: this would certainly start with your name, and may include your major, career goals, and anything you feel to be important;
    Next, in the video, please identify something you have recently read, such as a book, non-fiction essay, or news article.  Explain why you consider this text relevant and what you found noteworthy about it. 

    Do keep the video to 60 seconds or less. Please know that, because the committee is interested in you rather than in production values, we won’t anticipate anything other than a simple video recorded on a phone or laptop. Email this video to: Temple_.7mm55dv5wygge1qd@u.box.com
  • Third, ask a faculty member who has taught you in a class to write you a letter of recommendation and upload it.  The text of the email will not come through, so your recommender only needs to email the attachment.

    In particular, the letter should highlight your academic strengths and leadership skills. 

    As with the video, the text of the email will not come through, so your recommender only needs to email the attachment.
  • The Selection Committee will interview finalists.

Applications are due Friday, August 30th, 2024. All three parts - the application form, the video, and letter of recommendation - must be completed by the deadline for an application to receive consideration. Interviews for the scholarship finalists will be Saturday, September 14th.

Selection and Awards

The Dean of the College of Liberal Arts appoints each year The Larry Temple Scholarship Selection Committee, a committee consisting of appropriate faculty and/or staff and alumni.