Some scholarships can only be awarded if students identify themselves to the Office of Student Financial Aid as being eligible. To apply for special-eligibility scholarships, complete the Application for Special Scholarships. Note that most special-eligibility scholarships require the FAFSA and/or a personal statement. More documentation may be required later. See Important Dates & Deadlines and be sure to apply on time. All students, including those enrolled at extended campuses, should also contact their individual college or department and the financial aid administrator at their extended campuses for additional scholarship opportunities. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is recommended for all students, even if you think you "might not be eligible for anything"; it is required for those who wish to be considered for need-based scholarships and grants. Please review our At a Glance for more deadline and application information.

Most scholarships administered by The Office of Student Financial Aid are for undergraduate students in degree-granting programs. Graduate and professional students need to contact the Graduate School or their academic departments for fellowship, scholarship, assistantship, and other funding opportunities.

We encourage you to check with The Office of International Affairs for scholarship possibilities. International students who have valid SAT/ACT test records and U.S. high school ranking may be considered for some freshman scholarships.

Some scholarships are renewed automatically if students meet the renewal criteria (e.g. Honors Merit or MSP awards) while you need to re-apply for others every year (see At a Glance for more information).  Your scholarship can also be a one-time-only award or can be renewed for a specified period of time--make sure you review your scholarship renewal criteria and submit the appropriate applications by your deadline date.  Please contact the office that notified you of your scholarship award if you are unsure of your scholarship’s renewal criteria and procedures.

Most scholarships at Ohio State with a tuition value are not restricted to paying tuition only—they can be used to pay for other university charges if your tuition will be paid by other resources, including another scholarship that is tuition specific.  The language used is to denote the value of these scholarships and the awards are adjusted as tuition increases.

Check with your college office or department to see whether you are eligible for any of the funds they administer.  You could also explore funding through external resources--please refer to our external award tab or list of scholarships tab for more information. All students are eligible to borrow non-need-based Unsubsidized Loans and the parents of dependent students are eligible to borrow PLUS Loans.

All students are awarded based on their application status, academic performance, leadership credentials, and other assessment criteria established by the university (e.g. financial need)—we are not able to match offers from other institutions.   We strongly suggest that you take into consideration the costs (tuition and other expenses) of different schools when comparing financial aid offers, as a higher scholarship dollar value does not guarantee a lower net cost of attendance.  You should also consider which institution's program will more adequately meet your academic objectives and the renewal criteria of all scholarships offered.  All of the above will help you determine which award package is best for you.

While some scholarships can be combined, many cannot, and the total amount you are awarded can never exceed the cost of an Ohio State education.  Contact the Office of Student Financial Aid if you have questions about which awards may or may not be combined.

Incoming freshmen who are awarded Presidential, Medalist, OMA Distinction, or OMA Excellence Scholarship need to accept or decline online at Student Self Service, accessible via Buckeye Link, by the May 1 deadline.  Detailed instructions are included in the scholarship congratulatory letters as well as the financial aid notification to students in early April.  Your prompt response will ensure that you secure the scholarship you are awarded if you are going to be a Buckeye; your declining the award will make the scholarship opportunity available to another deserving student.

If you have an external award, you and your award donor can obtain information about Ohio State’s procedures for disbursing the funds to you at sfa.osu.edu/forms/award/external.pdf.  Be sure to fill out a Report Your Changes form and return it to The Office of Student Financial Aid.  Remember, the total amount of awards you can receive annually cannot exceed the cost of attendance at Ohio State.  Other awards listed on your financial aid package, especially those that are need based, will be reviewed and may be adjusted upon our receipt of your external aid notification.

Details are available on page four of our External Resource Guide, in the External Resource Check Follow-up section.

Please contact The Office of Student Financial Aid to initiate a review.  A written statement may be requested, especially if you will not receive a fund you formerly indicated you would.  We will then make sure your aid package reflects all valid updates, and adjustments will be made as appropriate.

Scholarships are usually restricted to a particular campus.  Please check with the financial aid administrator at your campus if you plan on changing your campus of enrollment.

You may not receive financial aid in excess of the annual cost of attendance at Ohio State.  Additional financial resources may also reduce your calculated financial need.  When you receive more scholarship funds after our initial financial aid notification to you, your “need-based” aid (see At a Glance) may be reduced or removed regardless of whether the additional funds are from the university or an external source.  An increase in Expected Family Contribution (EFC) resulting from the verification process can cause a reduction in your need-based aid as well.  Scenarios such as these explain why your financial aid package can differ from year to year, or may change during the same academic year.

Students may lose their scholarships if they no longer meet the awarding and renewal criteria specific to a scholarship program.  If you lose your scholarship because of grade point average or Satisfactory Academic Progress (check your SAP status online at Student Self Service, accessible via Buckeye Link), an appeal can be filed if you have extenuating circumstances which prevented you from meeting the requirements.

Scholarships may be prorated or may not be disbursed at all if you do not enroll full time.  Some scholarships require you to be full time. Others, which may be administered by the Office of Student Financial Aid or your college or department, will depend on the enrollment criteria established by the donors.  You will need the donor’s permission to receive funds if you are not registered for the required hours.  Contact us if you have questions.

Most university-administered funds are allocated to students on the basis of three terms of enrollment during an academic year.  Typically, if you change your enrollment from three to two terms, for example, you will only be eligible for two-thirds of the original award value.   If you have awards from your college or department, please contact them directly regarding fund distribution that may be impacted by changes in your enrollment plan.

Unless otherwise indicated, recipients of Honors Merit Scholarships and Access Merit Scholarships may be eligible for their selected merit scholarships up to 12 quarters of full-time undergraduate enrollment. Contact our office if you are not sure if your merit scholarship can continue beyond your undergraduate degree. Any unused quarters of scholarship eligibility cannot be combined for lump sum payment upon graduation or transferred to another Ohio State student.

Please see FAQ #9 under the How It Works tab.

A name/description search allows you to search for words that are found in the actual name or description of the scholarship. A keyword search allows you to search for terms that may not appear in the name or description but may still be relevant to the scholarship. Always start with a name/description search.

Searching for scholarships using the ?Or? function (recommended) will return the greatest number of scholarships, as it returns scholarships that meet any of the search criteria selected. The ?And? function will return more specific results, as it will return only scholarships that meet ALL of the search criteria selected. If using the search criteria Renewable and Need Based, for example, an ?Or? search would bring back scholarships that are either renewable or need based, while an ?And? search would bring back only scholarships that are both renewable and need based.

Please go to Applying for Scholarships to complete an online scholarship application.

You can make changes to your online scholarship application only if it has not been submitted. If you need to edit or make changes after you submit your online scholarship application, please contact the Office of Student Financial Aid at sfa-finaid@osu.edu.

You will see a confirmation web page upon submission of your online scholarship application. Please print this page for your records. You may also return to the online application to review your submitted application.

As long as you filed an online scholarship application, you will be considered for any special-eligibility scholarships administered by the office of Student Financial Aid. For Merit or Recruiting Scholarships, refer to the admissions web page at http://undergrad.osu.edu/merit.html.

No. You can submit an online scholarship application with a hold on your account.