Scholarship Programs

Some scholarships can only be awarded if students identify themselves to the Student Financial Aid Office 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 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 regional and ATI campuses, should also contact their individual college or department and the financial aid administrator at their regional and ATI 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.

Students in continuing education or any nondegree program may be eligible to receive Federal student loans upon the completion of the FAFSA. Graduate and professional students need to contact the Graduate School or their academic departments for fellowship, scholarship, assistantship, and other funding opportunities.

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

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 annual cost of attendance at Ohio State.  Contact the Student Service Center if you have questions about which awards may or may not be combined.

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.  Remember, the total amount of awards you can receive annually cannot exceed the cost of attendance at Ohio State. 

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

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.

Scholarships may be prorated or may not be disbursed at all if you do not enroll full time.  Most scholarships require you to be full time. Others, which may be administered by the Student Financial Aid Office or your college or department, will depend on the enrollment criteria established by the donors.   Contact the Student Service Center if you have questions.

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

Students may lose their scholarships if they no longer meet the awarding and renewal criteria specific to a scholarship program. Please see the eligibility requirements on the University-Administered Scholarships page.

Most university-administered funds are allocated to students on the basis of two semesters of enrollment during an academic year. Students can receive University administered merit scholarships for autumn, spring semesters and summer session as long as the student meets the eligibility requirements.   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.

Any unused semesters of scholarship eligibility cannot be combined for lump sum payment upon graduation or transferred to another Ohio State student.

A semester of eligibility is considered used during any period of enrollment you receive any university administered merit or need-based aid. For example, if a student did not receive a university administered merit award in a semester because he/she did not meet the required minimum GPA, but maintained eligibility for and received university administered need-based aid for that same semester, that semester would count as one of 8 total semesters of eligibility for both the merit aid program and the need-based aid program.

Once you have received the maximum number of terms of eligibility, you will no longer be able to receive funding from that program(s). Unfortunately, this is clear determination, and the situation is not subject to an appeal.

As long as you continue to meet all other eligibility requirements for renewal of your scholarship, you may continue to receive the award upon your return. You must notify your college and/or the Student Service Center of both your leave and your return.

Since the university-administered scholarships are made to new, incoming freshmen as part of the admissions and recruiting process, attending another institution will cause you to forfeit the OSU recruiting award. Exceptions would be enrollment at an extended OSU campus, enrollment at another institution as part of an official financial aid consortium, or enrollment at another institution close to home during a break (such as summer term). In all exceptions, the OSU award will not be applied during such semesters unless you are simultaneously carrying full-time registration at the OSU main campus.

Recruiting awards may be applied for semesters during which a student is studying abroad only if the program is an OSU approved program, requires full-time registration and bills related fees directly to the OSU student account.

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23) Will my merit scholarship increase in value each year?

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24) I am in dual-career enrollment (i.e., seeking to obtain both a BA/MA at the same time), can I still keep my OSU merit (i.e., Provost, Maximus, Trustees, etc.) scholarship?

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25) How do I log onto the online scholarship application?

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26) How do I make changes to my online scholarship application?

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27) How do I know if the Student Financial Aid Office received my online scholarship application?

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28) How do I know which scholarships I applied for using the online scholarship application? What if I completed my online scholarship application, but would like to be considered for other university scholarships?

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29) Will a hold on my student account prevent me from submitting an online scholarship application?

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