The priority deadline for the OSU scholarship application for continuing and readmitted undergraduate students has been changed to Feb. 1.
In past years the deadline for the application was March 1, but was changed to an earlier date this year to coordinate with the deadline of the freshman and transfer student scholarship application.
The date change will make award information for next year available to students earlier, said Charles Bruce, director of scholarships and financial aid.
The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, which is in 119 Student Union, will accept scholarship applications at any time during the year, Bruce said, but students will have a better chance of receiving funding if they submit their application by the priority deadline.
“The value of the priority deadline is that obviously we will honor those applications first, and we will go beyond that deadline only if funds become available,†Bruce said.
The application, which allows students to apply for scholarships for the 2007-2008 school year, can be completed online at http://www.okstate.edu/finaid.
The application process is simple and requires a minimal amount of information, Bruce said.
Last year students received about $200 million in scholarships and financial aid, Bruce said.
He projects that amount will exceed $200 million this year.
About 18,000 students currently receive some form of financial assistance from sources such as loans, scholarships, federal work-study programs or graduate assistantships.
“I think on a percentage basis, it would be hard to find someone who doesn’t receive some type of assistance,†Bruce said.
As of Tuesday, the university had already dispersed $54 million in financial aid for the spring semester, Bruce said.
The university provides many resources to students seeking scholarship opportunities.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is another option available for students seeking federal, state or institutional financial aid.
The FAFSA application deadline for the 2007-2008 school year is June 30. Students may pick up an application in the Office of Scholarship and Financial Aid or fill out the application online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Students are encouraged to submit their FAFSA applications as soon as possible because some of the programs are limited and operate on a first-come, first-served basis in dispersing financial aid, Bruce said.
Completing the FAFSA application may also help students receive scholarships from OSU.
Bruce said while some scholarships are based on merit or GPA, others require students to demonstrate financial eligibility.
In these types of scholarships, a student’s FAFSA results are reviewed in addition to their grades.
“A student may well qualify (for a scholarship) because of the FAFSA, whereas they perhaps wouldn’t have qualified had it not been for the FAFSA,†Bruce said.
Several other OSU departments and offices also present scholarship opportunities to students.
The Office of Scholar Development and Recognition offers two local scholarships to undergraduate students each year — the Wentz Research Project and Wentz Leadership scholarships.
The Wentz Research Project scholarship gives $4,500 one-year awards to about 50 undergraduate students each year to conduct independent research with the guidance of a faculty member.
Applicants for this scholarship must submit a one-page description of the research project they plan to conduct. The application deadline is Feb. 15.
The Wentz Leadership scholarship provides $2,750 one-year awards to about 100 undergraduate students each year.
Applicants must submit a 500-word essay on a specific topic and a one-page summary of their activities and honors at OSU in addition to their scholarship application. The deadline for applying is March 1.
The office also provides assistance to students in preparing and applying for national and international prestigious scholarships such as the Truman, Barry M. Goldwater, and Udall scholarships, as well as several scholarships for overseas study.
These prestigious awards usually require an entire year’s worth of planning and preparing for application, said Robert Graalman, director of the Office of Scholar Development and Recognition.
Graalman said the office assists about 40 to 50 students who apply for these national prestigious awards each year.
Students who wish to find out more about the Wentz scholarships or prestigious scholarships may visit the Office of Scholar Development and Recognition in 260 Student Union.
Some tips Bruce gives to students seeking financial aid are to make sure they apply for scholarships, check with their academic department or college for scholarships they offer and spend time on the Internet researching databases for non-OSU scholarship opportunities.
“Scholarship money is definitely limited,†Bruce said. “There’s always that myth that every now and then someone will come up and ask me about, they understand scholarship money goes unclaimed, but I can’t find that.â€/ocolly.com
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