Financial aid is based on the premise that you, and in the case of dependent students, your parents are primarily responsible for providing for your educational expenses, and it is intended to supplement student and family contributions toward educational costs. Financial aid comes from many sources, including federal and state governments, private organizations, and Oregon State University’s institutional funds. These funds consist of grants, scholarships, federal work-study, subsidized loans, unsubsidized loans, and parent loans.

Who is eligible?

Oregon State uses the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine your financial need and eligibility for various programs. Your financial aid award is designed to meet as much of your financial need and eligibility as possible and is determined by your need level as determined by the FAFSA, and by the availability of funds. Oregon State offers merit-based scholarships, as well as need and non-need-based financial aid. For a complete list of federal eligibility requirements, visit the Federal Student Aid website.

What types of aid are available from the FAFSA?

The FAFSA is a federal aid application for both need-based and non-need-based financial aid. For eligible students, a FAFSA application will generate a federal student loan offer. Beyond the loan offer, students determined to have high levels of need may also be considered for grants and other types of aid. Review our Aid Types and Aid Limits for Undergraduates pages for additional information.

International Students

Oregon State offers and administers a number of scholarships and tuition remission programs for qualified international students. These are administered by the Office of International Admissions. Scholarship and award information for newly admitted and continuing students, undergraduate and graduate students can be found on the Scholarships for International Students page. Please note that international students are not eligible for U.S. federal financial aid.

Undocumented and DACA Students

Students who do not meet the citizenship or eligible non-citizenship criteria for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may still be eligible for other types of financial aid including grants and scholarships. Find out more on our English and Spanish language Undocumented and DACA Student pages. 

video for 7 easy steps to apply for fasfa
FAFSA 7 Easy Steps Video

 

To apply for federal aid you must:

1. Make sure you meet federal eligibility requirements to receive financial aid.

2. Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year on the FAFSA webpage on a computer or mobile device.

You may apply as early as Oct 1st using the previous year's tax data from 2 years prior (for example, the 2024-25 application will use 2022 tax information). We recommend using the direct data download to import the information from your IRS tax return. More information on how to utilize the IRS data retrieval tool may be found on the FSA website.

Remember, if the FAFSA determines you are a dependent student, you must include parent information and the FAFSA cannot be processed until it is signed by both student and parent. A Dependency Status Appeal may be filed with the Office of Financial Aid if you have exceptional family circumstances that you believe should classify you as independent. Please review the Dependency Status Appeal form for additional information on how this appeal process works.

3. List Oregon State on your FAFSA application using our school code, 003210.

4. The priority FAFSA application deadline for Oregon State is May 1st but earlier is better. This date is used to determine eligibility for some need-based aid programs as well as State and Institutional funds. Applications received after the priority deadline will still be eligible for federal aid such as the Pell Grant and Direct Loans.

5. Apply for admission to Oregon State: Apply Online. You will not be considered for any financial aid award until you have applied to the University.

6. After your FAFSA has been received, you may be sent an email request for additional information. Once admitted, you will be able to activate your MyOregonState account to view the requirements and the requested forms. If you have been selected for verification, our Verification FAQ’s page will help you with this process.

7. When all outstanding requirements have been satisfied and your FAFSA has been processed, you will receive an email notification that your aid offer is ready to accept.

8. Accept your financial aid award through MyOregonState.

Applying as a Transfer Student

When transferring to another institution, it is important to understand that each institution may award you different amounts and types of aid. Awards are determined by eligibility, the cost of attendance at each school, and the total number of aid dollars available at each school. To begin the process of requesting aid at a different institution, simply add your new school’s code to the FAFSA, that school will then receive your FAFSA application and begin the process of awarding you financial aid.

You should also contact the financial aid office of the school you will be attending to determine:

  • their aid application procedures
  • what aid is available
  • what forms may be required
  • if you must be admitted before your file will be reviewed

Transferring to Oregon State:

To start the financial aid process at Oregon State you must first have applied for admission. Below is a helpful checklist to make sure your transition is smooth and successful.

1. Apply for admission to Oregon State: Apply Online.

2. Add Oregon State to your financial aid application (FAFSA) by adding our school code (003210) online at studentaid.gov or by calling the FAFSA processor at 1-800-433-3243.

3. Contact your current school's financial aid office and cancel any financial aid for subsequent terms. You cannot receive aid at more than one school at a time so it is critical that this process occurs.

4. After your FAFSA has been received, you may be sent an email request for additional information. Once admitted, you will be able to activate your MyOregonState account to view the requirements and the requested forms. If you have been selected for verification, our Verification FAQ’s page will help you with this process.

5. When all outstanding requirements have been satisfied and your FAFSA has been processed, you will receive an email notification that your aid offer is ready to accept. For Summer or Fall admit students, this will typically be by April. For Winter and Spring Term admits, this is typically sometime the month before classes begin for the term you are starting.

6. Accept your financial aid award through MyOregonState.

Applying For Scholarships

Oregon State is committed to recruiting and retaining motivated, diverse, and driven students. In an effort to assist with the expenses involved in a high-caliber education, incoming students are automatically considered for University Scholars Program scholarships based on their application for admission and completion of the scholarship portion of the application at the time of admission and prior to the February 1 deadline. New and returning students may also apply for additional scholarships through the ScholarDollars application portal. 

Resources for Students Who Are Not Federal Aid Eligible

See the "What is it?" section above for more information for international students and DACA/undocumented students.

October

  • The FAFSA application is available for submission beginning October 1st each year. You will submit your FAFSA using the tax information from 2 years prior (example: the 2023-2024 FAFSA will use the information from the taxes you filed in 2021). Most students and parents should be able to download their tax information into the FAFSA using the Financial Aid Direct Data Exchange.
  • OSU's FAFSA Priority Deadline is May 1st but earlier is better! The initial FAFSA filing date is used for awarding limited funds so earlier is better. FAFSA applications submitted after March 13st may still be eligible for federal financial aid such as the Pell Grant, FORD Direct Loans, and PLUS Loans.

November/December

  • Now is a good time to start searching for scholarships for the next year. There are many resources available to aid you in your search, such as the OSU ScholarDollars application, Oregon Office of Student Access and Completion Scholarship (OSAC) Application for Oregon residents, and a number of online search engines as well!
  • We begin providing aid offers for eligible students who are beginning their first term at OSU for the Winter quarter in the current school year.

February

  • If you are an incoming student who wants to be considered for OSU institutional scholarships, the Admissions application deadline is February 1st.
  • OSU ScholarDollars application priority deadline is February 1st and the main deadline is February 15th.
  • OSAC Early Bird Scholarship Application deadline is February 15 - 5pm PST each year: Early Bird deadline. Complete applications (including transcripts) submitted by this date and time receive an early review, and error-free Apps will be entered into a drawing for one of several $1,000 Early Bird scholarship awards. Visit the OSAC website for additional information.
  • Oregon State FAFSA Priority Filing Deadline has been moved for the 2024-25 year to May 1, 2024! This is a one year extension due to the delays in FAFSA processing at the Department of Education.

March/April

  • Oregon State FAFSA Priority Filing Deadline has been moved for the 2024-25 year to May 1, 2024! This is a one year extension due to the delays in FAFSA processing at the Department of Education.
  • OSAC Scholarship Applications are due April 1st, 2024. Visit OSAC for more information.
  • We begin providing aid offers for eligible students who are beginning their first term at OSU for the Spring quarter in the current school year.
  • Financial aid offer letters are sent to incoming priority deadline applicants for the next school year. If you are attending summer term, you will be able to request to have your aid offer adjusted to include summer term in your MyOregonState account. See instructions on how to view and accept your award.