Financial Aid
Should I Apply?
Any student who may have a financial need for educational expenses should apply for financial aid. Most students are eligible for some sort of financial assistance whether it is gift aid such as grants and scholarships or self-help aid in the form of student loans and/or college work-study.
What Is Financial Aid?
Financial aid is money provided to help bridge the gap between your own resources and the amount needed to pay the cost of attending college. The primary responsibility for meeting the cost of a college education rests with the student and family to the extent they are able to pay. A formula established by Congress, takes into account your family income and assets. When you apply for financial aid at Oregon State University, you are applying for gift aid and self-help programs.
Grants do not have to be repaid and are based on financial need.
Loans are borrowed money that you repay with interest to the lender. Educational loans usually carry a low interest rate and offer a grace period with repayment generally beginning within six months after graduation or when you stop attending school at least half time. Student loans are considered financial aid because of the special interest rates. Find more information on our Federal Aid page.
Scholarships are awards based on many factors such as academic merit or academic merit and financial need. They do not have to be repaid. For first year and transfer students, Oregon State University awards University Scholars Program Scholarships based upon the OSU Application for Admission, official transcripts and official SAT or ACT test scores. Students can also apply for OSU departmental scholarships through the ScholarDollars portal and can check with their department for further information on scholarship opportunities. Visit The Scholarship Office Page for more information.
Student Employment enables students to earn money toward their educational expenses while in school by working part time. This can either be a regular employment position or a federally subsidized Work-Study one.
How Do I Add OSU To My FAFSA
Go to studentaid.gov.
Enter your Login information.
Select the option to “Make FAFSA Corrections”.
Go to the section where you’ve listed colleges and add our school code, 003210. If you’ve already listed twenty schools on your FAFSA, you’ll need to delete some to make room for any new school codes.
Hit Submit.
Follow up! Check your email and/or home mailbox to respond to any requests for materials.
What Is An "Aid Offer"?
When you apply for financial assistance from Oregon State University, you do not apply for a particular type or amount of aid. Aid applicants are automatically considered for all available programs. One or more types of aid are usually awarded in combination to make up a student's financial aid offer. Students who receive scholarships from outside agencies or through their departments will have these scholarships included as a part of their total student aid offer.
What is Verification?
Verification is a federal aid eligibility review process required by The U.S. Department of Education. For this process, OSU is required to verify that the information on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is accurate. We complete the verification process by comparing FAFSA data with federal tax documents and other forms you provide to the OSU Office of Financial Aid.
If you have been selected for FAFSA verification, check out our Verification FAQs page for more information.
How Do I Receive Summer Financial Aid?
Summer term is the first term of each academic year. For example, summer 2024 is the first term of the 2024-2025 academic year and requires a 2024-2025 FAFSA application. After your FAFSA has been processed and you have an aid offer, you will be able to submit the summer survey. You will find the survey under the Home Tab in the Financial Aid Self-Service Portal. Your initial aid offer will only include fall, winter and spring. After the survey is submitted and processed, your aid offer will be adjusted to include summer. Find further information on accepting your aid offer and submitting the summer survey on our Accept Your Award page.
Summer financial aid is limited due to funding constraints and loan program limits. Students expecting to attend for 4 terms at least halftime can anticipate their student loan funds to be re-distributed over the 4 terms of enrollment. Yearly loan limits remain the same regardless of the number of terms you attend. Students who have been awarded work-study for the academic year may begin working during summer term if enrolled half-time or more.
Enrollment levels are NOT different in summer. Full-time is 12 credits, 3/4 time is 9-11 credits, and half-time is 6-8 credits for Undergraduates. Half-time for Graduate students is 5-8 credits, full-time is 9 credits. You must notify Financial Aid if you will be enrolled less than full-time. You must be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for most Financial Aid.
Parent information is used because Congress has said that families have the primary responsibility for funding a college education. Even if your parents do not support you, pay for your living expenses, bills, etc, you are still required to supply their information on your application if you are considered a dependent student by federal definition. Parent information is not necessary if you are independent. To check your dependency status, please the the Dependency Status web page, available at studentaid.gov.
What If I Have Circumstances That Do Not Fit The Independent Criteria, But I Cannot Report My Parents' Information?
The Oregon State University Office of Financial Aid may be able to use professional judgment in deciding to override the dependency status on your FAFSA. You will be required to document your specific extenuating circumstances.
Examples of extenuating circumstance include but are not limited to:
- You and you parents are in separate countries and you have been granted refugee status by the Immigration Service
- A legal restraining order has been issued to your parent(s) due to abusive behavior or other family disturbances
- You have been abandoned and are dependent upon yourself or foster parents for support
Any of these circumstances can be considered, but do not automatically allow you to be independent. All circumstances must be documented. If you have an exceptional circumstance and would like to appeal your dependency status, you may submit a Dependency Status Appeal form along with the required supplemental documentation. Please contact the OSU Office of Financial Aid to discuss any questions or concerns.
What Financial Aid Programs Are Available For Graduate Students?
Oregon State University administers the aid programs provided by the federal government to assist with a graduate education.
- William D. Ford Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
- William D. Ford Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan
Graduate students are also encouraged to contact the Graduate School or their major departments for information on additional funding sources such as scholarships, fellowships, or assistantships. More information may be found on our Graduate Student Aid page.
Am I Allowed To Receive Financial Aid Funds From More Than One Institution At The Same Time?
No. If you are enrolled at more than one college or university at the same time, you may receive financial aid from one of the institutions, not both. Contact our office for more information.
How Do I Accept my Financial Aid?
To view/accept/decline your Financial Aid Award through the Financial Aid Portal, please review our Accept Award page.
Why Hasn't My Financial Aid Paid?
There are several ways in which your aid may be delayed. Here are the most common reasons:
- You may be required to complete Entrance Counseling and sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) for your federal direct student loans. You would have been notified of these requirements via an email to your ONID email account.
- Less than full-time enrollment. All students are assumed to be full-time unless they notify Financial Aid in writing that they will be less. Please submit an enrollment revision form if you plan to be less than full-time or if you plan to attend fewer than 3 terms. If this form is not received, your aid may be adjusted and disbursed after our Census Date for that term. Most types of federal aid require a minimum enrollment of half-time each term. Halftime is 6-8 credits as an undergraduate and 5-8 as a graduate student.
- Registering late for classes or being wait listed.
- Having holds, unsatisfied financial aid requirements, or not making Satisfactory Academic Progress will prevent aid disbursal. You can always check the Financial Aid Self-Service Portal for hold, outstanding requirement and eligibility information.
Financial Aid Refunds
Refunds will be processed daily during the first two weeks of the term. Depending on how you have your account set up, you may receive a refund check in the mail, or by direct deposit. Please visit the Business Affairs website for more information.
What If My Or My Parents’ Circumstances Have Changed Financially?
If you have experienced a loss of employment, change in marital status, or other major financial change, you may have your situation reviewed by the Office of Financial Aid to determine if a Special Conditions Appeal (SCA) might be beneficial. In certain cases this appeal can be used to recalculate eligibility for the Ford Direct Subsidized loan and Pell Grant. Find out more on our Special Conditions Appeal page.
What if I have additional costs that are not included in the Cost of Attendance?
If you have additional costs that are not included in your original Cost of Attendance estimate, you can request to have them added to your total budget if they fit certain criteria requirements. You can learn more about this option by viewing the Cost of Attendance Revision Request form on our Forms webpage.
Helpful Hints
- Apply as soon after October 1 as possible to meet OSU's priority deadline (February 28). This will give you the best chance of receiving the strongest financial aid package from limited funds. Check with other schools for their deadlines.
- Please write your name and OSU Student ID number on all forms submitted to the Office of Financial Aid and always retain copies of all forms for your records.
- Read your FAFSA Submission Summary for accuracy and for important messages regarding your financial aid eligibility. This is emailed to you once your FAFSA is processed.
- Check your OSU student email regularly. That is where we will send important information regarding financial aid revisions and requirements.
Scholarships
Applying for Scholarships at OSU
The majority of Oregon State University’s scholarships for newly admitted freshmen and transfer students will be awarded automatically based on a holistic review of a student’s application for admission. These admission-based scholarships are awarded only to students whose first term of enrollment at OSU will be summer or fall terms.
All new and continuing OSU students also are encouraged to submit an application for additional college and departmental scholarships that are awarded through OSU ScholarDollars, OSU’s online scholarship search and application system. Visit The Scholarship Office Page for more information.
Application deadlines for scholarships offered outside Oregon State University are on-going. You can find more information about some outside scholarships on the Scholarships webpage on the financial aid website.
Where Should the Donor Send My Scholarship?
Outside Scholarship checks should be mailed to Student Accounts at the following address: Student Accounts, Oregon State University, PO Box 1086, Corvallis OR 97339. Be sure the scholarship administrator includes your name and student ID number on the check. If you have any questions about outside scholarship payments, please contact OutsideScholarshipPayments@oregonstate.edu .
If you have not already submitted notification to the Financial Aid Office regarding your outside scholarships, please report the outside scholarship when you are accepting your financial aid through the Financial Aid Portal(Link is external). There is a tab to click on to report these outside scholarships.
Where Should the Donor Send My Scholarship?
Outside Scholarship checks should be mailed to Student Accounts at the following address: Student Accounts, Oregon State University, PO Box 1086, Corvallis OR 97339. Be sure the scholarship administrator includes your name and student ID number on the check. If you have any questions about outside scholarship payments, please contact OutsideScholarshipPayments@oregonstate.edu .
If you have not already submitted notification to the Financial Aid Office regarding your outside scholarships, please report the outside scholarship when you are accepting your financial aid through the Financial Aid Portal. There is a tab to click on to report these outside scholarships.
How Will The Receipt Of An Outside Scholarship Affect My Financial Aid Offer?
Many students from Oregon State receive scholarships and grants from outside organizations. The receipt of any scholarship or grant not listed on the award notification must be reported to the Office of Financial Aid in writing as soon as the student is notified of the award. Please indicate the name of the award and the amount of the award. Additional resources may reduce your overall financial aid offer. Generally, we will reduce any student loans before any other type of financial aid awarded.
Student Employment
Why didn’t I get Federal Work Study?
The Federal Work-Study (FWS) program provides part-time jobs for students with financial need to help them pay for their education. It's designed to put you to work in the community or in a job related to your studies, whenever possible. Funding for this program is very limited. Awarding is based on need (as determined by the FAFSA application) and on the FAFSA filing date. Students should file their FAFSA as close to October 1st as possible each year to maximize their chances of receiving this award.
Regular Student Employment
While you may not be awarded work study funds, you can continue to look for non-work-study employment on campus. Regular student jobs are listed on the Human Resources Page.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
What is SAP?
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is a federally required evaluation of a student’s progress towards completion of their degree. The evaluation includes the following three components:
- Students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative OSU GPA of 2.0 for undergraduates (3.0 for graduates, or as specified by your program).
- Successfully complete at least 67% of their attempted coursework.
- Complete their degree within 150% of the published time frame for undergraduates. If your degree requires 180 credit hours, you must complete it within 270 credit hours including F & W grades.
*Students that were suspended by the university and have been reinstated are also required to file a written appeal.
How do I know whether or not I have been selected for not meeting the SAP standards?
A notification will be sent to your ONID email account notifying you if you have been selected as not meeting the minimum SAP standards. You can also check your SAP status, OSU GPA, Pace, and Maximum Timeframe in the Financial Aid Portal.
How often will I be evaluated for SAP?
Students are evaluated at the end of each term to determine whether or not they meet the SAP standards. Evaluation begins once grades have been posted to transcripts and continues weekly for the remainder of the upcoming academic year for students submitting their first FAFSA. Should you feel that your progress now brings you above the minimum standards, please request a reevaluation from our office.
What do I need to do if I receive a SAP warning email notification?
At the end of every term, we will evaluate your progress. The first term in which you do not meet SAP performance criteria you will receive a warning and aid will pay for the next term (unless you are suspended or you have exceeded the maximum time frame). This notification is a warning only but should cause you to reevaluate your current academic performance and seek assistance through your academic advisor and other campus resources. Carefully review the SAP standards and your coursework for the next term to determine what plan of action may be needed to improve your GPA, course completion rate, or to graduate within the 150% standard. Do not hesitate to use the many resources available to you on campus, including the Academic Success Center and OSU Counseling Services.
If selected as not meeting the SAP standards, what action(s) do I need to take?
The next step is to complete an appeal and submit it to our office. Please make sure that you are using the form(s) for the aid year in which you were selected and include all necessary information. An incomplete appeal can delay review and subsequently delay the availability of financial aid awards.
How will I know if my appeal has been received?
Once received by our office, your appeal should be coded and appear in your Requirements on the Financial Aid Portal. Please allow 10-15 business days once you have turned in a complete appeal in order to receive a decision.
How will I know the result of my appeal?
Once review of an appeal is complete, you will be notified of the decision at your ONID email account.
What do I need to do after my appeal is approved?
If your appeal is approved, please check the Financial Aid Portal for the Overall Status of your Financial Aid to see if you have any unsatisfied student requirements for this aid year.
Are there deadlines for submitting an appeal?
A complete appeal must be received no later than the end of week 7 for current term financial aid reinstatement consideration. Appeals received after week 7 will be considered for future term reinstatement of financial aid eligibility.
What happens if I do not appeal?
For those that do not wish to submit an appeal, financial aid will not be awarded until eligibility has been reestablished. The only way to do this without submitting an appeal is to bring your GPA and/or pace of completion rate to the minimum standards of a 2.0 OSU GPA as an undergraduate or 3.0 as a graduate and at least a 67% pace. Student that have exceeded their maximum time frame or that completed zero (0) credits in two (2) terms or were previously suspended, must file an appeal.