University receives $1 million for scholarships
Utah State University received $1 million in discretionary funds to increase scholarships to incoming freshmen and transfer students, said Joyce Kinkead, vice provost for undergraduate education.
Eric Olsen, director of Recruitment and Enrollment Services, said the additional funds will make scholarships possible for students who excel academically but would have been denied scholarships previously due to lack of funds.
“Last year if a student had less than a 27 ACT score he or she would not have gotten a scholarship- even with a 4.0 GPA. With these new funds, we will hopefully be able to offer scholarships to students with ACT scores of 26,” Olsen said.
The number of students receiving scholarships will depend on the quality and number of applicants, Olsen said, because the Recruitment and Enrollment Services finds the “natural cut-offs within the application pool and go from there.”
The university is also looking to replace current one-year tuition reimbursement scholarships with two-year scholarships, and coordinate with colleges to provide matching scholarships, providing four-year scholarships for more students, Kinkead said.
Olsen said the biggest change, though, is the new funds for incoming freshmen and transfer students which will increase the number of scholarships significantly.
USU has a number of existing scholarships for incoming freshmen, transfer students and second-year students, said Angie Shoop, scholarship assistant in the Financial Aid Office.
Many students have found out about opportunities through the Financial Aid Frenzy, which was held Jan. 16, Shoop said, but she is unsure whether the Financial Aid Office will continue the event in future years.
The Financial Aid Office and Recruitment and Enrollment Services also hold open houses in many places throughout the region to provide information about enrollment at USU and scholarship availability and applications.
Information and applications are still available to students in the Financial Aid Office, located in the Taggart Student Center, Room 106, Shoop said, and most are due Feb. 1.
The application itself lists numerous scholarships and cash awards available through the university, Shoop said, with amounts varying due to fund availability, quality of applicants and type of scholarship. The University Catalog also has a complete listing of scholarships offered.
“We try to award scholarships competitively, and give them to students who have not yet received other scholarships,” Shoop said.
A Scholarship Resource Binder, which contains flyers from various donors and is organized by class standing, is kept at the general information desk in the Financial Aid Office, Shoop said. This same information is posted on a bulletin board outside the office.
“The Scholarship Resource Binder and boards are a great resource for students looking for outside funds,” Shoop said.
Departmental and organizational scholarships are also available in many areas. Shoop said students should talk to their advisers and department heads to learn about these funds.
Other sources for financial aid may be found on the Internet, on sites such as www.studentservices.com/fastweb/, a free national scholarship database, or even through a parent’s employment, Shoop said.
“Many students don’t realize they can ask about compensation from their parent’s jobs for their parent’s dependents,” Shoop said.
Students interested in scholarships should contact the Financial Aid Office at 797-0173 or in the TSC, Room 106, their advisers or other resources to find out what is available to make getting a degree from USU a little easier on the wallet.