KSU Scholarships

KENT STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENTAL SCHOLARSHIPS There are over 500 scholarships offered by Kent State University departments. Some scholarships are specific to a student's major of study and some are available to students in a respective department. The Student Financial Aid Online Scholarship Search Qualifier contains the most recent scholarship information available for Kent State and external scholarships. Some scholarships are administered by the Student Financial Aid Office, however the majority of scholarships are administered by individual departments. Students must contact the specific departmental offices for application procedures.

Apply for Kent State Scholarships

• 2008/2009 Student Financial Aid Scholarship Application
• Apply for 2007-2008 admission and be considered for Kent Campus freshman scholarships
• View list of freshman scholarships you will be considered for by applying for admission
• KSU Scholarship Search Qualifier - Use this program to see all of the Kent State University Departmental scholarships and the procedures for applying for them.

External Search Sites

There are several scholarship databases that now exist on the World Wide Web for use at no charge. It is important to realize that these databases only identify scholarships that the student would possibly be qualified to apply for. The student must follow-up on their own to actually submit a scholarship application to the appropriate agency or sponsor. Click on the picture or the underlined words to link to the sites.  
NOTE:  the time to fill out search criteria is just an estimation.

Don't forget to take advantage of our own Kent State University Online Scholarship search program that is quick and easy to use.

Web address:	http://www.scholarships.com
Time for search criteria:	10 minutes
Information required:	Student information, academic information, artistic/athletic information, background information, organizations.
Results organized by:	You can customize the way you sort the scholarships.
Overall review:	This sites main forte is scholarships, and its a good place to search for them.  Being able to order your search results by relevance to you is very helpful. There is also an area for 'Scholarship Sweepstakes' and 'Contests'.

 

Web address:	http://apps.collegeboard.com
Time for search criteria:	5 minutes
Information required:	Student information, background information, school information, military relations.
Results organized by:	Sorts are in alphabetical order. The display shows the sponsor of scholarship, type of award, and deadline. You must click on each award to find its amount and requirements..
Overall review:	Collegeboard.com is a great site to search for scholarships.  It is geared toward high school students. The scholarship search gives lots of results, and the only draw back is having to click on each scholarship to find out its amount and requirements.

 

Web address:	http://www.collegeanswer.com
Time for search criteria:	3 minutes for account (required to do search), 15-20 minutes for scholarship search
Information required:	Student information (very detailed), school information, activities/jobs.
Results organized by:	Sorts are based on deadline and only the name of the scholarship is available. You must click on each one to get information about them.
Overall review:	This is a good site generating more specific results.  Collegeanswer.com does not produce a lengthy list of results, however based on more extensive search criteria the results are more relevant than other sites.  If you have the time to click on each scholarship, there is a detailed description of each one, including contact information.

 

Web address:	http://www.fastweb.com
Time for search criteria:	10-15 minutes for profile. You must register to do the search.
Information required:	Student information, academic information, student activities, and parent/family information.
Results organized by:	Read/unread scholarships, name, amount, or deadline.
Overall review:	Fastweb.com is the most well-known and a very good site to start your scholarship search.  It has detailed information page with links to the sponsors Website.  It has lots of scholarships and it keeps an updated list of scholarships.  The site will send you an email when new scholarships are available and when deadlines are approaching.  Be prepared for pop-ups and advertisements.

 

Web address:	http://www.petersons.com
Time for search criteria:	10 minutes. You must complete a profile to start the search.
Information required:	Student information, high school information, activities/awards, college information..
Results organized by:	Name.
Overall review:	This is a good site and displays deadlines, amount, and type of award for each scholarship. Clicking on the scholarship will give you detailed information including the requirements. You can save the scholarships that you like to your own list, so you can go back to them any time.

 

Web address:	http://www.nextstudentloans.com/sse1
Time for search criteria:	10 minutes.  2 minutes to sign up.
Information required:	Student information/background, school information, jobs/activities.
Results organized by:	Alphabetical order.
Overall review:	NextStudent.com is a good site where all of the scholarship information is displayed without having to click it, which is nice.  You may not get many results, but the ones you do get are fairly relevant.   You can also save the scholarships you want and print them off easily, which is nice.  Overall its a good site, and you won't have to spend hours searching through irrelevant scholarships.

 

Web address:	http://www.collegetoolkit.com
Time for search criteria:	<1 minute for sign up (required).  10 minutes for profile.
Information required:	Student information, academic information, extracurricular, affiliations, and miscellaneous.
Results organized by:	Name, Amount, Deadline, or Number of awards available.
Overall review:	Formerly known as Lunch-Money.com.  One nice feature is that you can do searches based on only part of the criteria that you entered; for example just geographic information, or just heritage/religious information entered.  Click on the scholarships you want to save and they are added to your briefcase, where you can look back on them at any time.  You can also apply for some scholarships right from your scholarship search.

 

Web address:	http://www.brokescholar.com
Time for search criteria:	8 minutes.  Automatically creates an account for you.
Information required:	Student information, school/academic information, activities/interests.
Results organized by:	Rating. Scale of 1-4 Stars.
Overall review:	This is a great site with lots of information displayed about each scholarship (name, type, amount, deadline, and rating).  You can pick scholarships to save to your own list, and that list can be organized by name, amount or deadline.  Another really nice feature is that it keeps a calendar of deadlines for the scholarships you have selected.  You can also choose to have emails sent to you when scholarship deadlines are approaching.

 

Web address:	http://www.collegedata.com
Time for search criteria:	10-15 minutes.
Information required:	Personal information, college plans, and academic information.
Results organized by:	Random.
Overall review:	The beginning of this page gives very clear and basic instructions on how to use their scholarship search.   The results on this page are listed in a well organized and there is an easy to read chart.  There are many results listed. Clicking on the individual scholarships provides a more detailed description and additional information.  Overall, this site is easy to navigate and returns a respectable number of scholarships.

 

Web address:	http://www.studentawards.com
Time for search criteria:	3 minutes.
Information required:	Personal, background, and academic information.
Results organized by:	Name, view, deadline, alert.
Overall review:	It doesn't take long to sign up, and there are a lot of good results.  Everything is very easy to understand.  The website also offers a forum where you can talk with other members about any school related issues.  The main page is a Canadian site.  To return to the American site click the link in the bottom left corner of the page.

Additional Sources

Begin your scholarship search by gathering ideas from friends, family, and both academic and financial advisers. Investigate all prospective aid resources or sponsors of aid as soon as you identify them. The scholarship search is virtually a continual process.

• Contact business and industrial groups that provide services or products in your major or career field to determine if they sponsor students who are entering their profession or industry.
• Check with your church, synagogue, or other religious affiliation for possible financial resources.
• Visit your local public library and ask to review resources on financial aid.
• Check with your personnel office if employed, or your parent's or spouse's employer to inquire about possible scholarships.
• Contact your local community leaders or chamber of commerce to determine if the community is sponsoring students in specific professions (medical students, engineers, teachers, etc.).
• Contact national organizations which may offer scholarships to individuals with your cultural background, personal circumstances, interests, and skills.
• Read newspapers, school papers, and bulletin boards for local scholarship opportunities.
• Contact professional organizations related to your expected college major.
• Discuss your scholarship search with faculty members and University staff.
• Meet with guidance counselors, academic advisers, alumni, or fraternity/sorority members to evaluate other scholarship sources.
• Write for information on federally funded programs to: Department of Education, Publications Division, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, D. C. 20202.

REMEMBER: There are many scholarship possibilities to investigate. Use the telephone, write letters, and talk to friends. Remain determined and persistent in your systematic search for scholarship resources. When you receive any kind of scholarship information, don't put it in a drawer and forget about it. Examine it carefully. Check deadlines. Follow up. This Web site, plus your own research, should yield a variety of scholarship resources.

Majors and Career Fields

Remember to maintain a comprehensive view of your career goals when researching scholarships. Identify broad areas in a major or career field and pursue all related resources. For example, when looking for scholarship information as a business major inquire about resources available for banking, accounting, finance, business/administration, economics, public relations, marketing, insurance, etc. You must remember that you are looking for a broad spectrum of resources.

Scholarship FAQs

Q. How do I apply for scholarships at Kent State University?

If you will be an incoming freshman student you will be automatically considered for freshman scholarships at the Kent Campus by submitting a complete application for admission by February 1, 2006. The on-line Application for Admission is available at http://www.admissions.kent.edu/apply.asp

Freshmen applying after this date will be considered for scholarships if funds are available. Incoming freshman academic scholarships are based on academic performance, extracurricular involvement, leadership, and in some cases, financial need.

If you will be a returning student … the continuing/transfer student scholarship application should be completed through this web site. The application is available for completion online from November through May.

Additionally, there are more than 500 departmental scholarships offered by various departments on campus. All students (incoming and returning/transfer) should also search for other KSU scholarships and External Scholarships by using our KSU Scholarship Search Qualifier The eligibility criteria and deadline vary for each, so pay close attention to contact information and deadlines.

Q. What if I missed the deadline for applying for scholarships?

If your scholarship application is received late, you will be placed on a waiting list. As students choose not to go to Kent State University, we will re-award those scholarship dollars. These awards will be made to eligible on-time applicants first. If awards are still available, we will look at the waiting list containing late scholarship applicants.

Q. Can I use my scholarship at a Regional Campus?

Many scholarships require that you attend the Kent Campus of Kent State University. Please refer to the Scholarship Recipient Response form that was mailed to you when you received notice that you were awarded a scholarship.

Q. Do I have to apply for scholarships every year?

If the scholarship you are currently receiving is a non-renewable scholarship, you will have to reapply to be considered for the scholarship during the upcoming year. If your scholarship is a renewable scholarship, then the scholarship will be renewed automatically, provided that you have met the renewal criteria. The renewal criteria varies for each scholarship. Please refer to the Scholarship Recipient Response form that was mailed to you when you received notice that you were awarded a scholarship or check with the Student Financial Aid Office if you are unsure.

Q. If I did not meet the renewal criteria in order to receive my scholarship next year, is there anything I can do?

Students who did not meet the criteria required for the renewal of their scholarship have the opportunity to appeal. You must write a letter explaining what extenuating circumstances contributed to you not meeting the criteria, and provide documentation. For example, if you suffered an illness, you must submit medical documentation. If there was a death in the family, submit a funeral program or obituary notice. Please send your scholarship appeal letter to the Assistant Director for Scholarship Coordination Services.

Q. Can I bring an external scholarship to Kent?

Yes! You are welcome to bring any scholarship you receive from an external source (such as your high school, church, employers) to Kent State University. If the organization awarding the scholarship sends a check made payable to both the student and Kent State University, the student must endorse the check and either take it to the Bursar’s Office in person or mail it to the Bursars office. All external scholarships must be reported to the Student Financial Aid Office, even if the organization gave the student a check made out to them personally.

Q. Will an external scholarship affect scholarships or other financial aid I am receiving from Kent State University?

Typically, an external scholarship will not affect scholarship or grant monies received from Kent State University. However, if the external scholarship is tuition-specific (can only be used for tuition), and the student is receiving an Ohio Instructional Grant (OIG) or a university scholarship that is tuition-specific, the OIG and/or scholarship will be reduced or canceled if necessary. Usually, an external scholarship will only affect a student loan. Because each situation is unique based on the external scholarship or the student’s financial aid awards, we suggest you contact the Student Financial Aid Office to find out exacting how the external scholarship may affect other awards.

Contact the Student Financial Aid Office for further information.