Student Aid
Explore scholarships opportunities at Penn State and how to search for external scholarship awards.
Scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit and/or financial need as defined by the specific scholarship program. All students who are offered admission and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to Penn State are considered for scholarships that may be available through Penn State's Office of Student Aid, academic colleges, individual campuses, or other administrative units.
Please recognize Penn State cannot guarantee an award to every student who may rank at or near the top of their class. While Penn State is not able to negotiate student aid packages to match grant and scholarship offers from other colleges and universities, we are more than happy to discuss other aid opportunities and what funding options might work best for your family.
Each year, Penn State enrolls many outstanding and academically talented students. Approximately one in four of our undergraduates receive a University scholarship.
Awards vary and are determined by donor guidelines on the basis of merit, financial need, or a combination, as defined by the specific scholarship program. Typical scholarship awards can range from $1,500 per year to $5,000 per year, however, the average value usually does not exceed $2,500.
A limited number of scholarships with eligibility based upon need, merit, or a combination of the two may be available through Penn State's Office of Student Aid, academic colleges, individual campuses, or other administrative units.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions offers two scholarship awards designed to help first-year and transfer students reach their goals.
The Discover Award is awarded to first-time, first-year domestic students who enroll at a Penn State campus other than Penn State University Park or Penn State World Campus for both the fall and spring semester immediately following their high school graduation. Transfer students who enroll in a degree program that can be completed at a Penn State campus other than Penn State University Park or Penn State World campus are also eligible.
The Provost's Award is a four-year award that is available to first-time, first-year students with offers of admission to any of Penn State’s twenty undergraduate campuses, excluding Penn State World Campus. Both Pennsylvania and non-Pennsylvania residents are considered for this award, as well as international students, and it is very competitive. This award is not available for transfer students to Penn State.
Explore our scholarship opportunities at Penn State and beyond.
All students who are offered admission and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to Penn State are considered for scholarships awarded by the Office of Student Aid. Scholarships are included in your Aid Summary on LionPATH and count toward your cost of attendance.
For most scholarships you must:
Maintain Federal and Penn State Financial Aid Eligibility Requirements
Enroll full-time (12 credits or more)
Many require that students maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher
Both Pennsylvania and out-of-state students receive equal consideration.
Annual amounts range from $1,500 – $3,200
Some are renewable
Notifications are sent March through August — you will receive a letter or an email if you are selected
Approximately one in four undergraduate students receive a scholarship
The majority of scholarships awarded by the Office of Student Aid are based on a combination of merit and demonstrated financial need as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you have not filled out the FAFSA, please see .
Award values range from $700 to $4,000 per academic year. Awarding for both first-year and continuing students usually begins as early as December and continues throughout the year. Scholarship funds for first-year students are limited for some academic colleges.
Scholarship link will be emailed to specific groups of students only.
All Penn State campuses award scholarships to eligible first-year students based on academic performance, financial need as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), leadership, and community service.
Scholarship award values range from $800 to $6,000 per academic year. Campus scholarship awarding for both first-year and current students begins as early as December and continues through July.
You may be eligible for outside scholarships from businesses or organizations in your local community with which you have affiliations.
Your local chamber of commerce
Your high school
Your parents' employers (dependent students only)
Your employer
Private foundations
Religious organizations
Professional associations
In most cases the awarding agency is responsible for selecting the recipient and determining the value of the scholarship.
Follow us on Instagram or Twitter where we post new scholarship opportunities several times a week.
Start early. Don't pay!
Start early. Most scholarships are awarded six months to one year prior to the start of the semester or academic year of the award. Some awards are available even as early as elementary school.
Don't pay. Penn State does not endorse any scholarship search engine or scholarship search service that charges a fee. You should never have to pay for a scholarship search. You should not apply for a scholarship that charges an application fee.
The Office of Student Aid recommends the following FREE scholarship search engines:
FastWeb
The College Board
U.S. Department of Labor
Unigo
If you receive scholarships or educational funds from private organizations, notify the Office of the Bursar.
The funds will be credited to your student account and applied toward your direct charges first. Any excess funds will be refunded to you
Penn State offers two scholarship awards designed to help currently enrolled students on their way to completing a Penn State degree program.
The Complete Penn State Program advocates for students who are working to overcome barriers, connects students to key resources, and provides a little extra support in completion of a Penn State degree.
The Summer Success Scholarship helps undergraduate students who have fallen behind in their degree program and would benefit from taking a summer course to get caught up but have financial challenges to doing so.
Explore scholarships by interest.
Want to know more about scholarships and how they are processed at Penn State? Review our scholarship FAQs.
Outside Scholarship Form Policy When you apply for scholarships through an outside agency, they often require you to provide information about your costs, aid offer, and FAFSA. You can print this information directly from LionPATH. Student Self-Service You can find the links to view your Financial Aid Budget and Financial Aid Offer Letter in your LionPATH Student Home Base under the Financial Aid Offer. You will need to print the information and submit it to the scholarship agency. Certification of Forms by our office In the event that the scholarship agency is unwilling to accept the information that you have printed from LionPATH, requests to complete scholarship forms can be reviewed on a case by case basis with the understanding that the form can only be provided to the student for submission to the respective agency. Similar consideration may be given to students who need to submit their scholarship forms before the information is available in LionPATH.
Scholarships are made possible through generous donations. A well-written "thank you" letter is an important way to acknowledge the funding you have received and gives the donor the opportunity to learn about you. The following tips and sample letter may be helpful for writing your own letter.
Tips for writing your "thank you" letter:
Begin your letter with Dr., Ms., Mr., or Mrs. as appropriate. Do not address the individual by their first name. Only use “Dear Donor” or “Dear Benefactor” in cases where the award letter instructs you to do so, such as when writing to an anonymous donor.
Acknowledge the scholarship you have received by referencing the full name of the scholarship in your first sentence. Include your mailing address and email address if you would like to give the donor the opportunity to respond.
Do not include your Penn State Student ID number. Make it personal. Donors believe that both they and you are making a difference in the world. They are interested in hearing about you.
Avoid confrontational topics such as political, religious, spiritual, or cultural viewpoints. Do not assume that the donor’s viewpoints/preferences are the same as yours.
Proofread! We ask that you write a new "thank you" letter for each year that you continue to receive a scholarship.
If you receive funding from the same donor in previous years, update them on your academic plans, your extracurricular activities, and your career goals. Let them know what you have accomplished this year and how their funding helped make that possible.
Apply for as many scholarship opportunities as possible. They are often available through private companies, nonprofit organizations, local businesses, community organizations, churches, or social organizations.
Try these free sources of information about scholarships:
A high school or TRIO counselor the U.S. Department of Labor’s FREE scholarship search tool
Your state grant agency
Your library’s reference section foundations, religious or community organizations, local businesses, or civic groups organizations (including professional associations) related to your field of interest ethnicity-based organizations your employer or your parents’ employers Fastweb Unigo.
More information on scholarships from Office of Financial Aid
Don’t ever pay for a scholarship search!
Review the information provided by the Office of the Bursar: Tuition Due Dates Paying your Statement Payment Options Refunds Outside Scholarships/External Awards Contact the Office of the Bursar with questions. (https://www.bursar.psu.edu/)
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