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Scholarships

What They Are 

Scholarships provide funding that supplements or covers the costs associated with attending an academic institution. Depending on the scholarship you receive, it could cover funds for tuition, books, or both. In addition to providing you with economic assistance while you attend PSU, scholarships can also reduce the need to find employment to pay for school or take on financial debt. Additionally, a scholarship is a serious asset to have on your resume when applying for employment or graduate school. However, many students don't realize that searching and applying for scholarships is extremely time consuming and requires advanced planning. For example, you'll need to acquire letters of recommendation and references. Thus, it's best to start searching as soon as possible. For specifics on the scholarship application process, see the tips and videos below.

How to Get Them 

• Take the time to search for scholarships. 
• Follow the submission guidelines for each scholarship you plan to apply for. 
• Fill out each application completely. 
• Be strategic in putting together your scholarship support materials. 
• Pay attention to deadlines! Turn in all scholarship applications on time.

Where to Find Them 

Go online to sa.pdx.edu/scholarships to search through all available scholarships at PSU and non-PSU scholarships. You can also pickup a scholarship handbook at the Office of Admissions at 105 Neuberger Hall.

There is a wide range of scholarship opportunities for Portland State students and yet many students mistakenly believe they won't qualify. Newer students often think that scholarships are only for students with a high grade point average. While it's true that there are awards for students with high grade point averages, like the Oregon Laurels Undergraduate Scholarship, there are also many scholarships that are based on other factors such as financial need, students in specific majors, female students with a history of volunteerism, students from specific ethnic groups (for example, first generation Pacific Islanders), and former or current military personnel or family members of personnel who served in either Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom . Some scholarships are open to virtually any student who’ll take the time to write an essay, while others have very specific requirements (for example, education majors with the goal of becoming a primary or secondary teacher at an Oregon school).

Take the Time to Search for Scholarships 

One of the PSU seniors we talked to about strategies for finding scholarships suggested that students treat applying for scholarships like a part-time job—make a commitment to put in four to five hours a week and then follow through. The PSU Scholarship Search site works like other search engines you may be familiar with. Just like those search engines, the key to your success will be how you search. Visit the site for some general search tips. 

Follow the Submission Guidelines for Each Scholarship You Apply For 

It is not enough to just to get a scholarship application—you must take the time to read the guidelines for filling out the application and sending it in. Guidelines are usually printed on the first couple of pages of the application. Here’s a tip: Take the time to obtain applications for all the scholarships you qualify for; don’t limit yourself to one or two that you think you have the best chance of getting. Your chances of getting a scholarship depends as much on who else applies as it does on whether you think you exactly meet all the desired qualifications. 

Fill Out Each Application Completely 

Once you’ve obtained applications for all the scholarships you qualify for, read the guidelines very carefully in order to make sure that you fully understand them. If you have a question, use the contact information on the application to get your question answered; it’s better to take the time to make sure you understand the directions than to make a mistake. Once you’re clear about the guidelines for that scholarship, follow them as closely as possible as you fill out the application. You will be asked to provide basic information about yourself, such as your name, address, phone number, Social Security number, place of birth, all the places you attended high school, high school GPA, your parents’ names, and parents’ education, so make sure you have all that material together in one place before you begin to fill out your scholarship applications. Take great care to fully complete each application. Incomplete applications are usually automatically disqualified. If you are asked for information that does not apply to you, then simply answer “NA” (not applicable). For example, NA would be the correct response if the application asks you to list any children you have and you are not a parent. 

Be Strategic in Putting Together Your Scholarship Support Materials 

Think of putting together your scholarship support materials like you’re going out on a first date with someone who you are really trying to impress. You need to take every opportunity to make a good impression. Usually, scholarships require additional documents beyond the actual application, such as recommendation letters and an essay. 

A recommendation letter is a letter written to the scholarship committee by another person who either knows you personally or has worked with you professionally or academically. Here’s a tip: For college scholarships, a recommendation letter from a teacher (if you are coming directly from high school) or from professor (if you are already in college) carries the most weight. And if you have a choice between getting a letter from your professor who knows your college-level work or a high school teacher, ask the professor. Here’s another tip: Do everything you can to ensure that you’ll get a strong letter of recommendation. Start by contacting your potential reference and ask her if she would be willing to write a recommendation letter for you. If she agrees, send her all the information she'll need to write the recommendation letter. Typically, you can find this information in the guidelines section of the scholarship application packet. The kinds of materials that can help you get a strong letter include a copy of your resume, your current transcript (make sure and remind the professor the term and year that you took each class you’ve ever had with her), and a copy of your essay. It is also a good idea to include a stamped envelope with the address of the scholarship committee already written on it for each reference letter you are requesting. 
 

Be sure to read the guidelines carefully so that you can give your professor the proper instructions about how to submit your completed letter. In some cases, the professor is required to send the recommendation letter directly to the scholarship committee. Other times, the guidelines may ask the letter writer to give the recommendation letter to you in a sealed envelope that you will then send with the rest of your application package. Here is another tip: Make sure to give your professors at least one month to prepare the recommendation letter for you. It is also a good idea to follow-up and remind your professor about the recommendation letter two weeks before you'll need it. University professors are very busy people and sometimes they forget! 

The other important kind of scholarship support material is an essay, which is sometimes called a “statement of purpose.” This is a document written by you to the scholarship committee; the subject of the essay will vary, depending on the scholarship. You can find all the information you need about the essay in the scholarship application under the guidelines section. Here are some tips for writing scholarship essays:

•   Stay focused on the assigned topic and follow the essay guidelines closely.
•   Take the time to outline what you want to say in the essay so that there is logical flow.
• Make sure you properly edit the essay to avoid grammatical, syntax, and spelling mistakes.
• Have a friend or an expert help you with editing and organization if you are not confident in your writing. You can also get help from the PSU Writing Center.
• Pay attention to deadlines! Turn in all scholarship applications on time

When you’re collecting scholarship applications, notice when each one is due. Not all scholarship applications are due at the same time. As a general rule, make sure you have everything completed and all your documents ready to go at least one week before the deadline. There’s nothing more stressful than trying to take care of loose ends days before the deadline. If you wait until the last week to ask for a recommendation letter from a professor, you will drastically decrease the chances of getting a strong letter. The same is true if you wait until the night before the deadline to write your essay. 

There are scholarships out there that are not awarded some years simply because no one applies for them. Do your homework, apply for everything you qualify for, and you’ll increase your chances of getting the scholarship support you’re hoping for.

 

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