University to spend $1.5 million to offer 88 ‘Opportunity’ scholarships

For more information on Land Grant Opportunity Scholarships, See: http://undergrad.osu.edu/admissions/frscholarships.asp

COLUMBUS – One student in each of Ohio’s 88 counties could receive a full scholarship to The Ohio State University, worth up to $17,000 per year, under a new program designed to offer more low-income, high-ability students a chance to go to college. The university has committed to spend nearly $1.5 million this year on the Land Grant Opportunity Scholarships, so named because of Ohio State’s status as a land-grant university and its mission to remain accessible to Ohio citizens.

President Karen A. Holbrook said the scholarships are directed at high-ability students throughout the state who, because of their financial need or lack of a family history of college attendance, may not know such opportunities exist. “The idea is that many in difficult circumstances have shown themselves to be serious students, and we want to reach out to them and encourage them to attend Ohio State. This is about ensuring access to a higher education.”

Interested students need to apply for admission to Ohio State by Feb. 1 and are required to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the March 1 deadline to the Columbus campus. No additional application for the scholarship is required. Recipients will be announced in late March.

Tally Hart, director of Student Financial Aid, said academically qualified students whose families earn less than $40,000 a year are eligible for the scholarships. The amount of the award will be added to the students’ federal and state grants to fully fund their education, including tuition and other expenses such as books and supplies, room and board, and transportation to and from campus. Students also are eligible for work-study awards to pay for additional out-of-pocket expenses. The scholarship may be renewed for up to 12 quarters as long as a student attends school full time and maintains a 3.2 GPA.

Hart said recent studies by the American Council on Education and the Lumina Foundation have increased awareness about a growing challenge in higher education: a high number of qualified students don’t apply for college or for financial aid because they don’t know what’s available.
“This scholarship was created because we think some very talented students are missing the opportunity to attend Ohio State because they fear they can’t afford it,” Hart said. “We want students who are talented to know that Ohio State is still their university and finances are available to help them meet the cost.”

Mabel Freeman, assistant vice president for Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience, said the scholarships meet an important need in the state.

“We’ve realized that in the state of Ohio that there are young people who should be going to college that don’t think they can even apply,” she said. “We are serving the citizens of Ohio by trying to identify those students in each county to give them a chance to go to Ohio State.”