Office of Financial Aid
A218 Kerr Administration Bldg.
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331
541-737-2241
Email: financial.aid@oregonstate.edu
Website: https://financialaid.oregonstate.edu/

Administration

Keith Raab, Assistant Vice Provost Enrollment Management and Director of Financial Aid
Brian Hultgren, Senior Associate Director - Compliance
Regan Kaplan, Associate Director
Kirk Lind, Director of Financial Aid Systems
Guy Boulanger, Analyst Programmer
Hao Truong, Analyst Programmer
Bobbi Jo Williams, Office Manager
Jordan Hall, Assistant Director
Laura Mondragon, Assistant Director
Jade Silver, Assistant Director
Rylan Wall, Assistant Director
Matt Munger, Assistant Director
Zola Nkansah, Grant and Scholarship Coordinator
Ashley Coleman, Return of Title IV Funds and Pell Coordinator
Emory Spence, Student Success Coordinator

Chiara Gardin, Advisor
Michele Lynam, Advisor
Ezequiel Ayala Reyes, Advisor
Ivy Snyder, Advisor
Jasper Morrison, Advisor
TaiAnn Williams, Advisor
Erica Smith, Advisor
Paige Fiske, Advisor
Gabriela Santos Botello, Advisor
Bodie Brooks, Advisor
Emily Finnan, Advisor
Marco Aguirre, Advisor

The Office of Financial Aid is here to help you invest in your future. We recommend applying for financial aid at the same time that you apply for admission to OSU. Although we won't review your financial aid information until after your admission application is filed, you can still apply for financial aid before you have been admitted to OSU. Learn more about your options at OSU by choosing a category below.

Financial aid is based on the premise that you, and in the case of dependent students, your parents, are primarily responsible for providing for your educational expenses, and it is intended to supplement student and family contributions toward educational costs. Financial aid comes from many sources, including federal and state government, private organizations, and Oregon State University’s institutional funds. These funds consist of grants, scholarships, federal work study, subsidized loans, unsubsidized loans, and parent loans.

Eligibility/Application Procedures

To be eligible for federal financial aid, a student must:

1. Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), beginning October 1 (or when the federal government makes the application available) using previous year tax data (for example the 2025–2026 application will use 2023 tax information). Parents and students will use the IRS direct data exchange to add their income information and submit their FAFSA by the OSU priority deadline of February 28. Follow the prompts while completing the application to authorize this information exchange with the IRS. Always remember that there is no fee to apply for federal aid.
2. List Oregon State University as a school that you would like your information to be sent to on the FAFSA. Oregon State’s federal school code is 003210. This same school code is used for all OSU campuses.
3. The FAFSA priority application deadline for OSU is February 28th. This date is used to determine eligibility for some need-based aid programs as well as state and institutional funds. Applications received after the priority deadline will still be eligible for federal aid such as the Pell Grant and Direct Loans. Graduate students are not eligible for federal Title IV grants or subsidized loans.
4. Take steps to ensure you are eligible to receive financial aid. OSU may be required to collect information or documentation from you to verify or correct information on the FAFSA. Complete these requests within a timely manner to ensure your eligibility. In general, to receive federal funding you must:
   • Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) certificate, or complete a high school education in a home school setting that is treated as such under state law.
   • Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a degree or approved certificate program (e.g., not special admit).
   • Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen.
   • Maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by Oregon State University once in school (refer to Academic Regulation 22).
   • Are not in default on a federal student loan and do not owe money on an overpayment of a federal student grant.
5. Apply for admission to Oregon State University online. You will not be considered for any financial aid offer until you have applied to the university.

After Applying

Once you have submitted your FAFSA application online you will receive confirmation of receipt from Federal Student Aid (FSA). They will also send you a FAFSA Submission Summary that will summarize your application and inform you of any problems you might need to resolve. You should read this report carefully and resolve problems in a timely manner. If you receive notification that something on your FAFSA is missing or incorrect, you can check your financial aid information through Beaver Hub or contact the OSU Office of Financial Aid for further information.

Incoming students whose aid application was received and requirements completed by the end of February may expect to receive an initial aid offer letter by April. Aid applications are then completed on a rolling basis by date of receipt with offer notifications being sent out as files are completed.

You will receive an email once your financial aid offer has been completed. You will also be notified if you need to provide further information for us to complete your application. All correspondence will be sent to your ONID email account.

The aid offer notification will show the type and amount of aid available to you for the coming school year. To ensure you receive the maximum amount of institutional aid you have been offered, a student should accept their aid offer by May 1. The accepted award indicates the student has read and agrees to the terms of the award as outlined.

Learn more on the Accept Your Financial Aid Offer webpage.

Types of Financial Aid

Below is a brief summary of the types of student aid programs available to assist students. For more detailed information, please visit the Aid Types webpage.

Federal Programs

Federal Pell Grant

A need-based grant from the federal government intended for high need undergraduate students seeking their first bachelor’s degree.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

A need-based grant from the federal government intended for high need undergraduate students seeking their first bachelor’s degree.

Federal College Work-Study Program (FWS)

The Federal Work-Study program helps provide funds part-time jobs for students with financial need to help them pay for their education.

Federal Direct Loans

Need-based and non-need-based aid that must be repaid, beginning 6 months after graduation or dropping below half-time enrollment.

Types of Federal Loans

• Subsidized Federal Ford Direct Student Loan
• Unsubsidized Federal Ford Direct Student Loan
• Federal Parent PLUS Loan
• Federal Graduate PLUS Loan

Institutional Programs

Incoming Student Scholarships

These limited merit-based and need based scholarships are administered by the Office of Scholarships and selected based on the university admissions application. Visit the scholarships for new students page for further information.

Departmental Scholarships

Each OSU college/department administers their own donor-funded opportunities for students in their academic programs. Visit the scholarships for current students page for further information.

Incoming Student Grants

These need-based institutional grants are administered by the Office of Financial Aid and offered based on available funding for students that submit a FAFSA by the priority deadline.

Other Programs

Private Scholarships

These scholarships come from outside donors and can affect your financial aid offer.

Oregon Opportunity Grant

The Oregon Opportunity Grant is Oregon's largest state-funded need-based grant program for students planning to go to college. It is administered by the Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC) and awarded to undergraduate Oregon residents based on need and allowable funding. Students must complete the FAFSA or ORSAA each year to be considered.

OSAC Scholarship Application

The OSAC Scholarship Application is available for Oregon students to apply for millions of dollars in scholarships.

Other State Aid

OSAC also administers several other state aid programs, such as the Student Child Care Grant, Oregon Tribal Student Grant, Oregon National Guard State Tuition Assistance, and the Chafee Education and Training Grant. Visit OregonStudentAid.gov for more information.

Private Supplemental/Alternative Loan

Students needing additional funding for school, whose aid offer has not fully met their cost of attendance, may opt to apply for funding through a private lending agency. More information may be found on our Private Loans webpage.

Graduate Students

Graduate-level, degree-seeking students may be eligible to receive Unsubsidized Direct Loans. Graduate students can apply for a credit based Graduate PLUS loan. Before you can receive a PLUS Loan, your school must have determined your maximum eligibility for Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans.

In addition to these federal aid programs, the Office of Graduate Education offers additional information on assistantship, grant, and scholarship Opportunities on their webpage.

For more information, visit our graduate student webpage.

Receipt of Aid Funds

OSU Student Account Services is responsible for disbursing refunds from student accounts once financial aid has been applied. Financial aid typically begins to be applied to student accounts a week before the academic term begins. You must be registered and have your tuition and fees billed to your account for financial aid to be applied. Aid funds are never made available in advance of this.

Textbooks cannot be charged to a student’s account. It is assumed students will use their financial aid refund to purchase textbooks or that the student will purchase textbooks out-of-pocket and use any refund to "reimburse" themselves for the costs.

If a credit balance remains on your student account after current university charges are paid, you will be issued a financial aid refund. We highly encourage students to sign up for direct deposit with the university to receive their refunds faster. Federal Work-Study earnings are paid by payroll check to you each month for hours worked. You may receive a refund and still have an outstanding balance on your account. For more information about your bill or refund, visit the Student Billing webpage.

For additional information, including reasons aid disbursements may be delayed, please visit our Receiving Aid webpage.

Requesting Changes

The Office of Financial Aid may consider special or unusual circumstances that impact your financial situation. You may also request changes in your expected enrollment status, which may impact eligibility for some types of aid. Visit the Request Changes webpage for further information and contact us with any questions you might have regarding your eligibility.

Renewing Aid

You must apply for financial aid every year by submitting a FAFSA application. You may apply for aid online after October 1st for the following academic year. Applications must be submitted before February 28 to be considered for priority funding. Visit the Renewing Aid webpage for further information.

Dropping Courses and the Census Date

Dropping courses impacts your financial aid in several ways. Aid is based on your enrollment level on the Financial Aid Census Date of each term.

Undergraduate
Full Time: 12 or more credits in a term
Three Quarter Time: 9 to 11 credits in a term
Half Time: 6 to 8 credits in a term

Graduate
Full Time: 9 or more credits in a term
Half Time: 5 to 8 credits in a term

Less than full-time enrollment may affect your financial aid eligibility. Students enrolled less than half-time are not eligible to receive most types of aid including federal student loans. Note that the Federal Pell Grant will prorate based on your actual number of credits if you are less than full-time. If you plan on being less than full-time you must submit an update request to your expected enrollment in your financial aid self-service portal.

If your aid was paid at the full-time amount, and you are less than full-time on the census date, your budget will be revised, and your aid may need to be reduced to reflect your enrollment. This revision may create a new bill on your OSU student billing account.

Dropping or withdrawing from individual courses after the census date generally will not impact aid you’ve already received for the term. However, withdrawing or failing to participate in all your courses may require an aid reversal. Future term eligibility will depend on continuing to make Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Find more information on the Dropping Courses webpage.

Withdrawing From the Term

Students who withdraw from the university after the start of the term must complete a Withdrawal Form through the Registrar's Office. The Office of Financial Aid will then be notified of your withdrawal.

Any financial aid funds used to pay refundable portions of tuition and fees are returned to the appropriate financial aid sources (refer to the tuition/fee refund schedule on the Academic Calendar). OSU is also required to calculate the Return of Title IV financial aid funds for students that officially withdraw (complete the withdrawal process) or unofficially withdraw (ceasing course participation) during the academic term. Students who do not intend to complete the term for which they are enrolled, should follow the official withdrawal process as outlined by university regulations.

Visit the Withdrawal webpage for additional information, including how Degree Partnership Program courses and courses that do not span the entire term can also impact who is considered withdrawn.

Student Responsibilities

As a financial aid recipient, you have the responsibility to:

• Manage your financial aid experience at OSU, including checking your correspondence regularly and seeking assistance in a timely manner
• Know and comply with all relevant policies and procedures
• Complete the FAFSA completely, accurately, and by any applicable deadlines
• Complete all requirements accurately, in a timely manner, and by any applicable deadlines
• Report any changes in your expected enrollment level
• Report any additional external scholarships and other resources that can impact your aid eligibility
• Review and understand any terms and conditions of accepted aid
• Review and understand all forms you sign and submit, realizing you are legally responsible for all agreements that you sign

This is not a comprehensive list, and you should be aware of any additional information sent to you. You can find more information about rights and responsibilities on the Terms & Conditions webpage.

Scholarships Office

Refer to the Scholarships Office catalog page for information on admissions-based, departmental, OSAC, and external scholarships.