Planning to go to college in Ohio? Most people qualify automatically for federal student aid if they filled out the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) but often, with the high prices of college, a student is still left with some funding gap. These gaps can be filled by student loans but loans have to be eventually repaid. Some people still have a gap even after getting the maximum yearly loans from the federal government. Luckily, there are lots of options for scholarships in Ohio. Some scholarships are need based and some require essays and/or merit. Here are just a few options for those seeking an Ohio scholarship.
One scholarship offered by the state of Ohio is the Choose Ohio First scholarship. The scholarship is intended for students who attend an Ohio college majoring in what the state of Ohio refers to as STEM subjects. STEM refers to Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine. Given that these are great paying and high demand fields anyway, if you are planning on majoring in a degree related to this, the state of Ohio awards between $1,500 and $4,700. There is a complete list of participating programs on Ohio’s higher education website.
Perhaps one option that had not come to mind yet was serving our country through the military. The military offers very competitive scholarships, grants and benefits to those who have served. Specifically, the Ohio National Guard offers a scholarship for up to $3,000 for those who commit to the National Guard. However, not all people want to join the military but have military family. If you had a parent in the military that served 90 days or more and was disabled or killed during duty, you may want to check out the Ohio War Orphans Scholarship. It is a renewable scholarship that awards $1,700.
Some scholarships are focused on a particular vocation. For instance, if you are a Junior or Senior in college enrolled in a Travel and Tourism management program, you may want to check out The State Scholarship that awards between $500 and $1,000. Coming back to the medical field, if you major in nursing and your family brings in less than $75,000 a year then you could qualify for the Ohio College Opportunity Grant or OCOG
If you are the competitive type, there are all kinds of private scholarships set up by people’s estate. You might get $3,000 if you win the William D. Squires Scholarship which is only awarded to one Ohio student a year. If you have a GPA of at least 2.0 and participate in a lot of extracurricular activities, The Walter and Virginia Nord Scholarship awards $1,000 and it is renewable once received. An Ohio scholarship of up to $1,500 could be yours through the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship which gives money to several students a year.
If you plan to attend a certain college or university in Ohio, often there are scholarships aimed at just that university if not offered by the university itself. If you are from New York City, New York and you are going to attend the University of Akron in Ohio, there is a renewable $10,000 scholarship you may qualify for as long as you don’t pursue residency in the State of Ohio. If you are especially creative and planning on attending Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio you might qualify for a scholarship of $12,000.
Getting scholarships in Ohio can be competitive and take some creativity but with diligent work, there are many options. Lots scholarships in Ohio await the student willing to do the research and can depend greatly on organizations you belong to, the college in which you plan to enroll, and what major the student is pursuing.
