Engineering Cost and Scholarships

A new incoming freshman’s best chance at scholarship dollars is through Undergraduate Admissions. For consideration, incoming freshmen must submit a complete admissions application to Ohio State by the November 1 early action deadline. Some scholarships require additional steps or have different deadlines. Visit undergrad.osu.edu/cost-and-aid for merit-based scholarship details. 

Freshmen may be considered for limited, competitive scholarship opportunities offered through the College of Engineering. If you are not offered a college scholarship your freshman year, don’t worry! Your opportunities for funding increase as you are admitted to your major and progress through the curriculum.

2023-2024 ACADEMIC YEAR UPDATE

Scholarship Application
ScholarshipUniverse is a single source for Ohio State and external scholarships. Using your reported information, ScholarshipUniverse finds relevant scholarship opportunities, simplifying the search so you can focus on applying for more scholarships to help pay for your education and avoid taking on debt. A variety of university scholarships are listed in ScholarshipUniverse, including (but not limited to) donor funds through the College of Engineering, the Student Financial Aid Office, and the Alumni Association. University applications are scheduled to open the first week of December and hold a priority due date of February 1. The FAFSA (recommended but not required) should also be completed by February 1 for need-based award consideration.

Cost of Attendance
The Board of Trustees will meet mid-May to finalize tuition and fees for the 2023 – 2024 academic year. The University Registrar provides finalized Student Tuition and Fee Tables for any year at registrar.osu.edu/FeeTables/MainFeeTables.asp.

Engineering Special Fee
The College of Engineering, which includes the Knowlton School received approval to create a new “Engineering Special Fee” of $4,000. This replaced the existing program fee, which has not increased in nearly a decade, during in 2022 – 2023 academic year. The new fee will remain the same for all four years a student is enrolled as part of the Ohio State Tuition Guarantee. The fee will fund acquisition and upkeep of technology and equipment in engineering education laboratories, financial aid, and recruitment of faculty in a highly competitive market. College of Engineering students have paid an additional fee since 2007. Increasing the fee will support student academic success by helping to:

• Hire more professors, lowering the student-faculty ratio.
• Modernize classroom and laboratory technology.
• Enable more academic and career advisors to help meet the demand of more students.
• Meet increasing STEM job and workforce demand in Ohio by hiring more faculty and advisors, which can lead to producing more engineering graduates.

The increased fee will:

• Take effect in Autumn semester 2022.
• Be paid by semester; $2,000 per semester of enrollment.
  • Engineering students enrolled prior to Autumn 2022 will continue to pay $590 per semester.
  • Pell-eligible students will receive financial assistance from the College of Engineering to offset the amount of the fee increase.
• Impact in-state and out-of-state first-year undergraduate students in the College of Engineering and transfer students who were first-year undergraduates at another university in Autumn 2022 or later.
  • Current students are grandfathered in under the existing fee structure.
• Not apply to incoming students during academic year 2022 – 2023 at any Ohio State regional campus.
• Be pro-rated by credit hour for part-time students.

Scholarship Timeline

November 1	Apply to The Ohio State University by November 1
December 1	The College of Engineering Scholarship Application tentative open date on ScholarshipUniverse
February 1	Submit the College of Engineering Scholarship Application on ScholarshipUniverse by the priority due date of February 1
February 1	Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by February 1 (strongly encouraged for consideration for grant funds and need-based aid)
Mid-March	Check BuckeyeLink to view your complete financial aid package, including any scholarship offers, mid-March
Annually	Apply annually for additional scholarship opportunities as a continuing student each year

Engineering Specialty Recruitment Awards

Engineering Dean’s Scholarship
The number of awards will vary annually with this scholarship. This $1,000 award is selected on the basis of academic merit or financial need (as determined by the FAFSA).

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Award
Students that self-identify as participants on any FIRST team through the College of Engineering Scholarship Application on ScholarshipUniverse are reviewed for this competitive, merit-based $1,000 award. Up to 20 awards issued annually.

Honda - Ohio State Scholarship
If you received a Honda STEM award during your senior year in high school, you can receive consideration for the $3,000 renewable Honda Scholarship, which is awarded to eligible STEM award recipients ranked in the top 10% of their high school class, with a minimum 26 ACT or 1180 SAT score, and at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average. Up to 30 scholarships awarded to either Pre-Engineer, Business, or Arts and Sciences STEM majors (click here for a list of eligible majors). To apply, complete the Honda – Ohio State Scholarship Application on ScholarshipUniverse and FAFSA.

Choose Ohio First Scholarship: Computer Science (CS)
A $5,200 renewable scholarship awarded to incoming Ohio residents pursuing a major of either Computer and Information Science or Computer Science and Engineering. Students must complete the Computer Science – Choose Ohio First (COF) Scholarship on ScholarshipUniverse and FAFSA for consideration. Approximately 35 awards annually.

Engineering Departmental Recruitment Awards

Most engineering departments provide scholarships to new freshmen. Completing both the College of Engineering Scholarship Application on ScholarshipUniverse and FAFSA puts you into consideration for both merit and need-based scholarship opportunities offered based on your declared engineering major. Amounts and terms will vary and additional eligibility may be used in selection.  

Also, the Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering (FABE) and Engineering Physics departments offer additional opportunities for students that have declared that specific pre-major. As a prospective student, you should check with these departments to inquire about supplemental scholarship applications and applicable due dates. 

Terms of Scholarship Awards

Scholarship Renewals
Scholarships can be one-time only or renewable. Terms of renewal will be included in ScholarshipUniverse. Completing the College of Engineering Scholarship Application on ScholarshipUniverse annually expedites renewal processing.  

Contingency
The disbursement of both autumn and spring semesters of your scholarship is always contingent upon enrollment in the College of Engineering but may also be contingent on remaining in the same major. Check ScholarshipUniverse or with the College of Engineering Scholarship Office. 

Advancement
Most scholarship opportunities are made possible by the generosity and support of donors. The College of Engineering’s Office of Advancement may require you to participate in an event or submit information as a recipient of a donor-funded scholarship. All activities are mandatory and lack of participation could affect your consideration for future scholarship support.    

Helpful Hints

• The FAFSA opens October 1 annually and holds a priority date of February 1. It is not required, but strongly encouraged for every student.
• The College of Engineering Scholarship Application opens early December and will close on April 1, however, submitting by the February 1 priority date is the only way to ensure you are considered for all opportunities.
• You can submit the scholarship application as soon as you have an Ohio State Username (details to activate your username at my.osu.edu are provided after you submit your admission application) but the application is not first come, first served. Initial scholarship review for freshman will start February 1 and conclude by March 15. 
• On ScholarshipUniverse, start with the questions first. Each question is associated with a specific scholarship. Completing all the questions is the only way to ensure you are applying for the maximum opportunities available to you. Take a break if needed but make sure to finish those questions.
• A few questions may be similar to others on ScholarshipUniverse. Don’t skip them! Again, each question is directly linked to an award. Skipping could result in a missed opportunity. If a question not applicable to you, select the “N/A” option.
• A personal statement is required. It may be beneficial to compose in MS Word and copy and paste to your application. The essay should be well organized, concise, and provide relevant information not already included in your application or provide further explanation of information elsewhere on the application.
• Think about how you can make your application unique. Most applicants will highlight why they started to pursue a career in engineering (love of LEGO^® from a young age, engineers within their family that have inspired them, their performance in and enjoyment of challenging math and science classes, etc.), however, students with outstanding applications provide detailed and specific examples from recent experiences that show evidence of their ability to be successful in the College of Engineering at Ohio State.