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Office of Financial Aid
Office of Financial Aid > Graduate and Professional Aid > Scholarships & Gift Aid >

Searching for Scholarships

Scholarships & Grants

Financial aid breaks down into two main categories: aid that does not need to be repaid (gift aid) and aid that must be repaid (loans). While many students use loans to round out their financial aid package, investing some time researching gift aid options could help lighten your debt load.

The Scholarship Search Process

The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) determines your eligibility for many federal, state, institutional and private scholarships and grants. So even if you think your income is too high, it's always best to apply.
  • Consider your interests, hobbies, jobs, and affiliations (and those of your parents), and begin your search in your own hometown.
  • Check with your high school, clubs, service organizations or wherever you have demonstrated special talents and hard work.
  • Find out if your parents' employers offer any educational benefits.

You may be offered a scholarship through the Office of Admissions simply by applying to MSU. Current and prospective MSU students may also check:

  • MSU Scholarship Database: A comprehensive listing of scholarships offered by MSU. Many of these scholarships do not have applications and are awarded automatically by departments across campus.
  • Special Scholarship Links: Links related to study abroad, athletics, students with children, etc. Students in these situations may have unique scholarships available to them.

Expand your search by using online scholarship search services such as those listed below. Remember that you will need to submit your application materials directly to the awarding organization and meet all their requirements and deadlines.

Watch out for scams!
MSU does not endorse any scholarship service that charges a fee. Be wary of companies that guarantee results. No company can guarantee that you will get a scholarship.

Education - MSU College of Education

Gender and Sexuality Campus Center

Grand Rapids Community Foundation

Kalamazoo Promise

Labor Union Scholarships

ROTC Scholarships

United Negro College Fund

The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) determines your eligibility for many federal, state, institutional and private scholarships and grants. So even if you think your income is too high, it's always best to apply.
  • Consider your interests, hobbies, jobs, and affiliations (and those of your parents), and begin your search in your own hometown.
  • Check with your high school, clubs, service organizations or wherever you have demonstrated special talents and hard work.
  • Find out if your parents' employers offer any educational benefits.

You may be offered a scholarship through the Office of Admissions simply by applying to MSU. Current and prospective MSU students may also check:

  • MSU Scholarship Database: A comprehensive listing of scholarships offered by MSU. Many of these scholarships do not have applications and are awarded automatically by departments across campus.
  • Special Scholarship Links: Links related to study abroad, athletics, students with children, etc. Students in these situations may have unique scholarships available to them.

Expand your search by using online scholarship search services such as those listed below. Remember that you will need to submit your application materials directly to the awarding organization and meet all their requirements and deadlines.

Watch out for scams!
MSU does not endorse any scholarship service that charges a fee. Be wary of companies that guarantee results. No company can guarantee that you will get a scholarship.

Title image for scholarships.msu.edu

SEARCH MSU SCHOLARSHIPS

Hundreds of MSU Scholarships, All In One Place

There are scholarship opportunities all over campus, for a wide range of students. The MSU Scholarships Database helps match students with the scholarships for which they qualify, with just one application. As soon as you have your MSU Student ID number, you can visit scholarships.msu.edu to log in and sign up!

MSU Scholarships

Scholarship disbursement policy

If you bring one or more private scholarships with you to MSU, you should be aware of our scholarship policy:

  • If the donor specifies what semester(s) the award is for, MSU will follow their wishes.
  • If the student wants the award distributed in a way that differs from what the donor requests, the student will be asked to get an authorization letter from the donor.
  • If the donor letter does not specify a distribution schedule, MSU will pay awards of less than $1,000 all in the current semester. Awards of $1,000 or more will be split with half in the fall and half in the spring.
  • If the award has been split and the donor has not given us instructions, the student may request the entire award be moved to the fall semester and we will honor that request. However, the student is then cautioned that he or she may be short of funds for the spring semester.