Financial Aid and Scholarships

The Department of Economics customarily awards $20,000-$75,000 to undergraduate students each year!
Students must complete the FAFSA and/or the applications listed in ScholarshipUniverse to be considered (more information below).
Scholarships are typically decided in April.
 
Questions about eligibility and the scholarship process should be directed to Sydneigh Burnell at burnell.15@osu.edu.

Scholarship Details

Provides one or more scholarships to undergraduate students who are majoring in economics. If no students meet the selection criteria, the scholarship(s) will be open to all undergraduate students enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Eligibility

Students need to meet all of the following conditions to be considered:
- Have ECON declared as a major on file with your advisor
- Have a competitive GPA
- Possess financial need, as identified by Student Financial Aid
- Are returning the following year
 
Application Requirements
Complete the FAFSA and ScholarshipUniverse application each year. More information can be found here on the Student Financial Aid website.
 
Selection and Award Process
Toward the end of each academic year, students who have completed the applications will be reviewed. Those who best meet the desired eligibility expectations listed above will be selected as the award recipient(s). 
The Department customarily awards 8 to 12 students with a scholarship amount of $500. Awards are then distributed over the upcoming academic year and will be processed through the Office of Student Financial Aid.

Established February 10, 2022, with gifts from Robert Christopher Marshall (BA 1983) and Angela R. Marshall, and matching funds as part of the Scarlet and Gray Advantage Endowed Matching Gift Program; used to provide one or more scholarships to undergraduate students who match the criteria below.

Eligibility
A minimum 3.0 grade point average and demonstrate financial need.

Preference shall be given to candidates in the following order:

1) Candidates who graduated from a high school in Newark, Ohio
2) Candidates who graduated from a high school in Licking County, Ohio
3) Candidates who graduated from a high school in Ohio. 

Application Requirements

Complete the FAFSA and ScholarshipUniverse application each year. More information can be found here on the Student Financial Aid website.

Selection and Award Process

Toward the end of each academic year, students who have completed the applications will be reviewed. Those who best meet the desired eligibility expectations listed above will be selected as the award recipient(s). The Department customarily awards 1 to 2 students with a scholarship amount of $4,000-$8,000. Awards are then distributed over the upcoming academic year and will be processed through the Office of Student Financial Aid. (https://sfa.osu.edu)

Donations to the Chris and Angie Marshall Undergraduate Economics Fund can be made here: Make your gift to The Ohio State University (osu.edu).

Intended to acknowledge top-performing economics majors. The fund is maintained by generous gifts from alumni, staff, faculty, and other department supporters.
 
Eligibility
Students need to meet all of the following conditions to be considered:
- Have ECON declared as a major on file with your advisor
- Have a competitive GPA
- Possess financial need, as identified by Student Financial Aid
- Are returning the following year
 
Application Requirements
Complete the FAFSA and ScholarshipUniverse application each year. More information can be found here on the Student Financial Aid website.
 
Selection and Award Process
Toward the end of each academic year, students who have completed the applications will be reviewed. Those who best meet the desired eligibility expectations listed above will be selected as the award recipient(s). 
The Department customarily awards 8 to 12 students with a scholarship amount of $500. Awards are then distributed over the upcoming academic year and will be processed through the Office of Student Financial Aid.
 
Donations to the Economics Undergraduate Scholarship Fund can be made here.
Established on August 31, 2018, with a gift from Harold A. Black (MA 1968, PhD 1972); provides a scholarship to an undergraduate economics student with the potential for graduate work. The donor desires that when awarding this scholarship, special consideration be given to students who have overcome substantial educational or economic obstacles.
 
Eligibility
Students need to meet all of the following conditions to be considered:
- Have ECON declared as a major on file with your advisor
- Have a competitive GPA
- Possess financial need, as identified by Student Financial Aid
*Graduating seniors are eligible for this scholarship
 
Application Requirements
Complete the FAFSA and ScholarshipUniverse application each year. More information can be found here on the Student Financial Aid website.
 
Selection and Award Process
At the beginning of each academic year, students who have completed the applications will be reviewed. Those who best meet the desired eligibility expectations listed above will submit a statement explaining the educational and/or economic obstacles you have faced and your intentions beyond your undergraduate degree.
Papers submitted by the established deadline will be reviewed by an Economics Committee, which will determine the best response to be selected as the award recipient.
The Department customarily awards 1 to 2 students with a scholarship between $1,000-$2,000. The award is then distributed through the Office of Student Financial Aid.
Established February 6, 2009, with a gift from Keith and Linda Monda, provides one or more renewable merit and need-based scholarships for undergraduate students who are Ohio residents. Donors desire that recipient(s) be enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences Honors Program, with preference to majors in economics.
 
Eligibility
Students need to meet all of the following conditions to be considered:
- Have ECON declared as a major on file with your advisor
- Enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences Honors Program
- Are a permanent resident of Ohio
- Have a competitive GPA
- Possess financial need, as identified by Student Financial Aid
- Are returning the following year
 
Application Requirements
Complete the FAFSA and ScholarshipUniverse application each year. More information can be found here on the Student Financial Aid website.
 
Selection and Award Process
Toward the end of each academic year, students who have completed the applications will be reviewed. Those who best meet the desired eligibility expectations listed above will be selected as the award recipient(s). 
The Department customarily awards 1 to 2 students with a scholarship between the amount of $3,000 to $5,000. Awards are then distributed over the upcoming academic year and will be processed through the Office of Student Financial Aid.
Intended to acknowledge economics majors who are high-potential business-minded students, the fund was established in 2017 through a generous gift from alumnus Michael O’Shaughnessy.
 
Eligibility
Students need to meet all of the following conditions to be considered:
- Have ECON declared as a major on file with your advisor
- Have a business major or minor declared on file with your advisor
- Have a competitive GPA
- Are returning the following year
 
Application Requirements
Complete the FAFSA and ScholarshipUniverse application each year. More information can be found here on the Student Financial Aid website.
 
Selection and Award Process
Toward the end of each academic year, students who have completed the applications will be reviewed. Those who best meet the desired eligibility expectations listed above will be selected as the award recipient(s). 
The Department customarily awards 2 to 3 students with a scholarship between the amount of $2,000 to $5,000. Awards are then distributed over the upcoming academic year and will be processed through the Office of Student Financial Aid.
 
Donations to the Michael O’Shaughnessy Endowed Fund in Economics can be made here.
Established June 4, 2020, with gifts from R. Scott Gledhill (BS 1967), supports the annual prize for the best paper written by an undergraduate student in applied economics in the Department of Economics.
 
Eligibility
Students need to meet all of the following conditions to be considered:
- Have ECON declared as a major on file with your advisor
- Submit a paper in applied economics to the Economics Director of Undergraduate Studies
*Graduating seniors are eligible for this scholarship
 
Application Requirements
Complete the ScholarshipUniverse application by submitting a paper in applied economics.
 
Selection and Award Process
Toward the end of each academic year, an email will be sent to all students currently declared as undergraduate economics majors, requesting submissions for a paper in applied economics.
Applied economics is a broad area that encompasses a wide variety of topics, including but not limited to:
- Issues related to economic and social consequences of technological change, globalization, and demographic change
- Effects of regulation and other public policies on individuals, firms, and social welfare
- Evaluation of policies to improve economic development and well-being in low-income countries
- Causes and consequences of technological change and cost growth in medical care
- Healthcare reform
Macroeconomics and economic theory are generally not considered part of applied economics, though some topics in these areas could be suitable.
Honors theses and research papers written for courses are welcome, and students are strongly encouraged to seek guidance from faculty members. However, papers co-authored with faculty are not accepted. Submitted papers must contain economic content and focus on thought-provoking and significant topics. Original research is encouraged but not required, and you are welcome to use/adapt written work you have completed in your degree coursework.
Papers submitted by the established deadline will be reviewed by an Economics Committee, which will determine the best response to be selected as the award recipient.
The Department customarily awards one student with a scholarship of $5,000. The award is then distributed through the Office of Student Financial Aid.
 
Donations to the Gledhill Prize in Applied Economics Fund can be made here.
Provides awards to undergraduate first-generation students with demonstrated financial need. Recipients shall be selected by the chair of the Department of Economics or his/her designee. This fund was established in 2018 through a generous gift from alumnus and Economics Advisory Board member Tom Kniesner and his wife, Deborah Freund, a distinguished health economist.
 
Eligibility
Students need to meet all of the following conditions to be considered:
- Have ECON declared as a major on file with your advisor
- Are a first-generation college student
- Have financial need, as identified by Student Financial Aid
*Graduating seniors are eligible for this scholarship
 
Application Requirements
Complete the FAFSA and ScholarshipUniverse application each year. More information can be found here on the Student Financial Aid website.
 
Selection and Award Process
At the beginning of each academic year, students who have completed the applications will be reviewed. Those who best meet the desired eligibility expectations listed above will be selected as the award recipient(s).  
The Department customarily awards one student with a scholarship of $2,500. The award is then distributed through the Office of Student Financial Aid.
 
Donations to the Tom Kniesner and Debbie Freund Fund can be made here.
Established on May 9, 1955, by the American Federation of Labor to honor William Green's memory, former president of the American Federation of Labor from 1924 to 1952. Intended to acknowledge economics majors with backgrounds, studies, or career interests relevant to working people.
 
Eligibility
Students need to meet all of the following conditions to be considered:
- Have ECON declared as a major on file with your advisor
- Possess a competitive GPA
- Are returning the following year
 
Application Requirements
Complete the FAFSA and ScholarshipUniverse application each year. More information can be found here on the Student Financial Aid website.
 
Selection and Award Process
Toward the end of each academic year, students who have completed the applications will be reviewed. Applications will be reviewed by an Economics Committee and the President of the Ohio AFL-CIO, who will then determine the award recipient(s).
The Department customarily awards 2 to 4 students with a scholarship between the amount of $3,000 to $7,000. Awards are then distributed over the upcoming academic year and will be processed through the Office of Student Financial Aid.

ScholarshipUniverse Overview

ScholarshipUniverse is Ohio State’s scholarship matching tool that connects applicants and current students to thousands of internal and external scholarship opportunities in a single, secure, easy-to-use online resource.

Most colleges and units already have joined ScholarshipUniverse to manage donor-funded scholarships, with a goal to have the entire university included in a single, unified system. ScholarshipUniverse also includes more than 12,000 vetted external scholarships.

How ScholarshipUniverse Works

By integrating data from the admission application, student records, and self-reported information, ScholarshipUniverse connects students with thousands of scholarship opportunities. Used together with the Free Application for Student Financial Aid, ScholarshipUniverse empowers students to find the most financial aid opportunities for a more affordable education.

Directions for students:

  1. It’s easy to use! Log in to osu.scholarshipuniverse.com using your Ohio State username (lastname.#) and password.
  2. Take the time to answer questions about yourself to build your profile. By integrating data from your admissions application, student record, and self-reported information, ScholarshipUniverse will match you with scholarship opportunities.
  3. Once you are matched to a scholarship, follow the prompts to complete any application requirements.

ScholarshipUniverse continuously searches for scholarship opportunities and alerts you year-round via email when it finds a match. You can access and update ScholarshipUniverse at any time.

Important dates: ScholarshipUniverse opens for Ohio State’s upcoming financial aid year in December. February 15 is the priority date for applying.

Assets