Scholarship Application Procedure

Application Procedures for 2013–14

Please note that scholarship application for the 2013-14 academic year is now closed.

New, Incoming Students

(For first-year graduate and undergraduate students, as well as all students transferring from other colleges and universities to Penn State.)

• If you do not already have a Penn State Access Account ID or a Friends of Penn State account, go to the Friends of Penn State website (fps.psu.edu), create an account, and make a note of your password.
• E-mail your Friends of Penn State account ID to education@psu.edu. Do not send your password. (Penn State will NEVER ask you for your password.)
• When you receive an e-mail confirmation that your Friends of Penn State account ID has been added to the system, go to cms.psu.edu (Penn State's ANGEL system).
• At the ANGEL home page, in the Log On box, select Friends of Penn State from the drop down menu and click Log On. Enter your Friends of Penn State Account ID and password and click Login.
• From My Groups, select Find a Group.
• Using the Keyword Search, search the keyword: Scholarship Application.
• Before clicking on College of Education: Scholarship Application, you will see 'Enroll (no PIN required)' to the right of the application link. You must enroll in the group before you can access the application.
• Choose the scholarship application that is appropriate for your academic standing (graduate or undergraduate), and complete the application before the deadline.
• Graduate students only: You also must submit a CV or resume through ANGEL.

Graduate Students, and Continuing Undergraduate Students

(Includes those transferring to University Park from other Penn State campuses.)

• When you are ready to apply online, go to ANGEL at cms.psu.edu.
• Enter your Penn State Access Account ID and password.
• From My Groups, select Find a Group.
• Using the Keyword Search, search the keyword: Scholarship Application.
• Before clicking on College of Education: Scholarship Application, you will see 'Enroll (no PIN required)' to the right of the application link. You must enroll in the group before you can access the application.
• Choose the scholarship application that is appropriate for your academic standing (graduate or undergraduate), and complete the application before the deadline.
• Graduate students only: You also must submit a CV or resume through ANGEL.

Documenting Financial Need

Nearly all College of Education scholarships require you to establish and document your degree of financial need. Penn State recognizes only one determiner of financial need: the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

In order to establish and document your financial need at Penn State, you must complete and submit the FAFSA (www.fafsa.ed.gov) in accordance with instructions from the Penn State Office of Student Aid. (International students attending Penn State on an education visa are eligible to submit a FAFSA and, therefore, are eligible for need-based scholarships.)

We strongly recommend that you file the FAFSA by April 1, 2013.

As this is two weeks before the April 15th federal income tax filing deadline, please note this important information from the FAFSA website:

"We recommend that you complete your tax return before filling out the 2013-2014 FAFSA. Note that you do not have to actually send your tax return to the IRS before filling out the FAFSA. You can submit your FAFSA using estimated income and tax information. However, after you file your tax return, you must correct any income or tax information that is different from what you submitted on your original FAFSA."

Applying for College-wide and Academic Department Scholarships

The information you provide on the application creates an individual profile that identifies to the College which scholarship(s) you are eligible to receive. You will be considered for all College-wide and academic department scholarships for which you are eligible.

The receipt of a College or academic department scholarship does not prevent you from receiving University-wide scholarships for which you may also be eligible.

Conditions for Scholarships

Recipients are selected based on the preset criteria established for each scholarship. If you are selected for a scholarship, you will be notified of the criteria you must meet in order to remain eligible for the scholarship. If you fail to continue to meet the criteria, your scholarship may be canceled.

Notification of Scholarship Awards

Efforts are made to award scholarships prior to July 1, 2013 for the 2013–2014 academic year, but scholarships are also made throughout the year as well. If you have been awarded a scholarship before June 1, you will be notified through your Penn State e-mail account asking you to confirm the mailing address to which we should send the notification letter. If an award is made during the academic year, you will be notified via your Penn State email address.

If you do not receive a scholarship, your application will be kept on file for the rest of the academic year, and your application will be reconsidered if additional funds become available.

Disbursement of Scholarship Money

The College of Education expects all scholarship recipients to write a thank-you letter to their donors, should they be living, or to the Scholarship Committee, should the donors who established the scholarship be deceased. Detailed instructions for writing thank-you letters are included with scholarship notification letters.

Scholarship money will be disbursed to student bursar accounts after classes start in fall 2013, however the money will not be made available until after a satisfactory thank-you letter is received by the College for forwarding to the donors.

After your thank-you letter has been received, monies have been disbursed into your account, and all other University charges have been met, you may receive a refund for the residual balance to meet other education-related expenses.

Questions regarding your University account should be directed to the Bursar's Office, 103 Shields Building, University Park, PA 16802 or 814-865-6528.

For more information, visit the College of Education scholarship FAQ page.