Giving - Ohio Scholarship Challenge

Ohio Scholarship Challenge

Everything we do at Ohio State is about students. And one of our priorities of the But for Ohio State campaign is placing students first. One great way to support students is through the Ohio Scholarship Challenge. Join honorary co-chairs Coach Thad Matta and Coach Urban Meyer and show your commitment to providing important scholarship dollars for Ohio State students by accepting the Challenge today.

What is the Ohio Scholarship Challenge?

Launched in January 2013, the Challenge will create a full-tuition endowed scholarship in each of Ohio’s 88 counties and raise important current use scholarship dollars. The goal is to raise a total of $100 million in general scholarship dollars for Ohio State students at all campuses regardless of major(s) being studied. Through the Ohio Scholarship Challenge, you will be able to help promising undergraduate students afford Ohio State, and more students will have access to a life-changing array of cross-disciplinary academic opportunities.

How is the Challenge different from other scholarships?

Ohio State is fortunate to be able to offer many scholarships. However, the great majority are tied to a specific campus or a specific academic unit. If the student transfers campuses or changes majors, the scholarship is lost. Scholarships funded by the Challenge are transferrable between majors and portable between campuses—two major factors that restricted scholarships do not offer. This flexibility enables a recipient to keep the scholarship regardless of major or campus attended. Best of all, scholarships are renewable for up to four years as long as the student remains in good standing at Ohio State. So a student will be assured financial assistance for all four years of their undergraduate experience.

What’s the difference between an endowed scholarship and a current use scholarship?

An endowed scholarship fund lasts in perpetuity, ensuring that scholarship dollars are available for students for as long as the university exists. A current use scholarship functions like a checkbook, where the entire amount may be used and the scholarship ceases to exist when the funds are depleted.

What exactly are scholarship Challenge criteria?

In order to meet the Challenge, a scholarship must be:

For undergraduate students at Ohio State
Portable between campuses
Transferrable between majors
Renewable as long as the student remains in good standing as defined by the university

Donors can:

Determine scholarship name
Designate scholarship to benefit a geographic area like a town, a high school, a county, or geographic region (example: Central Ohio)
Designate scholarship to benefit students based on need or students based on merit or both
In order for gifts to count in the Challenge, no other criteria may be applied.

My alumni club has a scholarship. How do the programs relate?

Any financial gift to an alumni club scholarship that meets Challenge criteria counts towards the $100 million Challenge goal.

How long will the Challenge last?

As long as it takes to reach the $100 million goal.

How do I take advantage of the match program?

The university will match the payout on newly established endowed undergraduate scholarships that meet Challenge criteria. To learn more about the match program, contact the Office of Academic Affairs Development Team at (614) 247-6600.