MSU Foundation Scholarships

In an increasingly competitive global job market, many are recognizing the key to future success is a college degree and the experience a college campus can offer.  However, with higher education costs ever on the rise, many are finding it difficult to finance the college career that will help them maximize their potential and contribute to their communities.  To bridge this gap thousands of Missouri State University alumni and friends help students annually through the funding of Foundation Scholarships.  This generosity has established and sustained nearly 1,000 scholarship funds at MSU.  Scholarships have been created for every department and college on campus, and hundreds of non-departmental scholarships have been established, which are not selected based on program of study, but instead on criteria such as financial need or high school attended.

2013 – 2014 scholarships

Nearly all Foundation Scholarships are selected during the spring for awarding the following academic year to give students greater certainty sooner about their financial situation.  When selection began this spring nearly 1 out of every 4 Missouri State University students had applied.  Over 80 Scholarship Committees, representing departments, colleges, and programs across campus, reviewed these applicants and selected over 940 students to receive nearly 1,200 scholarships.  In total over $1.2 million was awarded for the 2013 – 2014 Academic School Year.

How students can apply

If you know of current or future students looking for scholarship options and interested in applying for Missouri State University’s donor-funded financial aid opportunities, all application materials can now be found online.  Once a student is admitted to Missouri State, they can log-on to the My.MissouriState Portal and access the General and Departmental Scholarship Application Link within the Financial Aid Channel on the Profile Tab.  This will automatically log them into the scholarship application system, where they can search through the database of scholarships or work on one of the three available applications that describe their student type – Incoming Freshman, Current Undergraduate, or Graduate Student.  Students now need only fill out and submit one of these applications to be automatically considered for all of the nearly 1,000 available Missouri State University Foundation Scholarships.

Applications are available November 1 – March 1 every year for scholarships awarded the following academic year.

How you can help

Foundation financial assistance can be the difference between a student having to exit early on their college dreams or continuing to pursue their passions at Missouri State.  Foundation Scholarships wouldn’t be possible without the outpouring of financial support from friends and alumni like you.  If you are interested in contributing to an already existing scholarship fund, we encourage you to visit the Missouri State University Foundation – Ways of Giving website.  There you can search for specific scholarships or browse by area/college on campus to find the fund that fits your interests.

If you are considering establishing a new scholarship – endowed or annually funded – or would like to make a contribution over the phone please call the Missouri State University Foundation at 417-836-4413.