Scholarships, Grants and Loans

Oakland University scholarships and grants are automatically offered to incoming freshmen and transfer students through the admissions process and when the FAFSA is processed by Student Financial Services.

Future students, view eligibility and renewal criteria for OU automatic scholarships and grants.

Students currently attending OU, view renewal criteria for your OU automatic scholarships and grants.

Oakland University is proud to offer more than 300 annual endowed scholarships through academic and student service departments for admitted and current students. Beginning December 1 each year, admitted and current students should complete the application to apply for OU annual scholarships to use in the next academic year. The application closes April 1. 

Students can search available scholarships year round and based on student information provided to OU, students can view scholarships for which they qualify. When students complete the application, the list of eligible scholarship matches expands based on the information provided on the application.

View OU Annual Scholarships 
(apply December 1, 2023 - April 1, 2024 for the 2024-2025 school year).

OU offers and renews awards at its sole and absolute discretion; offers and renewals are contingent upon the availability of funds and continuation of the programs. The University notifies students of scholarship awards through official scholarship award letters sent to students via United States mail for new students and through OU email for returning students.

Scholarship Tool Navigation

Applicant Home
On the homepage of the Scholarship Tool, you  will see a Tasks section and a Completed Tasks section. Tasks will show any applications available to complete and an action button, to start the application, for example. Completed tasks will show your previously completed applications, with an opportunity to review your responses.

My Applications
Each year between FAFSA release and April 1, this is where you will find the annual scholarship application. All year, you will be able to see a list of completed or pending applications you started. It’s a great central resource when you’re trying to look at the history of your applications or get to the application you saved to return to later!

My Opportunities
On this page, you will see a Potential Scholarship Opportunities section and an Available Opportunities section for other partially identified opportunities.

Potential Scholarship Opportunities shows the number of scholarships you can be considered for based on the information on your student record at OU, like your GPA, major, class standing, etc. Click the drop down arrow on the right side to see the details of the scholarships identified. To apply for the scholarships listed, you must complete the Annual Scholarship Application.

The Available Opportunities section lists other scholarship matches the system identifies based on the information on your student record at OU, but requires some additional information collected by the Annual Scholarship Application to confirm your eligibility. Additional information submitted is an opportunity for you to share information from your personal voice and perspective. Click the gold Apply button to add more information to your scholarship application to provide the specific information required to apply for these scholarships.

Department committees will review and determine the recipients of the scholarships by July 1. You will be notified of the decision by the department and through a communication from the Student Financial Services financial aid offer notification.

Scholarship Search
The Scholarship Search allows you to view all Oakland University annual scholarships available to admitted and current students, at any time. OU offers and renews awards at its sole and absolute discretion; offers and renewals are contingent upon the availability of funds and continuation of the programs.

Use the Category Search to filter scholarships by categories. This option allows you to identify and search the categories you feel are most relevant to you.

Use the Keyword(s) Search to search all keywords associated with a scholarship.

Contact Us
Please contact Student Financial Services with any questions you may have about navigating the OU Annual Scholarship Tool, your eligibility, or any related questions. We are always happy to help you!

Student FAQs

If your question about the scholarship tool isn’t listed below, please contact Student Financial Services with any questions you may have about navigating the OU Annual Scholarship Tool, your eligibility, or any related questions. We are always happy to help you!

Faculty And Staff FAQs

Is there skip logic on the application?

Yes, the students will only see relevant scholarship opportunities depending on the answers to the questions. As students answer questions, the tool is built to respond by asking more questions or move to the next question.

The State of Michigan website provides a wealth of information about Michigan aid programs. Please select the tab below to learn more about these programs. All aid from the State of Michigan requires the FAFSA be completed.

Michigan Aid Programs

View details and criteria for all State of Michigan Programs.

• Children of Veterans Tuition Grant
  The Children of Veterans Tuition Grant provides undergraduate tuition assistance to students older than 16 and less than 26 years of age who are the natural or adopted child of a Michigan veteran. The veteran must have died or became totally and permanently disabled as a result of military service. Requires an initial application completed in the MiSSG student portal.
  
  
• Fostering Futures Scholarship
  The Fostering Futures Scholarship provides scholarships to students who have experienced foster care in Michigan on or after age 13. Students must also demonstrate financial need to qualify. Requires an annual application completed in the MiSSG student portal.
  
  
• Michigan Achievement Scholarship
  Students from Michigan's high school graduating class of 2024 may be eligible for the Michigan Achievement Scholarship. The scholarship is valued at up to $5,500 per year when attending a public university. Students must complete the FAFSA to be considered for eligibility. Additionally, the student (and their parents, if applicable) must be Michigan residents and have a Student Aid Index of $30,000 or less.
• Michigan Competitive Scholarship
  The Michigan Competitive Scholarship is available to undergraduate students pursuing their first degree and is based on both financial need and merit. To be considered, a student must take the SAT (Class of 2017 and beyond) prior to entering college and achieve a qualifying score of at least 1200. The Michigan Competitive Scholarship is no longer available to students entering college beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. 
  
  
• Michigan Future Educator Fellowship
  The Michigan Future Educator Fellowship will offer up to $10,000 in scholarship for 2,500 future educators every year. To be considered, students must meet eligibility criteria for the fellowship. Requires an annual application completed in the MiSSG student portal. 
  
  
• Michigan Future Educator Stipend
  The Michigan Future Educator Stipend will provide up to a $9,600 stipend to students in their student teacher semester to support Michigan's hardworking student teachers as they continue their journey to being in the classroom full time. To be considered, students must meet eligibility criteria for the fellowship. Requires an application completed in the MiSSG student portal. 
  
  
• Police Officer's and Fire Fighter's Survivor Tuition Grant
  The Police Officer’s and Fire Fighter’s Survivor Tuition Act provides for the waiver of tuition at a Michigan community college or public university for children and surviving spouses of Michigan police officers and fire fighters killed in the line of duty. The program is intended to provide an educational benefit to the spouse and children of police officers and fire fighters who made the ultimate sacrifice for their communities and the citizens of Michigan. Requires an initial application completed in the MiSSG student portal.
  
  
• Tuition Incentive Program
  The Tuition Incentive Program encourages students to complete high school by providing college tuition assistance after graduation. Eligible students are those who have or have had Medicaid coverage for 24 months within a 36 month period as identified by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver

Oakland University is proud to support greater equity for all Native students as they pursue their higher education goals. We offer a safe, supportive environment where students are seen and heard, and given the opportunity to thrive.

Students interested in applying for a Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver, a program administered by the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR), can access information on the MDCR’s website or by calling (231) 439-5247 or by contacting them at: 110 W. Michigan Avenue, Suite 800, Lansing, MI 48933.

We encourage all eligible students to apply for the Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver. In order to receive it:

• Oakland University must receive written notice from the MDCR that the student has been verified as having sufficiently established eligibility for a Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver; and
• The eligible student must:
  • Be admitted to Oakland University for the purpose of enrolling in academic credit-bearing Oakland University courses;
  • Be registered for Oakland University credit-bearing courses to which the Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver will apply; the Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver will not apply to competency credits, auditing, AP, IB, Dante, CLEP, continuing education (CE), consortium credits and/or any other non-credit bearing courses; and
  • Provide proof, as required by Oakland University, establishing that the student, or parent if the student is a dependent (custodial parent if the parents are unmarried), has been a legal resident of the State of Michigan for not less than 12 consecutive months prior to the first day of enrollment in a semester to which the Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver will apply.
    

In order for a Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver to be applied to a particular semester, all documentation relating to the waiver must be received and processed by Oakland University’s  Student Financial Services by the earlier of:

• the last day that the student is enrolled in that semester
  or
  
• the last day of that semester

The total combined amount of a student’s financial aid award(s) and Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver(s) may not exceed the total cost of attendance as established by Oakland University.

Learn more about Oakland University’s land acknowledgement statement.

Federal Grants
Undergraduate students are eligible for the Pell Grant. To view eligibility criteria, annual amounts, and aggregate limits, visit the grants page on the Federal Student Aid website.

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is awarded to undergraduate students with exceptional need and based on the availability of funds. For information regarding eligibility criteria and annual amounts visit the grants page on the Federal Student Aid website.

Offered to students in a master’s degree program which leads toward teaching, the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides $4,000 in annual grant. The maximum cumulative award is $8,000 (two years). Less than full time students have the same cumulative maximum, but have prorated annual awards. Candidates must agree to serve as full-time teachers at certain schools serving low-income students, and teach subjects within certain high-need fields (foreign language, mathematics, reading specialist, science, special education) for at least four academic years within eight years of completing the course of study for which the grant was received.  If a grant recipient does not fulfill the teaching obligation, the TEACH grant funds convert to a Direct Unsubsidized loan that must be repaid with interest. For information regarding interest rates and repayment terms, visit the Federal Student Aid loans website. Requires completion of the FAFSA.

The School of Nursing applies each year for Federal Traineeship Grants. Funds for the traineeship come from the Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The purpose is to support traineeships for licensed registered nurses enrolled as full-time graduate students, first-year Nurse Anesthesia students, part-time students in the last 12 months of their program, or full-time students beyond the twelfth month of study in a master’s nurse anesthesia program.

Federal Work-Study
Available to undergraduate and graduate students, work-study awards are wages that can be earned through a campus job and does not have to be repaid. Funds are limited and awarded on a first-come, first-served basis according to a student's financial need. Visit Handshake to search and apply for student employment positions.

Federal Loans
Student loans

An undergraduate student can receive federal loans without a co-signer. The most commonly awarded loans for undergraduate students are the Federal Direct Subsidized and Federal Direct Unsubsidized loans. For more information about annual and aggregate limits, interest rates, and repayment visit the loans page on the Federal Student Aid website.

A graduate student can receive a Federal Unsubsidized loan without a co-signer. To view annual and aggregate loan limits, visit the loans page on the Federal Student Aid website. Graduate students are able to apply for a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS loan. The Graduate PLUS loan is approved or denied based on the graduate student's credit. An online application is available at www.studentloans.gov. For information regarding interest rates and repayment terms, and to apply visit the PLUS loans page on the Federal Student Aid website.

Parent loans

Parents of dependent undergraduate students are able to apply for a Federal Direct Parent PLUS loan. The Parent PLUS loan is approved or denied based on the parent's credit, and if approved, the parent is responsible for repayment. If a parent is denied for a loan based on credit, an additional amount of the Unsubsidized loan will be awarded in the student's name. For information regarding interest rates and repayment terms, visit the loans page on the Federal Student Aid website. View Parent PLUS Loan application instructions and apply.

Loan Consolidation

Consolidation loans combine several loans, with various repayment schedules, into one loan, requiring you to make only one monthly payment. The interest rate on a consolidation loan also may be lower than what you're currently paying on one or more of your loans. If you have at least one Federal Direct Loan, you may want to consider a Direct Consolidation Loan after you graduate from college but before you begin repayment of your loans.

Private Scholarships
Private scholarships are abundantly available for students from organizations, foundations, companies, and individuals. Students can increase the probability they will be selected for private scholarships by increasing the number of applications submitted. Search for private scholarships on large online databases called clearinghouses, such as:

CollegeBoard.org
Fastweb.com
State of Michigan Scholarship Search

Private Loans
Choose loan programs you can live with long term. Government loan programs usually offer lower interest rates and more flexible repayment plans than most private/alternative loans. Maximize your borrowing from all federal loans before considering supplemental funds from a private loan. The limit on a private loan is equal to the cost of education minus other awarded financial aid.

A number of banks and lending institutions offer private loan funding to assist students with the cost of education. A co-signer may be required, depending on the student's credit history and credit worthiness. Borrow wisely and compare lenders to make a smart, long-term choice. Be wary of private loan offers which discourage you from working with your financial aid office, offer introductory rates, do not tie the loan interest rate to a fixed percentage of LIBOR or PRIME rate, or claim that you can apply and receive money immediately. OU will certify a private loan from any private lender. Many private loan options are available and students can choose to apply for a private loan with any banking institution of their choice. If students need to utilize loans, it is best to exhaust all federal loan options before seeking a private loan. 

The following list represents lenders who provided loans to five or more Oakland University students according to a recent analysis of loans for the 2022-2023 year. This private lender list (arranged in alphabetical order) is reviewed periodically and is subject to change. Oakland University does not receive inducements or incentives from any private lender. Oakland University does not have relationships or agreements with any of the lenders listed here:

• Ascent College Loans
• Citizens
• College Avenue Student Loans
• Earnest Private Student Loans
• Edly Inc
• Funding U
• Lake Trust Credit Union
• LendKey
• PNC Bank
• Sallie Mae Student Loans
• SoFi Private Student Loans
• Prodigy Finance (International students)

Consider these factors when shopping for a lender:

Eligibility

• Undergraduate, Graduate, Professional Development, Certification
• Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
• Enrollment Requirements – ie., less than half-time
• International Students

Interest rate

• With or without a co-borrower (co-signer)
• Interest adjusted when and how

Fees

• Origination fees and other charges
• Prepayment
• Late fees

Borrower benefits

• Direct Debit
• Co-borrower release
• Graduation reward

Repayment terms

• When does repayment begin?
• Can principal and interest be deferred?
• When is interest capitalized?
• Maximum repayment period

Loan limits

• Minimum loan amount
• Annual and aggregate loan limits
• Allow loans for past balances (if applicable)

Service

• Responsive customer service
• Student focused