Frequently Asked Questions

If I’m a senior and I need fewer than 12 hours my final semester, will I still get my scholarship that semester?

If you are in your last semester, you will receive your full scholarship for 9 hours or more in residence. You will need to turn in to the Spears School Dean’s office a letter from the Registrar’s office indicating your upcoming graduation date. If you are enrolled in fewer than 9 hours during your last semester, the amount of scholarship you receive will be given as a fraction of the nine hours according to the number of hours you are enrolled in. For example, a student in their last semester enrolled in six hours will receive 6/9 of the scholarship amount for that semester.

What is considered full-time status?

Undergraduate students need to be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours at OSU, and graduate students need to be enrolled in at least 9 credit hours at OSU.

I am graduating in December. Can I get the full amount of my scholarship in the Fall semester?

No, you will only receive the Fall portion of the scholarship, which is usually one half of the awarded amount. Scholarships are divided between the Fall and Spring semesters regardless of when you graduate. This is because the scholarship donors requested their scholarships be disbursed this way.

If I am studying abroad one semester, will I get my scholarship the semester I am gone?

Only students enrolled in reciprocal exchange programs may receive their scholarship while they are studying abroad. Students can only receive their scholarships in the semesters they are enrolled in OSU credit hours. Some scholarships require residency in Stillwater, in which case you may not be eligible regardless of where credit hours are awarded.

What travel programs can I use the Spears School Travel Scholarship for?

The Spears School of Business Travel Scholarship can only be used for Spears School of Business international travel courses. Students can enroll in these courses by contacting the Spears School of Business Study Abroad Office at 744-5210. This scholarship is only awarded to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in Spears School of Business majors who have a minimum 3.0 GPA.

What is EFC?

EFC stands for Estimated Family Contribution. This number is used to calculate your financial need. If this number is not on your scholarship application, we will assume you don’t have any financial need. This means you won’t be considered for scholarships that have financial need as a requirement. If you have never filled out a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), then you do not have an EFC and you can leave this box blank on the application.

Where can I get my EFC amount?

Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov and

in the “FAFSA Follow-up 3” box click on the “View and Print your Student Aid Report” link
Choose the school year you are currently in (or the upcoming school year if you have already completed your FAFSA for next year). Then click “Next.”
Click “Continue.”
Enter your information including your PIN. Then click “Submit.”
Click on the number under “Transaction Number”
On the left side of the next page, click on the “Print Summary” button
Click on the “SAR (HTML version)” link or the “SAR (PDF version)” link
Print off the first page of this report (you can cover up/black out any information you don’t want us to see; we just need the EFC amount and your name proving that it is your EFC amount.)

Attach this page of your Student Aid Report to your scholarship application.

Will accepting scholarships from the Spears School affect other types of financial aid I receive?

Yes, some financial aid may be reduced based on the amount of scholarships you receive. To find out if your financial aid will be affected, contact the Scholarships and Financial Aid office at 405-744-6604.

How do I apply for incoming freshman or incoming transfer scholarships?

Incoming freshman and transfer students should fill out the Scholarship Application pages in the OSU Admissions Application and select Business as the college they are interested in. This information is then forwarded to the Spears School for scholarship consideration. There are no additional applications or paperwork that need to be submitted.

When are incoming freshman and transfer scholarships awarded?

We start awarding freshman and transfer scholarships in December and continue awarding them though the summer.

How do I apply for departmental scholarships?

Students should fill out the General Spears School Scholarship Application to be considered for these scholarships. Only students who have officially declared a major will be considered for that department’s scholarships. For example, if Banner shows that you have declared Management, your scholarship application information will be sent to the Management Department for consideration. If you have more than one major, your information will be sent to all departments in which you are majoring. Make sure your major is correct in Banner before you turn in your scholarship application. (Accounting majors will have an additional scholarship application to be considered for their department’s scholarships. Please inquire at in the Accounting Department Office (401 Bus. Bldg.) with any questions.)