Admissions Scholarships

Deadline: July 1st
Award Amount: $10,000 
Number of Awards: 6

At The School of Business, we believe business education should create opportunity, expand access, and drive meaningful change.

The Purpose-Driven Leadership Scholarship recognizes incoming students who demonstrate a commitment to improving socio-economic outcomes through leadership, entrepreneurship, service, innovation, or community impact.

Applicant Requirements:

• Active admission offer to an eligible graduate business master's program
• Begin studies during the 2026–2027 academic year
• Submit the scholarship essay by July 1, 2026
• Demonstrate commitment to socio-economic impact and leadership

Essay Question (750 word maximum):

Describe the socio-economic problem you are most committed to addressing. How will your graduate business education enable you to create a measurable impact on this issue over the next 5–10 years? Cite specific actions you have already taken, outcomes you have achieved, and actions you aspire to take in the future.

Competitive essays will include:

• A clearly defined population and/or problem
• At least one past action with clear results
• A forward-looking plan with specific mechanisms (not intent alone)

Review Process:

The School of Business Admissions Committee will review essays as well as program applications to select 12 finalists who will be invited to interview following the July 1st submission deadline. Award decisions will be announced via email to all who apply in early August.

Deadline: Apply to MBA Online by June 1st
Award Amount: $4,000
Eligibility: Admission to The Portland MBA Online

Applicants admitted to the inaugural Portland MBA Online program who submit their application by June 1 will automatically receive a $4,000 scholarship. This award recognizes the first cohort of students joining Portland State University’s new online MBA program and reflects our commitment to supporting emerging business leaders through a flexible, high-quality graduate education experience.

Members of The School of Business (SB) network qualify for this scholarship in one of two ways:

• SB Students and Alumni: $3,000 - Current and past undergraduate PSU business students who indicate that they want to be considered for scholarships on the application automatically qualify for this award.
  
  OR*
   
• Referred Applicants: $2,000 - Applicants who are referred to PSU by a current business master's student or alumni of any PSU graduate business master's program. The referral must be submitted through the Graduate Student Referral Scholarship page.

* These $3,000 and $2,000 awards cannot be combined. When current SB students and alumni receive referrals, they will be awarded the higher ($3,000) amount.

We partner with a number of employers and industry partners to offer select scholarships. Please talk to the program recruiter if you would like to know if these might apply to you.

The graduate business programs Redefine & Transform Scholarships support leaders who drive positive change in business and our communities. These leaders embody The School of Business vision to redefine business and transform lives.

There are six $5,000 Redefine & Transform scholarships awarded to applicants based on their admission files and a short statement describing their demonstrated positive societal or environmental impact in alignment with the categories outlined below. All applicants who submit a statement before the May 1 deadline are considered for these scholarships.

Redefine & Transform Essay

All master’s degree applicants who submit a statement of 250 words or less during the application process are considered for the Redefine & Transform Scholarships. If you already submitted your application, or have been admitted to a 2025 cohort, and would like to provide more information to the admissions committee, submit a statement in response to the following essay question to sbgradadmissions@pdx.edu by May 1.

There is a limited number of six awards available, making the Redefine & Transform Scholarship extremely competitive. Past award recipients have provided concrete details about the impacts they've made in one of the following categories outlined below. 

Statement (250 words or less): How have you demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to creating a positive impact on one of the PSU values described in the following Redefine & Transform Scholarship categories?

• Racial Equity: The Racial Equity Scholarship honors an incoming graduate business student who has demonstrated vision and/or leadership in advancing the voices and needs of people of color.
• Out in Business: The Out in Business Scholarship honors an incoming graduate business student who has demonstrated vision and/or leadership in advancing the voices and needs of LGBTQ+ communities.
• Women Inspiring Leadership: The Women Inspiring Leadership Scholarship honors an incoming graduate business student who has demonstrated vision and/or leadership in advancing the voices and needs of women.
• Community Visionary: The Community Visionary Scholarship honors an incoming graduate business student who has made a significant positive impact on one or more of their communities.
• Global Perspectives: The Global Perspectives Scholarship honors an incoming graduate business student who brings dedicated vision and/or leadership in promoting global perspectives in business.
• Environmental Steward: The Environmental Steward Scholarship honors an incoming graduate business student who has demonstrated vision and/or leadership in advancing institutional environmental sustainability practices.

Note: Applicants may be considered for multiple award programs during the application process and be awarded more than one admissions scholarship. 

To help applicants in financial planning, below are the 2024 average scholarship awards per program and the % of admits offered scholarships at the time of admission. The number and amount of awards varies from year to year, depending on the amount of funding available.

Please note we do not have full rides or graduate assistantships offered through the School of Business. To look for graduate assistantships offered through Portland State please check this website.