Types of Aid

Financial aid is made up of a four types of funds

• Grants: Grants are funds you receive based on the need, as determined by the FAFSA or ORSAA. 
• Loans: A loan is money you borrow and must pay back with interest. Interest is a loan expense charged for the use of borrowed money. There are several different kinds of loans available to students. Be sure you understand your obligations before you borrow.
• Work Study: Is a need based program, where students earn their financial aid by working for the university. There are lots of opportunities for students to gain experience working in a related field.
• Scholarships: Scholarships are funds you receive usually based on academic merit (GPA or test scores). You do not have to repay these funds. These typically require another application in addition to the FAFSA.

The only way to qualify for most of these types of financial aid is to apply for financial aid by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you are not eligible to submit the FAFSA, you can submit the Oregon Student Aid Application (ORSAA).

Scholarships

PSU offers scholarships based on the information you provide in your application for admission and through the PSU Scholarship Application. To be awarded scholarships, you must apply for them using the PSU Scholarship Application. By submitting the FAFSA, you are not applying for these scholarships. We encourage you to submit the FAFSA and apply for scholarships.

Students are automatically considered for the following programs if they apply to PSU and submit the FAFSA by the appropriate deadlines:

• Tuition-Free Degree
• Rose City Scholarship

Students are automatically considered for the following programs if they apply to PSU by the appropriate deadlines:

• Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)
• Out-of-State Opportunity Scholarship (OOS)
• Washington Border Discount (WBD)

All students are encouraged to apply for scholarships through PSU’s Scholarship application and to explore external scholarships.