FINISH IN FOUR

A lifetime of opportunity opens for students when they graduate from college. You can help ensure they earn their degree on time.

Students come to Oregon State University with enormous potential, but sometimes talent and hard work aren’t enough for them to stay in school. You can help change this by making a gift supporting OSU's Finish in Four initiative.

Make a gift now to the Finish in Four Scholarship Fund.

Meeting need where it is

OSU aims to become a university where every student graduates.

As a key component of OSU’s strategic plan, Prosperity Widely Shared, Finish in Four is designed to help Oregon resident students complete their degrees with an exceptional education – so they can start their careers, serve their communities and prosper.

You can help

Gifts to the Finish in Four Initiative will help students from Oregon graduate on time, and with less debt. The initiative provides renewable, need-based financial aid with support services and resources, including:

The Funded for Four Scholarship Program, which provides four-year renewable scholarships to first-year Oregon resident students with high financial need.
Knowing you have financial support for your full four years of undergraduate education is a game changer.
The Funded for Two Scholarship Program, which provides two-year scholarships to Oregon residents with high financial need who are transferring from an Oregon community college.
Transitioning from a community college to a four-year university often presents considerable financial challenges.
Stay and Complete Grants, which support students who are currently enrolled but have financial barriers that are keeping them from finishing their final one or two terms.
The last mile of a marathon can be the hardest. Scholarships of about $5,000 can cover a student’s last term of tuition.

Return and Complete Grants, which support students who are close to completing their degree but have left the university due to financial circumstances.
Sometimes as little as $500 or $1,000 in extra funds is enough to allow students to register for their final term and finish their degree.

In addition to receiving financial support, recipients engage in activities shown to help students thrive:

Cohort activities that help provide a sense of belonging
Academic counseling and financial education
Academic program and degree completion planning

Career and graduate school exploration

CHANGING LIVES NOW AND FOR YEARS TO COME

With a gift of any size to Finish in Four, you can help students overcome the financial barriers that could stop them from making the most of their potential.

$1,000 Allows a student to register for their next classes

$1,900 Provides a month’s food and housing

$5,100 Pays for tuition and fees for a student’s last term of college

$10,000 Replaces a student’s take-home pay when working a minimum wage job 16 hours/week for one year

$21,200 Represents the average debt of OSU students at graduation

$100,000 Minimum amount to create to create a named Finish in Four fund.

You may name the fund to honor a family legacy, business or loved one.
Your scholarship may benefit students in a specific college or across the university.
Your fund may be created for immediate use or endowed, supporting students in perpetuity.

Illustration: A student who receives a full federal Pell Grant and a full Oregon Opportunity Grant

Cost of attendance: $34,965

Federally funded Pell Grant: $7,395

Oregon Opportunity Grant: $7,524

Other scholarships/institutional aid: $4,000

Student contribution through employment: $2,000

Remaining funding gap,
reduced with help from Finish in Four: $14,046

To learn more about Finish in Four and how you can support OSU students, contact:

SCOTT ELMSHAEUSER
Sr. Director of Development
541-224-3992

DENISE HARRISON
Director of Development II
541-609-9661

JOEL MOERSCH
Sr. Director of Development
208-427-5607

Students in our pilot Finish in Four cohort received scholarships ranging from $6,000 to $15,000 – because what each of them needs to cover the full cost of attendance is different. Finish in Four will be life-changing for these promising students, and I am grateful to our donor community for helping them thrive at OSU.

Dorian SmithDirector of Student Success and Belonging

Thanks to Finish in Four, students like me can turn ‘what if’ into ‘what's next.’ It’s more than financial support; it’s the chance to explore, innovate and build a future where education becomes action, and potential becomes impact.

Jaylene Cortes SotoFinish in Four Scholar

OSU must pursue every possible means of ensuring each student graduates. Finish in Four is our top priority for student success funding. I urge our community to join this critical effort.

Jayathi MurthyOSU President