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 for Finish in Four will help students across the university. This fund supports need-based financial aid including:

The Finish in Four Scholars program, which provides “last dollar” scholarships to Oregon resident students with high financial need; see below
Emergency grants for students facing unexpected challenges
Life happens – students may need a medical procedure, a car repair, travel funds to attend to a family crisis, help with rent when between jobs.
Completion grants that cover costs of a student’s final credits
The last mile of a marathon can be the hardest. Scholarships of about $5,000 can cover a student’s last term of tuition.

Retention scholarships for students who have exhausted their financial aid
Sometimes as little as $500 or $1,000 in extra funds is enough to allow students to register for their next term.

FINISH IN FOUR SCHOLARS

Students with the fewest financial resources may qualify for federal and state grants, but add up costs for tuition, room, board, books, etc., and they will still have a gap between the costs of attending OSU and the resources they have.

To ensure these students have every opportunity to succeed, the university has launched the Finish in Four Scholars program.

Finish in Four Scholars are supported by four-year “last-dollar scholarships.” This means that the scholarships vary in value because they are designed to cover any remaining gap between the full cost of attendance after other forms of financial aid have been used.

In addition to receiving financial support, Finish in Four Scholars engage in activities shown to help students thrive:

Cohort activities that help provide a sense of belonging
Academic counseling and financial education
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.

Meet students

in the first cohort of Finish in Four Scholars

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

DENISE HARRISON
Director of Development II
541-609-9661

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

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 Murthy

OSU President

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 Smith

Director 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 Soto

Finish in Four Scholar