OSU Scholarship Match

When you open the door to a college education, you change the course of a student’s life.

Financial barriers are among the primary reasons why students don’t get an Oregon State University degree – why they don’t come here and why they don’t graduate. Scholarships remove those barriers, creating a lifetime of opportunities that otherwise would remain out of reach. 

To increase scholarship support for students, and make an even greater difference in the lives of high need students, Oregon State is offering a matching program for a limited time. Now, donors can help OSU students immediately, while creating a legacy that lasts forever. 

 

Summer 2022 update:
Through this program to date, donors have created 50+ new endowed scholarship funds and Oregon State has distributed approximately $360,000 to more than 325 students in three annual award cycles. Most of those scholarship dollars have been provided by the matching funds, but each year a greater proportion comes from income earned by the endowments created by these generous donors.

Here's how the scholarship match works

In an endowment, the donor’s gift is invested to generate a steady, reliable flow of expendable funds. That means endowed scholarship funds create opportunities for students for generations to come. 

The minimum gift for an endowed scholarship is $50,000: an amount that will fund on average $2,000 in scholarships each year. 

Those who make a pledge to establish a new endowed scholarship may schedule payments over five years. Normally, the entire gift needs to be received before the endowment starts earning income so the first scholarship can be awarded. 

That’s where the match comes into play. 

Now, when you make a commitment to create a qualifying new scholarship endowment, the university will provide funds so students will begin receiving your scholarship right away. The bigger your gift commitment, the more students will receive scholarships immediately.
 

Example 1: Chris Chan decides to create the Chan Family Scholarship with a $50,000 gift. During years 1-5, while Chris makes $10,000 payments, the university awards $2,000 in Chan Family Scholarships. After that, the endowment provides $2,000 annually in scholarship awards. 

Example 2: Taylor Jones decides to create the Jones Company Scholarship with a $100,000 gift. During years 1-5, while Taylor makes $20,000 payments, the university awards $4,000 in Jones Company Scholarships. After that, the endowment provides $4,000 annually in scholarship awards.

YOUR LEGACY

When you create a scholarship through this matching program, you may decide whether it will be awarded to students in a specific college or across the university. You may also choose whether any student is eligible or if recipients are those with financial need. 

Also, in recognition of this significant commitment to OSU, you may name your endowed scholarship, honoring a loved one or a family or business name. 
 
A named scholarship is a deeply meaningful, lasting legacy that will transform students’ lives – now and into the future.