Office of Student Financial Assistance

Introduction

Scholarships are a form of financial assistance that do not require repayment and may be awarded based on merit, financial need, or a combination of both merit and need. Scholarships can come from different sources and have various awarding criteria. Although scholarships are listed on a student's financial aid account, the Office of Student Financial Assistance does not award scholarships. Some scholarships are awarded to students on the basis of their admissions information; others require additional application materials.

Indiana University Bloomington offers numerous scholarship opportunities for incoming freshmen and enrolled students. IUB students may also be eligible to receive a wide variety of scholarships from external donors and outside resources.

If you have received an aid award from outside sources, please report these awards to the IU Office of Student Financial Assistance using the Reporting Other Awards form.

Scholarship donors are encouraged to check the "Tips for Scholarship Donors" for additional information. The "Scholarship Processing" option is intended for IUB departmental use only.

IU Scholarships

The Office of Scholarships provides students with information on the following types of scholarships:

The Office of Scholarships also provides students with information on additional scholarships through the IU Foundation and the IU Alumni Association as well as many other scholarship opportunities.

Please visit the IU Office of Scholarships website for eligibility requirements, application processes, and other IU scholarship information.

The IU Office of Student Financial Assistance does not administer or select scholarship recipients.

Private/External Scholarships

External scholarships may be awarded through various resources such as churches; professional, civic or service organizations; private foundations; the military; etc. Information for these resources may be found through the high-school guidance counselor, local libraries, local chamber of commerce, and the internet. Parents and students should also inquire at their current places of employment to determine if financial aid benefits are offered.

If you have received an aid award from outside sources, please report these awards to the IU Office of Student Financial Assistance using the Reporting Other Awards form.

Scholarship Search Engines

A quick way to start a scholarship search is to use specialized scholarship search sites on the web. The ones listed here are among the most popular free scholarship search sites.

Scholarship Search Engines

Several for-profit companies in the United States offer computerized search services, often charging fees of $75 to $175 or higher. The Indiana University Office of Student Financial Assistance does not recommend these services and suggests that you thoroughly investigate them before submitting any fees to them. Verify the legitimacy of any financial aid consultants or search services you may use for hire. For tips on avoiding scholarship scams check these resources:

FAQ'^s

Scholarship FAQ's

1. The scholarship donor mailed a scholarship check directly to me, how do I go about getting it applied to my financial aid account?

You may mail it directly to the Office of the Bursar at:

Office of the Bursar

Indiana University

Franklin Hall 011

601 E. Kirkwood Avenue

Bloomington, IN 47405-1223

You may also drop it off in person at the Office of the Bursar in Franklin Hall 011.

2. How does my scholarship(s) affect other financial aid?

Scholarships are a form of gift aid that may be need-based, merit-based or a combination of both. In any instance, per Title IV Federal Financial Aid regulations, scholarships must be counted toward a student's need-based federal aid eligibility. However, as long as the student has reported all awards fully and completely before awards are disbursed to the student's bursar account, there should be minimal effect to other financial aid on their account. Please refer to the Awarding Aid section of the OSFA website for more information.

3. How should I report other scholarships I will be receiving?

The online form for Reporting Other Awards should be submitted by students each year to report any external private scholarships they will receive.

4. What does "anticipated" aid mean on my Bursar account?

Anticipated aid is a placeholder put on the student's Bursar account to represent aid that has been reported either by the student or the donor. Anticipated aid will reduce the amount of the student's balance due to the Office of the Bursar until the funds arrive from the donor and credit to the bursar account or the anticipated aid expires (30 days after the first bursar bill run of the term).The anticipated aid placeholder will be removed from the student's bursar account when actual funds are processed for the corresponding award(s) by the Office of Student Financial Assistance.

5. My scholarship(s) has not been posted to my financial aid account, why?

If the student is enrolled and is awaiting the application of a scholarship to their financial aid account, there are two possible causes for the delay:

The Office of Student Financial Assistance may have yet to receive funds from the private scholarship donor. Please be sure to confirm that a scholarship donor has sent the funds to Indiana University before contacting our office.





The Office of Student Financial Assistance may be experiencing an increase in the number of incoming private scholarships which will result in a longer processing timeline. Peak scholarship processing periods for the OSFA are mid-July through early October and late December through January.

6. Where can I apply for additional scholarships?

The "Scholarship Search Engines" tab on this webpage provides links to some free online engines for researching additional scholarship opportunities.

7. What will happen to my scholarship(s) if I take a semester off, transfer to another IU campus or transfer completely to another university?

In the event that a student cancels enrollment at Indiana University Bloomington for a semester before their scholarship has disbursed to their bursar account, the Office of Student Financial Assistance will review the supporting donor documentation received with the check deposit. If the documentation does not specify how or when the funds should be disbursed to the student, the scholarship funds will be applied fully to the most recent semester during which the student was enrolled. If the donor documentation does specify a disbursement schedule, the remaining undisbursed funds will be refunded to the donor*, and it will be the student's responsibility to update his/her college information with the donor.

*If a student transfers to another Indiana University campus to continue their studies, the remaining portion of the scholarship can be transferred to the new campus the student is attending with the donor's permission rather than being refunded to the donor.

8. Who is the donor of my 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, … External Scholarship?

The 'External Scholarship' is a generic designation for funds that are sent to Indiana University for students from private, non-IU donors. The names of private scholarship donors can be provided by the Office of Student Assistance by emailing blfinaid@indiana.edu.