Financial Aid

Together with the university-wide Student Financial Aid office, we are committed to helping you make your college education affordable. We offer a variety of services and programs designed specifically to help you find ways to meet your educational expenses. Our staff is dedicated to making sure you receive your aid in a timely and efficient manner. If after reading the information below, you still have questions regarding financial aid please contact the Buckeye Link office at buckeyelink@osu.edu or call 614-292-0300. For questions regarding Ohio State Marion specific aid, please email marionsfa@osu.edu or call 740-725-6242.

Your financial aid package may consist of a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and part-time work through the Federal Work Study program.

While you may apply for financial aid at any time, the priority deadline to apply in order to maximize all your possible financial aid options at The Ohio State University is February 15th for students planning to enroll for classes in the following academic year.

To be considered for financial aid, you should submit the following applications as soon as possible after October 1st, and no later than the updated February 15th priority deadline:

2025-2026 Scholarships

The Ohio State University at Marion is pleased to provide eligible students with a variety of sources for college funding, including nearly $1.1 million annually in campus-based scholarships. Our scholarship program is funded by the generous support of many area residents and organizations.

Award Criteria

• All award amounts listed below are based on two full-time semesters of attendance (Autumn and Spring), and do not include any other Federal, State or external financial aid for which the student may qualify.
• Summer semester awards are not available to students graduating from high school in the spring of the same calendar year.
• The current, full-time, in-state tuition rate for new students is only $9,488 per year ($4,744 per semester).
• High school graduates who have never enrolled in college courses after graduation will be awarded based upon the following criteria, based upon academic data on file with the Ohio State Admission Office as of the date of admission to the university. Additional academic data received after the date of admission will not result in any change to the student’s award.
• New admission applicants for the spring semester will be awarded on a funds-available basis only, as it is the final term of the academic year.

First-Choice Incentive for New Freshman

Students who apply directly to Ohio State Marion as their “first-choice” Ohio State campus by February 1 of the year they intend to enter will receive a scholarship based on the chart below. 

George Alber Scholars

Freshman students who apply and complete their application* for admission to Ohio State Marion as a degree-seeking student for the fall semester by our April 1 deadline and have a competitive academic standing can be considered for our George Alber Scholars program. 

Minimum of a 3.0 unweighted GPA is required. 

High School transcript is required. 

Scholarship Application is required. 

Application and essay prompt will open October 1st. The essay prompt is: The Ohio State University at Marion community is vibrant and ever-changing. How would you as a George Alber Scholar positively impact our campus community? (Maximum of 500 words)

*All components of the application (online form, $60 application fee or approved fee waiver and official transcript/s) must be received by the deadline in order to be eligible.

*Available until funds are exhausted.

Honors Students

Davis Honors and Excellence Scholarships ($500, $5000)

For more information visit: go.osu.edu/marionhonors

New Transfer Students

New applicants who apply and complete their application* to Ohio State Marion as a degree-seeking student for the summer or fall semesters by our February 15th priority deadline will be awarded based upon the following criteria:

*All components of the application (online form, $60 application fee or approved fee waiver and official transcript/s) must be received by the deadline in order to qualify. Students with fewer than 30 transfer credit hours post high school will be awarded based on their high school class rank.

Please note, new admission applicants for the spring semester will be awarded on a funds-available basis only, as it is the final term of the academic year.

Returning and Incoming Students

Apply for 2025-2026 Ohio State Marion scholarships on ScholarshipUniverse starting in December, 2024. ScholarshipUniverse is a scholarship matching tool that simplified the process of finding and applying for scholarships from both internal and external sources.

1. Log in at osu.scholarshipuniverse.com using your Ohio State username and password
2. Answer as many matching questions as possible: as you answer ScholarshipUniverse will alert you to possible scholarship matches. Be sure to continue until you get the following question: “What Ohio State campus are you attending next academic year?” (answer: Marion). Completing this question will allow us to consider you for Marion specific scholarships so it is very important that you complete this question.
3. Also check the “applications” tab and submit any applications that become available as you answer the matching questions.
4. Deadline is February, 2025.