Otterbein University, since its founding in 1847, has been committed to being a “college of opportunity.” Otterbein University reaffirms its commitment to making the transformative power of higher education available to all students by launching a new full-need Opportunity Scholarship program which will cover the direct cost of tuition, after all federal and state aid, including the federal Stafford loan, has been applied, up to the student’s full-financial need as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The Opportunity Scholarship does not cover room and board, or books.

The Opportunity Scholarship will be offered to new freshmen and transfer students beginning in Fall 2019. Eligible students must be residents of Ohio and must be eligible for the federal Pell grant. Students must be enrolled full- time. The Opportunity Scholarship is renewable for up to 8 semesters or the first undergraduate degree, as long as students maintain full-time enrollment, a 2.75 gpa, and file the FAFSA every year by February 15, demonstrating continued Pell grant eligibility. Approximately 350 Pell grant eligible students were admitted for Fall 2018 and 184 enrolled.

The Opportunity Scholarship expands the University’s Urban Districts Initiative, begun in 2014, that focused on students enrolled in four central Ohio urban districts beset by high levels of poverty: Columbus City Schools, Southwestern City Schools, Westerville City Schools, and Whitehall City Schools. The outcomes of the Urban Districts Initiative have been so incredible, closing the achievement gap between students of color and white students, for example, that offering similar support to other low- income students became a priority.

Visit our Scholarships & Awards page for more information.