Rogers State University has a tradition of helping students achieve their dreams of a college education while optimizing their financial investment and minimizing any potential economic burden.
So significant is the help available from the university that nearly half of its students can earn their degree without ever having to take out a student loan. For those who do assume student loans, RSU graduates rank as having the second lowest average student loan amounts when compared with regional college peers.
One means by which the university accomplishes this is through its academic scholarships.
Institutional academic or merit scholarships are awarded based upon an applicant’s eligibility, date of admission and enrollment. All such scholarships are based on the availability of funds awarded for a full academic year.
RSU freshmen admitted before March 1 who meet scholarship requirements are automatically awarded one of four institutional scholarships.
“What we’re looking at – the merit scholarship – students just have to apply to the university, and based upon that application, we’ll ask them for their ACT or SAT score and their high school GPA,” said Dr. Mark Rasor, vice president for administration and finance at RSU. “Based upon those numbers, we’re going to assign them a score and that score determines what scholarship they automatically receive from us. It’s a way for the university to award them a scholarship without them – or us, really – having to do anything extra. They just need to enroll and provide that information.”
To apply for an institutional scholarship, students must complete their admission to RSU, which serves as an application for an Academic Tuition Scholarship.
These scholarships are awarded based on an applicant’s GPA, test scores and their date of admission. Priority consideration is given to students admitted by March 1, and eligible applicants admitted after this date are awarded scholarships based on available funds.
The following formula is used to determine scholarship amounts:
(High School GPA x 1.25) + (ACT x 1.38889) = SCORE
- Students with a score of 88+ earn a Tier 1 scholarship of $2,500 per year for four years, totaling $10,000.
- Students with a score of 82-87 earn a Tier 2 scholarship of $2,000 per year for four years, totaling $8,000.
- Students with a score of 76-81 earn a Tier 3 scholarship of $1,800 per year for four years, totaling $7,200.
- Students with a score of 70-75 earn a Tier 4 scholarship of $1,500 per year for four years, totaling $6,000.
To be considered for a scholarship, students must meet the following criteria:
- Must be a U.S. citizen
- Must be an Oklahoma resident
- Must be enrolled as a full-time degree-seeking student
- Must be a first-time incoming freshman
- Must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Additional scholarships are available for transfer students as well. Full information is available at www.rsu.edu/transferscholarships.
So cost-effective is RSU that it recently earned a national ranking for its value and affordability, recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top schools in the region for lowest student debt upon graduation.
“When you look at state institutions, and really private ones in the state of Oklahoma, there are always the flagship universities that people think of and they’re going to cost more, typically, much more,” Rasor said. “But if you consider the regional universities, colleges of our size, RSU is exceptionally reasonable in terms of our tuition and fees, providing our students with the same kind of, and in many cases, a superior education, preparing them for the workforce and helping create better opportunities for their future.
“With our base (merit) scholarships, as well as other means of financial assistance, such as Pell or SEOG (Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant), etc., it is possible – I would even say probable – that someone could come to RSU and graduate debt free,” he said.
In addition to the base scholarships available to all who apply to the university, the RSU Foundation awards 150 endowed and unrestricted scholarships – all of these privately funded – based on certain criteria, and scholarships through the Honors Program and President’s Leadership Class also are available.
Although enrollees will be eligible for institutional scholarships after the March 1 priority deadline, scholarship amounts may be reduced for later applicants, with the early awarding for those who make their applications early.
“The importance of the priority application date is that, for students who get all their ducks in a row and apply by the earliest date, we’re going to guarantee they get whatever they qualify for in scholarship money,” Rasor said. “After that date, we’ll guarantee the scholarships, provided we don’t run out of funds, which can be a possibility, so it makes very practical – and makes financial sense – for enrollees to get their applications in as soon as they can.”
For more information about scholarships or to enroll to Rogers State University, visit www.rsu.edu/scholarships.
For information about Foundation scholarships, visit www.rsu.edu/foundationscholarships.