College Scholarships

Student studying in the Biobehavioral Health Building.

In order to assist students have the ability and ambition to attend the University, and to recognize the accomplishments of its students, the College of Health and Human Development (HHD) awards scholarships on the basis of academic achievement, financial need, school/community activities, leadership positions, and work experience. Students must be enrolled in the College of Health and Human Development to receive scholarship support and some scholarships and awards require enrollment in a specific major. The College scholarships and awards are highly competitive due to eligibility requirements and limited funding.

No application required for most college scholarships

All currently enrolled HHD students, currently enrolled Penn State students intending to transfer to the College, and incoming freshmen and students transferring from a college outside of the Penn State system will be automatically considered for all scholarships and awards for which they are eligible.

HHD follows a "no application necessary" process to minimize the burden on students and families. Unless we absolutely require additional information because of donor requirements, we do not ask for any additional forms, essays, or documents to be submitted for HHD students to be considered for college scholarships.

A few select scholarships in HHD academic units require additional information for scholarship consideration as noted in the description. Any additional information will be collected as part of an application. These applications are typically announced in our weekly student newsletter, sent to all HHD students, and then archived and shared on the Web.

In addition, students who are within 30 credits of graduation may want to consider an application for "Complete Penn State". The Complete Penn State program is run by the Student Success Center and provides resources for students who are in their final two semesters of completing their first associate's or bachelor's degree. Complete Penn State supports students who experience a situation that negatively impacts their ability to complete their degree.

Financial Need

Majority of College scholarships and awards require or prioritize financial need. In order to be eligible, students must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application by Penn State's recommended filing date of December 1 for prospective first-year students and April 15 for continuing students. Visit www.fafsa.ed.gov to complete the application and see studentaid.psu.edu/apply for more information regarding Penn State Office of student aid.

Notification

College Scholarship awarding is an ongoing process. Efforts are made to award scholarships prior to July 1 for the upcoming academic year, but awards may be made throughout the year. College scholarships are not guaranteed nor are automatically renewed after the receipt of an initial award. Scholarship amounts may also vary from year to year depending on fund availability. Students must await a decision regarding these scholarships each year that they remain eligible.

Only those students who are selected to receive a college scholarship will be contacted. Scholarship awardees will be notified by email to their Penn State email address.

Disbursement Requirements

In order to disburse a college scholarship/award students must be enrolled in the College of Health and Human Development and be in good standing with the University. In most cases, students will receive half of their award in the fall semester and the other half in the spring semester. All funds are directly disbursed to an individual student’s account (LionPATH) through the Office of the Bursar.

Application Based College Awards/Grants

Undergraduate Internship Enrichment Fund

Francis Hoffman Award for Excellence in Writing

Summer Undergraduate Research Grants

HHD Student Emergency Support Funding

HHD students who are faced with sudden personal crisis and/or emergency circumstances inhibiting their ability to succeed academically or remain enrolled may submit a request for short-term emergency funding from the College. These difficulties or circumstances may include, but are not limited to, loss of a parent, loss of income, illness, accidents, unforeseen emergency/crisis etc.

The emergency funding request should detail:

What led to the emergent financial need
Impact of the emergency on your ability to remain enrolled or succeed academically
Other University resources you have already considered for your emergency (Office of Student Aid, Student Care and Advocacy, Complete Penn State, Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center, Academic Department Support etc.).

Emergency funding requests can be sent to: HHDScholarships@psu.edu

The college emergency funding is intended to provide short-term financial assistance to students who are managing demanding academic requirements while struggling with unforeseen debilitating financial circumstances. The emergency funding will be provided in the form of one-time award and is not intended to provide ongoing relief for recurring expenses. Further, these awards are not loans that students are expected to repay. Every request for emergency funding will be reviewed on its individual merits and the value of the awards would range in response to the specific needs of the student but typically will not exceed $500.

For questions or additional information regarding college scholarships please contact HHDScholarships@psu.edu.

Other Penn State Scholarship and Financial Aid Information

If you would like information about other sources of funding and assistance please contact the following: