The Graduate School is pleased to announce the Grad Advantage Tuition Scholarship, a pilot program launched for the 2024-2025 year, to support graduate student professional development. This award is designed to provide tuition support to students who want to enroll in select graduate-level courses that directly support professional development activities associated with the Graduate School's OSU Grad Advantage framework.

Award Details

The Graduate School intends to offer up to five Grad Advantage Tuition Scholarship awards each term Winter 2025, Spring 2025, Summer 2025, and Fall 2025 for a maximum of 20 awards during its pilot year.

The award provides a one-time, one-course scholarship (maximum 3 credits at actual charged tuition rates) for enrollment in coursework at the Corvallis campus or Ecampus. The award may only be used for the specified award term and for the specified and approved course and will be paid out after the add/drop deadline for that term has passed. Approved courses are limited to the following:

  • GRAD 514 - Introduction to Graduate Writing (3 credits)
  • GRAD 515 - Creating Happiness: Personal and Professional Applications of Well-Being for Graduate Students (1 credit)
  • GRAD 516 - Graduate Teaching Seminar (1 credit)
  • GRAD 520 - Responsible Conduct of Research (2 credits)
  • GRAD 521 - Research Data Management (2 credits)
  • GRAD 522 - Preparing an IRB Submission (1 credit)
  • GRAD 542 - The Inclusive College Classroom (3 credits)
  • GRAD 543 - Dialogue Facilitation in Professional Contexts: Skills and Practice for Graduate Students (3 credits)
  • GRAD 550 - Introduction to Online Course Development and Facilitation (3 credits)
  • GRAD 560 - Theories of Teaching and Learning (Ecampus section only; 3 credits)
  • GRAD 561 - Course Design and Methods (Ecampus section only; 3 credits)
  • GRAD 599 - Cultivation Productive and Positive Academic Relationships for Graduate Success (1 credit)

To complement the for-credit professional development course that is funded through this award, recipients must also complete a not-for-credit professional development experience in the same Grad Advantage competency area. They may select from the “Opportunities for Improvement” provided at the OSU Grad Advantage site or they may propose alternatives.

Eligibility

  • Applicant must be a graduate degree-seeking student at OSU.
  • Applicant must have a GPA of 3.0 or above.
  • Applicant must be making satisfactory academic progress, as determined by the graduate program and the Graduate School.
  • Applicant must have completed the OSU Grad Advantage Self-Assessment tool

Applicants are ineligible for this award if:

  • They have received a Grad Advantage Tuition Scholarship at any time during their graduate degree.
  • They have previously enrolled in and received a grade for the selected course; this award will not fund subsequent attempts at a course.
  • They are pursuing only a graduate certificate or other non-degree credential.
  • They will have tuition funding through an assistantship, fellowship, or other funding source that fully covers their tuition during the term they intend to enroll in the select course.

Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation of nominations will be based upon:

  • The applicant's commitment to their professional development.
  • The applicant's previous academic success.
  • The applicant's scholarly potential or anticipated success in their chosen field of study.

Preference will be given to:

  • Applicants who have completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Oregon Student Aid Application (ORSAA), and have demonstrated financial need.
  • Applicants who have exclusively or largely had to self-pay for their education, which encompasses some or all of the following:
    • Not receiving an OSU-provided tuition benefit.
    • Not receiving a private employer-provided tuition benefit.
    • Having largely paid tuition through personal funds and/or federal/state loan programs.

Nomination Period

  • Fall 2024: Open 11/04/24 to 12/02/25
    (awardees may use funds for course enrollment in Winter 2025)
  • Winter 2025: Open 02/03/25 to 03/03/25
    (awardees may use funds for course enrollment in Spring 2025)
  • Spring 2025: Open 05/05/25 to 06/02/25
    (awardees may use funds for course enrollment in Summer 2025)
  • Summer 2025: Open 08/04/25 to 09/02/25
    (awardees may use funds for course enrollment Fall 2025)

Nomination Procedure

Applications must be submitted by the student directly through the online request form.

In the online nomination form, students will be required to prepare/upload the following materials as one PDF document using the following file name convention:
"Nominee's Last Name_Department_GradAdvantage.pdf", and upload it through the nomination form.

  1. A statement from the applicant (2 pages maximum) that speaks to:
    1. Their previous academic success, and scholarly potential or anticipated success in their chosen field of study
      • This can be demonstrated in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, their commitment and persistence related to previous academic pursuits, their intellectual curiosity and commitment, and the strengths and skills they bring to their graduate studies.
    2. How this award will support them in developing their professional development skills, with specific reference to the Grad Advantage competency framework.
    3. The proposed for-credit and not-for-credit experiences they intend to pursue and why.
    4. How the student has financed this graduate degree to date (e.g., OSU-provided tuition benefit, employer-provided tuition benefit, loans, personal funds) along with estimates as to the percentage each source has contributed to the overall cost of this degree
  2. A copy of the applicant's Grad Advantage Self-Assessment.
  3. A copy of the applicant's résumé or curriculum vitae

Nomination Form

Submit an application

Questions

For questions about this award or any Graduate School administered awards, please contact our Graduate Scholarships and Fellowships team