October 4, 2022

A new online tool at Columbus State University is making the quest for college affordability easier for both current and future students. The new “CSU Scholarships” online platform, launched on Oct. 3, streamlines the process of searching and applying for the hundreds of scholarships the university offers.

The CSU Scholarships platform provides information about scholarship requirements, which vary based on a student’s major, classification, GPA, financial need and other qualifications. It allows admitted and current students to apply online for available scholarships directly from the site. Applications for 2022-23 scholarships are open to students now, with deadlines for many extending to Feb. 15, 2023.

Each year at Columbus State, more than 1,200 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from competitive, university-based scholarships. For the 2021-22 academic year, the university awarded more than $3 million in both need- and merit-based scholarship awards. Individual awards ranged in value from $100 to $5,000 per student in year-round support, which went to fund tuition and fees, room and board, textbooks and other educational expenses.

Last academic year, more than 70% of Columbus State’s students benefited from some form of financial aid. Dr. Pat McHenry, CSU’s interim provost and executive vice president, indicated that the university’s enrollment management professionals—which include admissions, financial aid and scholarship counselors—are all well-versed in those financial aid offerings and can assist students in various stages of applying to, enrolling in and continuing their studies at Columbus State. 

“Our team at Columbus State is dedicated to helping our current and future Cougars uncover every opportunity to make college affordable,” McHenry said. “Those opportunities include scholarships but extend to state and federal financial aid like grants, loans and other forms of support.”

Completing the 2023-24 Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) is another must for students who wish to maximize their financial aid eligibility. This is especially true for students seeking need-based scholarships, since data from the FAFSA is used to verify eligibility for need-based financial scholarships.

Whether need-based or merit-based, scholarship awards at Columbus State are made possible by philanthropic donors through their annual and endowed gifts to the CSU Foundation.

“Our donors’ generosity is at the heart of making college affordable for our students,” said Dr. Rocky Kettering, CFRE, CSU’s vice president for institutional advancement. “Their gifts to the university are truly the turning point for some of our students realizing their goals of a quality education and a rewarding professional career.”

Kettering noted that, during Fiscal Year 2022, which concluded on June 30, giving to scholarships accounted for more than 21% of the $6.97 million in total gifts to the university. Scholarship support was second to general university support, which accounted for 51% of all donations to Columbus State.

Belem Gonzalez, a senior from Roswell, Georgia, is among the CSU students currently benefiting from that generosity. 

“I would like to thank the Mion family for such an amazing opportunity,” Gonzalez said. “I am very honored and grateful to be this year’s Mario R. Mion Scholarship recipient. This scholarship will help me pay for some of my tuition and fees for next semester. I am majoring in political science and minoring in sociology. With this, I would like to pursue a future career in immigration law.” 

Columbus State students also benefit from other external scholarships, such as the Hope and Zell Miller scholarship programs, and the Hope Grant Program—all of which are administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission. Many students also secure third-party scholarships through companies, foundations, civic and religious organizations, their parents’/family’s employers, and their own employer's tuition benefits. High school counselors and web-based resources like GAfutures can provide more information on these opportunities.

For more information about benefiting from scholarships at Columbus State, visit columbusstate.edu/scholarships or call 706.507.8800. To explore establishing a scholarship, visit giving.columbusstate.edu or call 706.507.8945.