The scholarship application period is now OPEN until March 15, 2016.

Delaware State University Foundation scholarships have been made possible by a generous commitment from donors. The DSU Foundation supports students who have demonstrated a commitment to completing their education and have met various criteria as specified by our donors and scholarship awarding committee.

Returning / current DSU students and transfer students who wish to be considered for University Privately Funded Scholarships, including Alumni Legacy Endowed Scholarships should review the information below.

Applying for a scholarship does not mean you will automatically be awarded a scholarship but your application will be reviewed for consideration by the scholarship committee. 

To apply for a private foundation scholarship, please click on the following link.

• https://desu.awardspring.com

Private scholarships awarding for school year 2016 - 2017 will be awarded according to the:

1. Donor's guidelines

2. Availability of funds

3. Financial need

Privately Funded Scholarships

Eligibility

• Applicants must have completed a minimum of 1 semester at DSU by the beginning of the 2015-16 school year or be entering as a transfer student.
• Must complete a FAFSA by the Financial Aid Priority Deadline of March 15th.
• Must have a 2.5 minimum cumulative GPA., unless stated otherwise.
• Must be a full-time student at DSU, unless stated otherwise

Award Information

• Scholarships are disbursed evenly between the Fall and Spring semester of each academic year.
• Scholarships may only be used to cover direct educational expenses billed by the University (tuition, fees, housing, meal plans and book vouchers).
• All scholarships funds that exceed direct educational expenses will be reduced and refunded to the donor.
• Students who are awarded a scholarship, must send a thank you letter to the Office of Development via email at dsufoundation@desu.edu.

Application Process

• Application available online January 5 – March 15, 2016 for the 2016-17 academic year.
• https://desu.awardspring.com

FAQs

Specialty Scholarships

The Osher Reentry Scholarship

Award Information

• Scholarships may be used to cover tuition only.
• Scholarships amounts are up to $5,000.

The Alumni Legacy Endowed Scholarship

• https://desu.awardspring.com

Eligibility
Scholarship applicant must:

• Be a child or grandchild of a DSU alumna/alumnus.
• Have completed a minimum of 1 semester at DSU by Spring 2016 or be entering as a transfer student.
• Complete the FAFSA by the Financial Aid Priority Deadline of March 15.
  Click here for the FAFSA website.
• Have a 2.5 minimum cumulative GPA.

Award Information

• Scholarships are disbursed evenly between the fall and spring semester of each academic year.
• Scholarships may only be used to cover direct educational expenses billed by the University (tuition, fees, housing, meal plans and book vouchers). All scholarship funds that exceed direct educational expenses will be reduced.

Application Process

• The application is available online January 5 – March 15, 2016, for the 2016-17 academic year.
• Submit three letters of recommendation. One letter of recommendation should be from an alumna / alumnus of Delaware State University. Letters of recommendation should be submitted no later than March 15 to:

Alumni Legacy Scholarship Committee
c/o Office of Development
Delaware State University
2nd Floor Administration Building
1200 North DuPont Highway
Dover, DE, 19901
or via email to: dsufoundation@desu.edu.

• A 250-word essay is required that describes what receiving Alumni Legacy Scholarship support means to you and why you are requesting such support. Also explain why you should be selected for a scholarship. If you have a particular financial need, include a paragraph about this topic.

FAQs

Deadlines

For questions or concerns, please contact the Delaware State University Office of Financial Aid at 302.857.6250 or via email at dsufoundation@desu.edu.

Please note that Federal and University financial assistance is available only to U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents. Also, please be aware that scholarships, policies, guidelines, and criteria are subject to change without prior notification.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Will scholarships cover the full cost of my education at DSU?
A. Delaware State University is committed to making higher education accessible, as demonstrated by our reasonable tuition for in-state and out-of-state students and in our variety of scholarships, financial aid programs, and financing plans. While we strive to make a University education affordable, virtually all students will have a combination of student and family contributions and student/parent loans in addition to any grants or scholarships awarded.

Q. I am a high school senior looking to come to DSU in the fall. May I apply for these scholarships?
A. The Office of Admissions offers scholarships to incoming, first-time freshmen. The Returning and Transfer Student Scholarships are only available to returning students or those students transferring to Delaware State University from other institutions.

Q. I have applied for admission to DSU as a transfer student, but when I try to complete the application, I get an error message indicating I am not a student. Why?
A. Only a transfer student whose application has been accepted by the Office of Admissions may complete the scholarship application. If your application is incomplete or has not been finalized, you may not apply.

Q. What is the user ID and password for the application?
A. The user ID is your Delaware State University student ID# and the password is the PIN you use to access Student Services. If you are a transfer student and do not know your student ID# or PIN, please contact the Office of Records and Registration.

Q. The list of available scholarships does not indicate how much each is worth. How do I know which ones to select if I don't know how much they are worth?
A. The scholarships come from various sources such as endowments and private donations and the award amounts are often left to the discretion of the Scholarship Committee based upon the number of applicants, availability of funds, and overall merit and financial need of the applicants. The average scholarship recipient received a total of $2,000 in 2010 – 11.

Q. When should I expect to get a refund check from my scholarships?
A. Scholarships may only be used to cover direct educational expenses billed by the University (tuition, fees, housing, meal plans and book vouchers). All scholarship funds that exceed direct educational expenses will be reduced. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Q. Why do I have to complete a FAFSA?
A. The Privately Funded scholarships and the Alumni Legacy scholarship are awarded based upon both financial need and merit. Recipients are not required to have a high need, but some amount of need is necessary. Please do not assume your financial need is not low enough! Complete the scholarship application anyway. Students with very low need may be awarded scholarships as well as those students with high need.

Q. I have a very high GPA. Why wasn't I awarded any scholarships?
A. Make sure to read all of the eligibility requirements. Remember, you must have a valid FAFSA on file with the Office of Financial Aid. If your Student Aid Report does not contain an EFC, then your FAFSA is not valid. Also, you must have some amount of financial need. Also, many scholarships have specific eligibility requirements aside from GPA that you may not meet.

Q. Are the scholarships open to graduate students?
A. Scholarships are generally only available to undergraduate students unless otherwise specified in the criteria.

Q. I am a transfer student. How will you know my GPA?
A. The Scholarship Committee obtains transfer student GPAs from the Office of Admissions.

Q. I made a mistake on my application! How can I fix it?
A. Please review your application for accuracy before submitting it. All applications are final once they have been submitted.

FAQ