Aid and Scholarship Opportunities

For more detailed scholarship information, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Diversity Enhancement Programs at 814-863-1947.

Financial Assistance

Penn State and Smeal are dedicated to providing financial assistance to students who qualify.

Penn State students who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the Web at www.psu.edu/studentaid/applying/ are considered for the following student financial aid programs:
• Federal, state, and University grants
• Federal work-study
• Federal loans
• Scholarships
• Federal Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)

In addition, Smeal identifies students and assists with the application process for the following scholarships:

The Diversity Scholars Program

Since 1990, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has actively attracted, hired, and retained the best and the brightest diversity students. Smeal assists PwC in recruiting highly-talented African American, Hispanic, and Native American students entering their sophomore and junior years. The program offers a $5,000 annual scholarship renewable until graduation, participation in the Minorities in Business Leadership Conference, and consideration for an internship position in PwC’s Assurance and Business Advisory Service, Financial Advisory Services, or Tax and Legal Services practices.

To be considered, you must maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average, demonstrate strong scholastic performance, interpersonal skills, and leadership ability; be an African American, Hispanic, or Native American student majoring in Accounting, Accounting Information Systems, Finance, Computer Science, or Management Information Systems with a strong interest in pursuing a career in audit, financial advisory, tax, or systems/operational risk consulting; attend one of the schools from the PwC Key School Network; and be legally authorized to work in the United States permanently, without firm sponsorship.

Smeal Dean’s First-Year Merit Scholarship

First-year students who have earned a high school minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.3/4.0, SAT scores of at least 1050, and have active leadership involvement are eligible to apply for this scholarship. The program offers two renewable annual scholarships of $1,500 to $2,000.

Mildred S. Bunton-Calvin Waller Fellowship

Named in honor of the first-recorded African American male and female Penn State graduates, the Bunton-Waller fellowship offers a full-tuition scholarship. Students who have earned a high school minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.6/4.0, SAT scores of at least 1200 (600 minimum for math), and have an active leadership involvement are eligible to apply for this fellowship.