Office of Student Life

Student Advocacy Center

Student Emergency Fund

The Student Advocacy Center hopes to help current students who are struggling due to financial emergency. 

The Ohio State University provides emergency financial assistance to students who may otherwise be at risk of dropping out of college due to an unexpected, unplanned financial emergency. We are accepting applications and may award up to $1,000 to eligible students. Resources are limited and students may only receive funding one time. We cannot assist with university expenses like tuition or student health insurance.

Please read more below and apply here.  

 

WHAT IS A FINANCIAL EMERGENCY?

  • Eviction
  • Utility shut-off
  • Car repair that will prevent you from traveling to campus
  • Food insecurity
  • Past-due medical bills
  • Other needs considered on a case-by-case basis

ELIGIBILITY

  • Students must be enrolled in the current term and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 when completing the application.
  • This year’s FAFSA must be on file and the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) cannot exceed $10,000.
  • The student must have room in their financial aid budget (unmet need in their Cost of Attendance) and utilized already-awarded financial aid.
  • Students must include documentation reflecting their financial emergency clearly showing both the student's name and the exact cost of the expense(s).   (A copy of a lease, a utility bill, auto repair bill are examples of appropriate documentation.) 
  • Students enrolled in online-only and non-degree granting programs (such as Continuing Education) are NOT eligible for funding.
  • Students may only receive emergency funding one time.

 

APPLICATION PROCESS

  • Questions  If you have questions, please contact us by e-mail advocacyemergencyfund@osu.edu or by phone (614) 292-1111 to set-up a phone conference
  • Application  Please complete the following form: Student Emergency Fund Application and submit all appropriate documentation.
  • Award Decision  After the application is reviewed, the student will receive a message via their OSU e-mail account notifying them of the outcome within 3-5 days. If approved, the message will also include how much funding will be awarded.
  • Payment  The university works diligently to process funding as quickly as possible.  Awards will be applied directly to the student’s Statement of Account.  If the student is not already signed up for direct deposit, please follow instructions listed here.   
  • Financial Education Training To help prevent financial emergencies in the future, Ohio State is committed to providing all students with the opportunity for free financial coaching from Scarlet and Gray Financial at the Student Life Student Wellness Center. All recipients of emergency funding are expected to attend training after their immediate emergency is resolved.   To learn more and to schedule your financial coaching appointment, please visit this link.  

 

If you are an active F-1 or J-1 international student, please contact the Office of International Affairs at  iss@osu.edu for grant information through the Office of International Affairs.

 

PLEASE NOTE: 

Information submitted will be used to determine eligibility.  It may be shared with other university offices that have a need to know for purposes of reviewing and processing this request, and/or to comply with university policy or law.

QUESTIONS?

For more information about student emergency funding, contact the Student Life Student Advocacy Center by e-mail advocacyemergencyfund@osu.edu or by phone (614) 292-1111.