Apply for Private Aid
Many private scholarship opportunities are available for students. We have outlined a few places to begin searching and some additional tips for applying for private scholarships.
Please note that receiving private scholarships in addition to Purdue or federal aid may require that a student’s overall aid package be adjusted.
Private Scholarships
Finding Private Scholarships
There are many private scholarship opportunities available, and you should apply for these as early as possible. Scholarship opportunities can be found in your local community and nationwide. Each scholarship will likely have a unique application process. However, it is important to be wary of scholarship scams. You should never pay a fee to an organization to find scholarship opportunities for you, or to complete an application for a scholarship that is offered.
To find private scholarship opportunities, we recommend utilizing ScholarshipUniverse. ScholarshipUniverse is a matching system that maximizes scholarship opportunities for students and can match students to scholarship opportunities that Purdue offers, as well as outside scholarships. All private scholarship opportunities listed within ScholarshipUniverse have been vetted to ensure that students have access to legitimate scholarship opportunities.
To access private scholarship opportunities through ScholarshipUniverse:
- Current and admitted Purdue students have access to ScholarshipUniverse.
- Incoming students can access ScholarshipUniverse through their admissions portal.
- Once logged in, answer the questions under the “Questions” tab on the left-hand side of the screen. Answers to these questions determine if you are eligible for various private scholarship opportunities archived within ScholarshipUniverse.
- When finished answering questions, choose the “Scholarships” tab on the left-hand side of the screen. Then, choose the “Matches” option. Private scholarship opportunities that you have been matched with will be listed here with a globe icon next to them.
- Click the “Apply” button next to a private scholarship opportunity to access the scholarship application.
- Please keep in mind that private scholarship applications are hosted on websites external to ScholarshipUniverse and Purdue University.
We also recommend talking to your guidance counselor and checking out free private scholarship databases external to Purdue, such as FastWeb, or scholarships.com.
Private Scholarship Forms
The Division of Financial Aid can help complete private scholarship forms that require financial aid information. Students or private scholarship donors can submit forms to the Division of Financial Aid via email, postal mail, fax, or in-person delivery to our front desk. Private scholarship forms completed by the Division of Financial Aid will be available 3 – 7 business days from the date of submission.
Private Scholarship Checks and Payment
The Office of the Bursar provides details on how to apply private scholarship payments to your university bills, as well as general information about how these scholarship payments are processed.
If you are a private scholarship recipient and will be enrolled less than full-time, on co-op or internship, or graduating in December, your private scholarship donor may need to approve the use of your scholarship funds at Purdue University.
Private Scholarships and Financial Aid Packaging
All private scholarships that you receive must be reported to Purdue University. Instructions for reporting private scholarships can be found on our how-to use myPurdue webpage.
As financial resources, federal regulations require that private scholarships be included in a student’s overall financial aid package. Information concerning financial aid over awards can be found on our financial aid policies webpage.
For Private Scholarship Donors
The Division of Financial Aid does not advertise private scholarship opportunities on this webpage. Instead, please email information regarding your scholarship opportunity to scholarshipdfa@purdue.edu.
Private Loans
Many private education loan options are available to assist you and your family in meeting college costs. Loan applications are completed with your lender of choice and require good credit or a co-signer with good credit. We recommend applying at least 30 days prior to the date you need the funds and complying quickly with information requests from your lender. Read more about student loans.