Scholarships and Endowments
Scholarships have long played a vital role in Slippery Rock University's history, enabling students to pursue their educational goals regardless of their financial situation. Of our students, 85% require some form of financial aid to complete their education. Through private support, the Foundation is able to award 470 scholarships annually—298 of which are endowed scholarships. During the 2017-2018 academic year, private support provided over $2.1 million in scholarship aid to over 1,300 SRU students. Scholarships give students the opportunity to reach their potential by rewarding scholastic and athletic achievement and relieving the financial burdens associated with a college education.
Annual Scholarships
Annual scholarships are an opportunity to give a gift to Slippery Rock University and sustain our scholarship program. An annual scholarship of at least $1,000 is used to provide funds for a deserving Slippery Rock student. The impact of the annual scholarship is immediate, meaning the funds are disbursed to the student recipient in the fiscal year they are received. Gifts made to annual scholarships are not invested and do not earn additional income. As an annual scholarship donor, you can specify the scholarship name and criteria. Annual scholarships give you the flexibility in cost and commitment.
These scholarships provide the financial resources that help to fund the difference between the university’s true cost of educating a student, and what a student pays in tuition. Annual scholarship funds help Slippery Rock attract the kind of student who can best benefit from an SRU education, but who might not have the personal funds to cover all their tuition costs.
Why is your participation important?
Alumni and donor support for annual scholarships is critical. Not only do the funds provide much-needed assistance to deserving students, but the higher the participation by our alumni, the greater chance SRU has of receiving major grants from regional and national foundations which consider alumni participation an important part of their grant-making criteria.
Endowed Scholarships
The gift of an endowed scholarship provides Slippery Rock University with a permanent asset from which students can receive support. The gift becomes a fund managed by the Slippery Rock University Foundation; whose investment objective is to achieve growth that is enough to preserve the value of the gift, so the annual award is not diminished by inflation.
The minimum principal balance required to establish an endowed scholarship is $25,000. Initial contributions may be made in lesser amounts with no awards made to students until the minimum of $25,000 is reached. Subsequent additions may be contributed at any time in any amount.
Awards are made annually to deserving students according to the donor wishes and current financial aid policies of the university. Donors are given information annually about the students who receive their award. We strive to provide an opportunity for donors to meet the students who will directly benefit from their scholarship.
Naming the endowed scholarship is an opportunity to perpetuate your own interest in Slippery Rock or to recognize or memorialize a loved one, friend, classmate, or business. All students who receive a named scholarship are made aware that others share a commitment to their education.
How does it work?
Awards are made to deserving students according to established criteria and current financial aid policies of the university. While it is preferred that scholarships be unrestricted, occasionally it can be appropriate to specify that the scholarship be awarded to students with a specific academic focus or geographic area.
Donors are given information annually about the students who receive their award. We strive annually to provide an opportunity for donors to meet the students who will directly benefit from their scholarship.
Often, individuals combine both scholarship types and fund an immediate annual scholarship while building a scholarship endowment -- the best of both worlds. For example, a commitment to establish a scholarship is made for a total of $30,000 that will be fulfilled in annual gifts of $6,000 for five years. From the initial gift, $1,000 is earmarked for the immediate award of an annual scholarship. The remaining $5,000 is placed into an endowment. When the $30,000 commitment is completed, five $1,000 scholarship awards have helped deserving SRU students and a $25,000 endowment plus earned interest was established to fund the scholarship in perpetuity.
Donors are given information annually about the students who receive their award. We strive annually to provide an opportunity for donors to meet the students who will directly benefit from their scholarship.
Often, individuals combine both scholarship types and fund an immediate annual scholarship while building a scholarship endowment -- the best of both worlds. For example, a commitment to establish a scholarship is made for a total of $30,000 that will be fulfilled in annual gifts of $6,000 for five years. From the initial gift, $1,000 is earmarked for the immediate award of an annual scholarship. The remaining $5,000 is placed into an endowment. When the $30,000 commitment is completed, five $1,000 scholarship awards have helped deserving SRU students and a $25,000 endowment plus earned interest was established to fund the scholarship in perpetuity.
Why give an endowed scholarship?
The endowed scholarship program has grown because of donors’ interest in encouraging and empowering our future leaders.
Naming the endowed scholarship is an opportunity to perpetuate your own interest in Slippery Rock or to recognize or memorialize a loved one, friend, or classmate. All students who receive a named scholarship recognize that others share a commitment to their education.
As higher education costs continue to climb, today’s students have a greater need for financial assistance. Nationally, more than 60 percent of all public and private college students receive financial aid. More than 85 percent of SRU students receive some type of financial aid.
Naming the endowed scholarship is an opportunity to perpetuate your own interest in Slippery Rock or to recognize or memorialize a loved one, friend, or classmate. All students who receive a named scholarship recognize that others share a commitment to their education.
As higher education costs continue to climb, today’s students have a greater need for financial assistance. Nationally, more than 60 percent of all public and private college students receive financial aid. More than 85 percent of SRU students receive some type of financial aid.
Support an Existing Scholarship
Interested in giving a gift to an existing scholarship? Contact us Toll Free at 888.778.63.89 or make a gift through our online giving form.
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