Information in this section is also available in a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) format. Visit our Publication Section to view or print the Endowed/Donor & Outside Scholarship FAQ in PDF format.
The internet has become the primary resource for searching for scholarships. However, don’t waste your time or money on fee-based scholarship matching services. You won’t get any better information than you can get from using the free websites or search engines that are available. Most often these websites will require you to create a user name, password and profile in order to search their databases. Visit our Online Tools section to view a list of free scholarship search engines.
Each scholarship you find will most likely have different deadlines and application requirements. Prime months for scholarship deadlines are January through April for awards starting the following fall semester. Keep in mind many scholarships are only awarded once a year, so missing a deadline can mean missing out until the next cycle. Applications submitted past the deadline are usually not considered.
Outside Scholarships (including tuition benefits) are considered need-based and your original aid offer may need to be adjusted if the receipt of the outside scholarship exceeds your calculated need or current eligibility. Outside scholarships will always be applied against your unmet need first. If it is necessary to adjust your aid the change or reduction in your award will begin with monies that are least beneficial to you. Your loans will be reduced or reallocated first, followed by work study and then institutional assistance if necessary. You will receive an email communication from the Office of Financial Aid outlining any changes made to your offer of assistance due to the receipt of an outside resource. Please note, outside scholarships do not replace the family contribution.
Your outside scholarships may not appear on your current offer of assistance if we have yet to be notified. Most often you will receive notification of outside scholarships before we will. Therefore, if you expect to receive an outside scholarship you must notify the Office of Financial Aid in writing or by using the Report an Outside Resource form.
If you send a copy of your outside scholarship notification letter to the Bursar’s Office they can add it as a pending payment on your billing statement specific to the semester it will be applied to. The letter must include the total amount of the scholarship as well as how the money is going to be distributed to Providence College (i.e. all in one semester or split over both semesters). Please keep in mind that Providence College does not have any control on the timeliness of payments from outside agencies. Students and parents are responsible for any balance on their bill if the proceeds from an outside scholarship do not arrive before late fees are assessed each semester and you did not provide us with a copy of the scholarship notification letter.
If the group or agency giving you the scholarship sends the check directly to you, you must bring or mail it to the Student Accounts Office located in Room 400 in Harkins Hall. Most often checks are made out to the student and Providence College and therefore you are required to endorse the check before it can be applied as payment to your account.
