Scholarships and Awards

Smeal Scholarships

The Smeal College of Business Undergraduate Scholarship Committee supports our commitment to enabling access to the college for everyone.

Thanks to the generous support of our donors, there are a number of scholarships and awards for Smeal College of Business students.

Understanding costs and financial aid:

We encourage every student in the college to familiarize themselves with the costs of attendance and the full breadth of financial aid opportunities available.  We recommend you begin with the following central resources:

• Penn State Office of Student Aid
• Penn State Undergraduate Admissions Costs & Aid
• Penn State Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center

If you are eligible, we encourage every student to file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, as many scholarships require us to restrict the eligible pool of students to those who have a FAFSA on file.

College emergency funds:

Students may encounter different obstacles during their time at Penn State that can dramatically impact their ability to complete a semester or complete their degree. We have several scholarship funds that we are able to allocate specifically to students with emergency needs. 

For more information regarding eligibility and how to apply, please visit the College Emergency Funds website

Students are strongly encouraged to also contact Student Care & Advocacy and Services for Students in Need for possible additional support for emergency needs. 

Open Doors scholarships:

Students who are nearing completion of their degree, have experienced an unexpected hardship, and who have exhausted all other financial aid are eligible for a Complete Penn State scholarship.  This program is a collaboration between colleges and the Student Success Center.  Students are able to self refer to the program, however, Dean's office staff and advisors may also refer a student for this program independently. 

• Complete Penn State Open Doors scholarship referral information

Students who are changing campuses to University Park in order to complete their degree in the Smeal College of Business are eligible for the "Student Transitional Experiences Program", which will include a STEP award toward summer tuition.

College need-based and merit-based scholarships:

Smeal College distributes more than $3,000,000 every year in need-based and merit-based scholarships.  Funds are awarded on the basis of academic achievement, financial need, co-curricular and leadership activities, as well as work experience. The typical recipient of a Smeal College scholarship is a sophomore or junior at the time of application, has a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher, and has unmet financial need. However, all currently enrolled students are eligible to apply.

The 2025-2026 application is open from March 17 - May 23, 2025.

The selection process is extremely competitive. Typical awards are $5,000 for an academic year.  Most of these decisions are made in late spring/early summer for the following academic year.

College scholarship contact:

For questions regarding all of these undergraduate college scholarships for continuing students, please email Megan Hutchinson – Scholarship Awarding Coordinator at scholarships@smeal.psu.edu. Please be sure to include your PSU ID in all communications. For questions about MBA and other graduate program scholarships, please contact the Office of Professional Graduate Programs.