Financial Aid

Three Students.crop

Financial Aid
Scholarships

Students must be master's candidates to be eligible for financial aid. In general, admitted graduate students typically qualify for aid as long as they are enrolled at half-time status and up.

To apply for financial aid for Summer 2023, complete and submit the 2022-2023 year FAFSA, as SOU's summer term falls at the end of the 22-23 academic year. To continue with the steps to complete the aid process, you may also complete the master promissory note and entrance counseling found on the Federal Student Aid website.

Once you have completed your initial FAFSA submission and registration for your summer SLI classes, SOU's financial aid office would reach out to assist you in finalizing your aid package. Financial aid funds are disbursed at the beginning of a session, shortly after classes start.

Please note that only federal loans (not direct grants) are available for master's degree programs.

SOU's financial aid office also has information and directions for the FAFSA process on their web site, including our school code. For questions about aid, please contact them at finaid@sou.edu.

Because SLI students are only enrolled as full-time graduate students during the summer, loans will go into repayment 6 months after taking classes. Students then begin making the few monthly repayments until they are enrolled again the next summer. At that time, students should provide their loan provider with proof of enrollment by following the "Enrollment Verification" process found on the SOU Raider Student Services page. Loan payments will be deferred again for the second and third summer, then resume after those summer terms are over. Making some payments on your loans in between summers helps keep the total amount owed and the interest accrued down. There are 3 or 4 plans to choose from, with the standard plan being 10 years to pay back your student loans.

For the delivery of any financial aid refunds, SOU partners with BankMobile to provide a "OneCard" for refunds and an SOU student ID. Students can choose to have refunds deposited to their existing bank account or to a BankMobile account.

Scholarships

There is a small but growing scholarship pool through the Oregon Lottery Scholarship for Master's degree candidates in the Summer Language Institute. These scholarship funds are awarded based on financial need and/or merit. Contact us at sli@sou.edu for additional questions about this scholarship.

The OLS application deadline for 2023 is April 24th.

In order to apply:

- Complete the program's Oregon Lottery Scholarship Application:

OLS Application - Fillable PDF Version

OLS Application - Word Version

- Submit this form along with the additional requested documentation - a one page statement of academic accomplishments and goals, and a one page statement of financial need - to the Graduate Program Specialist at sli@sou.edu.

Please note that one must also have filed the 2022-2023 FAFSA in order to be considered for an OLS award.

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- SOU also typically has some other scholarships available for language students - and while some of these may be prioritized for undergraduate students, graduate students can also be eligible for them. Typically these scholarships are due on March 15th. See Graduate Studies Scholarships

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Since our scholarship pool is small, we encourage students to apply for other forms of financial aid as well. Good sources for past students have been professional development grants from their high schools, school districts, or state language associations, and/or federal grants, such as the TEACH grant.

Are you a member of AATSP? If so, scholarship opportunities might be available to you. Click HERE for more information.

Southern Oregon University is committed to providing equal opportunity in its recruitment, admissions, educational programs, activities, and employment without discrimination on the basis of age, disability, national origin, race, color, marital status, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. Inquiries may be directed to: Associate Provost, 1250 Siskiyou Blvd., Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR 97520, or via phone at 541-552-6114.