Choose Ohio First Grant: A student scholarship grant to help tuition
The week of April 13, Cleveland State University received a memorandum of understanding from the state of Ohio that will allow it to start awarding scholarships from the computer science-related piece of the Choose Ohio First grant it received in December.
Choose Ohio First, which is, in fact, more than one grant, notified the university in the fall that it would allow it to award about $1.8 million in scholarship money in the next academic year. The program awarded about $1.4 million in Choose Ohio First scholarships this academic year.
Choose Ohio First is both a scholarship and an academic program authorized under the Ohio Revised Code. Each state university can apply for the right to award Choose Ohio First scholarships.
Under Choose Ohio First, students receive scholarship money and take part in a support program to help them succeed in their degree programs. The state restricts the supported majors to those in the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). At Cleveland State, this means that there are COF scholars in most of the Washkewicz College of Engineering majors, in most of the majors in the College of Sciences and Health Professions, and some in nursing as well. The programs will have about 300 COF scholars next year.
Students in the program can go to cohort meetings, do undergraduate research, take part in volunteer opportunities, do co-ops and internships, and do science education outreach. The COF scholars don't have to do all these options, but each scholar does some of them.
The grant awards student scholarships for tuition and fees, and the university matches the state’s commitment dollar for dollar to provide some of these support services.
“The goal set by the state is to improve recruitment, retention and graduation of STEM majors," said Barbara H. Margolius, director of the Choose Ohio First Program. "The State wants more students in these majors to graduate and stay and work in Ohio. The program helps CSU by helping our students with their financial needs and helping them stay on track to get a degree.”
The program is accepting applications from incoming freshmen for Fall 2020, but cannot add already enrolled students.
College Credit Plus students can also apply if they arrange to come to Cleveland State after high school graduation. Scholarships range from $1,500 to $7,500 per student, per academic year, toward the cost of tuition. The actual amount awarded is based upon financial need, with all eligible students awarded at least $1,500 per academic year.
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