As part of our NASFAA Gives Back Campaign, the association developed a scholarship fund to provide a temporary bridge for under-resourced schools that may be facing financial hardship or distress, and give them an opportunity to access NASFAA membership, tools, and resources. View details on the scholarship development, eligibility criteria, and benefits package.

All institutions who applied will receive a one-year subscription to NASFAA's Today's News as a thank you.

The application window is now closed.  Selected scholarship recipients will be notified in May 2024.  

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify to apply for the scholarship, an institution's total core expenses per full-time equivalent (FTE) must exceed its total core revenues per FTE for at least two of the past three fiscal years. The data to calculate this information will be obtained by NASFAA from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

When reviewing applications, the selection committee may consider the following additional criteria about institutions or systems:

• Previous NASFAA membership
• Institution previously attended NASFAA National Conference in-person in the last five years
• Institution's minority-serving eligibility designation from the fiscal year 2023 U.S. Department Education of Federal Eligibility Matrices.
• Institution's full-time equivalent (FTE) from IPEDS
• Diversity of student population, including but not limited to the following variables from IPEDS:
  • percentage of total enrollment by race/ethnicity
  • graduation rates by race/ethnicity
• Percent of full-time first-time undergraduates awarded Pell Grants as reported from IPEDS
• Institution's Title III recipient status

Application Instructions & Requirements

The following information is required to submit your application:

• Prior to submitting the application, you must create a myNASFAA account and link your account to your institution. If you are having trouble finding it, please refer to the email you received from us.  Use the name of the school we used.  If it has changed, please email [email protected] with the updated school name. 
• Obtain your institution's OPE ID Number.
• Professional development budget for the financial aid office for the 2022-23 academic year.
• Essay Question: Based on your understanding of what is included in the scholarship, please describe in 500 words or less how this award would benefit you and your school?
• Applicants must submit a letter of support from their institutional leadership (e.g. dean, vice president, AVP) indicating support of receiving this scholarship. NASFAA has provided a template.
• This website will not save your information as a work in progress. Please plan to complete the application in one sitting.

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions.