OBU Increases Guaranteed Minimum Scholarships for all New Students Beginning Fall 2020

September 16, 2019

OBU is increasing all scholarships for first-time freshmen by $2,000 per year, making an already affordable private Christian education even more attainable for both first-time freshmen and transfer students. The University is likewise offering guaranteed minimum scholarships to transfer students and increasing transfer scholarships by $2,500 per year.

Beginning in the 2020-21 academic year, all new freshman students will receive a guaranteed minimum $28,000 scholarship, at $7,000 per year over four years. This scholarship is up from the previous guaranteed minimum $20,000 four-year scholarship for new students. All new students may also qualify for higher scholarship amounts, based on the criteria below.

First-time freshmen are eligible for more based on high school GPA and either ACT or SAT scores. Academic scholarship levels include $36,000; $44,000 (President’s Academic Scholarships); $48,000 (Trustee’s Academic Scholarships); or $56,000 (Founder’s Academic Scholarships), all payable over four years.

First-time freshmen with at least a 32 ACT or 1420 SAT with a 3.75 high school GPA or higher may apply to compete for University Scholarships, which are full tuition academic scholarships. See information about other full tuition scholarships and additional scholarship opportunities.

Transfer students may also qualify for more based upon their college GPA. While all transfer students qualify for the guaranteed minimum $7,000 per year scholarship, students with a 2.50 to 2.99 transfer GPA quality for $9,000 per year. Students transferring with a 3.00 to 3.59 GPA will receive a $10,000 per year scholarship, while students transferring with a 3.60 GPA or above will receive an $11,000 per year transfer academic scholarship.

Academic scholarships and grants are awarded to students based on their academic achievement. The awards are not based on financial need and are renewable provided the student maintains a 2.0 college GPA. The University has a scholarship estimator tool which provides a quick idea of how much students can expect to receive in academic scholarships. It takes less than a minute to complete.

Bruce Perkins, associate vice president for enrollment management, says there is a misperception out there that OBU is an expensive education, out-of-reach for many.

“That misperception simply is not true,” Perkins said. “Every year, students and their parents are pleasantly surprised to learn just how affordable the life-changing, world-class Christian education at OBU truly is. In fact, our net price is lower than most of the other colleges and universities around the state, including our flagship state university.”

Perkins encouraged all high school seniors to complete OBU’s free admissions application and send their FAFSA to OBU once they complete it after Oct. 1, so they will receive a free financial aid package. He knows that many of these students and their families will also be happily surprised to see that an OBU education is more affordable than they ever thought possible.

“Let’s have a conversation about costs,” Perkins said. “Don’t discount OBU on the basis of hearsay. Let’s have a conversation and walk through what reality is, and make a decision on real data and real information with a personal, customized financial aid package that is tailored to you and your family’s needs. If you enter the process and we start a conversation, we can deliver a package that is tailored to your needs. Then, you can make an informed choice.”