Related to educational costs/tuition balance:
SOU Financial Aid
To explore possible Federal Aid options like loans and grants or to see if you are eligible for additional funding based on your circumstances, contact the SOU Financial Aid to discuss options via their online form, email: finaid@sou.edu or call at 541.552.6600
FAFSA
The Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA) should be completed every year. Keep in mind, many other scholarships or grants you wish to apply for may require you to have applied for the FAFSA as well. There are deadlines associated with applying for the FAFSA so be sure to apply ASAP. It opens every October 1. Many awards are made available until funds are depleted so applying earlier can mean the difference between getting tuition money and not. Click here for more information about FAFSA deadlines.
Scholarships
Below is just a small selection of websites and resources that assist with scholarship searching.
- Scholarship Universe – lists scholarships available to students for the coming or current year
- SOU Scholarships – explore different scholarship opportunities depending on your current status, and be sure to apply for the general SOU Scholarship.
- Ford Family Foundation Scholarships – The Ford Family Foundation is a private, non-profit foundation that provides scholarships to students of Oregon. They offer scholarship programs for graduating high school students, transfer students, parents who are students, and adult learners over 25 seeking to get their bachelor’s degree.
- OSCA Application – The Office of Student Access and Completion allows you to complete one application but apply for many scholarships at once, with up to $10 million in scholarships available.
- Fastweb – One of the largest scholarship search sites that compares your information with the database of awards, identifies matches, and notifies you when new awards match your profile.
- UNCF – UNCF is the nation’s largest private scholarship provider to minority group members. Each year, they award more than $100 million in scholarships to students attending more than 1,100 schools across the country.
- Tips for finding more scholarships/grants – Search scholarships for undergraduate college or graduate students and explore the many different options that will show up. We also recommend researching identity specific scholarships for any and all identities you may hold.
- Be sure to search for grants as well. Similarly to scholarships, grants are free money awarded to students typically based on need which is measured by income. Explore different options and apply for as many as possible.
Alternative Educational Loans
These are loans offered by different banks and companies that are not associated with the Federal Department of Education. *** Please be sure to look into the terms and conditions, information about repayment, and specifics of each loan and company before you decide to apply.
- This SOU Financial Aid site provides information about Alternative Loans and a link to an external website that lists companies other SOU students have used. *We always recommend doing additional research into other companies not listed on the above website.*
SOU payment plans
At SOU, students can carry a balance across terms if they are unable to get enough aid to cover their balance or they cannot pay for the remainder out of pocket. A student can have a balance of up to $12,000 and still register for future terms. Should a student decide to carry a balance over terms, interest and other fees may apply.
We strongly recommend contacting the SOU Student Balances (studentbalances@sou.edu) department to discuss your balance and make a payment plan so you can avoid late fees and possible transferring of your balance to external collections which will destroy your credit and prevent you from returning to SOU until your entire balance is paid.
40 Money Management Tips for College Students
Created by the National Endowment for Financial Education, this 40 Money Management Tips for College Students PDF offers 28-pages of actionable, easy-to-understand strategies for understanding, finding, and saving money.
Related to personal expenses like housing, food, utilities, payments to debt, phone etc:
Please submit a Cares Note
Submit a Cares Note to be contacted by staff in Dean of Students office to discuss resources and options available to you, as well as to receive assistance in applying for resources.
Contact the Dean of Students
Reach out to the Dean of Students directly to discuss possible assistance and available resources through SOU. You may send an email via dos@sou.edu, call to schedule an appointment at 541-552-6221, or walk-in to the office in SU 321.
SOU Care Coordinators
Our Care Coordinators assist students with complicated issues/concerns, and work with them directly to provide connections to services, SOU offices, and resources both on campus and in the community. Schedule an appointment to get help.
Community resources
Some local resources include:
- ACCESS: Located in Medford and offers rental, utility, and other assistance programs
- Ashland Community Resource Center (OHRA Office): An Ashland based resource office that assists residents with identifying and accessing local resources.
- St. Vincent De Paul: Assistance with various needs.
- If you are experiencing food insecurity, visit our Food Resources page to learn about more resources.
Rent Assistance
The Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program provides assistance to low income individuals and families. More information can be found on their website here https://www.oregonrentalassistance.org/faq/
Utility Assistance
Local utility assistance is available for students in need! For students with City of Ashland Electric Accounts, there is an Ashland Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (ALEAP), for more information and to submit an application visit here.
Oregon Housing and Community Services provides funding for local nonprofit ACCESS to distribute in their Energy Assistance Program, to book an appointment visit their website here.
Pacific Power also offers some resources for payment plans and assistance, visit their website here.
Campus Jobs
There are many opportunities to earn money, get work experience, and build skills to help you in your career while you’re studying at SOU. Search for Work Study jobs and other job opportunities through Career Connections.
Financial Education Tools
- Rogue Credit Union Learning – A free service open to the public that offers online financial literacy courses, readings, worksheets, and other tools.
- 211Info – a non-profit that works to connect people with health and social service organizations. Explore their Financial Wellness resources page.
- CashCourse – a free resource that provides information on topics such as spending, saving, investing, borrowing, and loan repayment.
Oregon Student Child Care Grant
The Oregon Student Child Care Grant Program was established to assist parents enrolled in postsecondary education obtain safe, dependable care that supports their children’s development while allowing completion of the parent’s academic programs. For more information, and to apply for the grant visit this site.