By Alex Sorrells / The Jambar
With deadlines for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid deadlines quickly approaching, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships reiterated that if students have any questions regarding application, they can reach out by email, phone or visit in person.
The YSU Foundation offers a scholarship application that matches eligible students to over 800 opportunities in one application.
Anthony Catalano, manager of Student Outreach and Support for the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, said scholarship applications for Youngstown State University Foundation Scholarships are due Feb. 1 and general scholarships are due in February and March.
“I’ve talked to students that didn’t do the YSU Foundation application. They said, ‘I had a bad semester, my GPA is not great.’ That foundation application includes scholarships that are based on merit … They also include scholarships that are based on financial need. You don’t necessarily have to have a great GPA if you have financial need and even special characteristics,” Catalano said.
Catalano also said students express the concern that if their parents make too much money, they will not receive anything in aid, which he said is not true. Although FAFSA offers need-based aid such as grants, filling out the application is necessary to potentially receive federal student loans and certain scholarships.
“90% of YSU undergraduates received some form of financial aid in the 2024-25 school year … and that’s loans, grants, scholarships, employer benefits — everything together. 80% of YSU students receive gift aid … grants and scholarships,” Catalano said.
Catalano said students filing as dependents can receive different amounts in loans depending on their academic year. First-year students can receive up to $5,500, sophomores can receive up to $6,500 and juniors and seniors can receive up to $7,500.
“A lot of students are hesitant to reach out to us. We have people that are paid to be here every day to help our students, so just reach out. Just say, ‘Listen, I have no idea what I’m doing here. I got a bill, what do I do?’ We can at least guide people on those options for merit based scholarships,” Catalano said.
Although Catalano said “C’s get degrees,” he also said students should maintain grades if they seek to apply for these merit-based scholarships.
“Most aid requires a certain number of hours per semester, so if a student decides that they want to attend [part time], 90% of scholarships are not going to pay. Grants will prorate down, so you’ll get less in a grant than you would have if you’re full time. Some scholarships that renew require you to be full time in the previous year to renew for the next year,” Catalano said.
Catalano said due to processing times, students should bring questions to the office as soon as possible to prevent missing a deadline.
“The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships is right up the hall on the second floor of Meshel Hall, [along with] the Penguin Service Center. They have their own counselors, they are fully staffed and they are experts in billing, financial aid, student records and registration,” Catalano said.
The Penguin Service Center is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and again on Fridays, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A financial aid counselor will be available at the center Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and again from 2-4 p.m.