Report Outside Scholarships/Resources

About Outside Scholarships

Students are welcome to bring any scholarship received from an external source (such as your high school, church, employers) to Kent State University, provided the donor will allow the use of the scholarship at Kent State. However, those scholarships must be reported. 

What Must Be Reported?

All external scholarships must be reported to the university, even if the organization gave the student a check made out to them personally.  

Students who will receive an outside scholarship/resource that will assist in paying their education-related expenses (tuition, housing, food, books, supplies, equipment, travel, miscellaneous and personal expenses) must report that information and include documentation annually through FlashLine.

External resources include outside donor scholarships and/or tuition assistance/reimbursement. 

Note: You are not required to report aid already included in your financial aid package. You also do not need to include monetary gifts from friends, relatives or scholarships that were awarded to you by Kent State University.

How Do I Report an Outside Scholarship? 

Students can self-report external scholarships in FlashLine by following these steps:

• Login to your FlashLine Account at www.kent.edu
• Select Student
• Under Finances, choose Scholarships & Financial Aid
• Select Financial Aid Resource & Additional Information
• Choose the current Award Year from the drop-down menu and click the Submit button
• Click on Resources/Additional Information tab
• Fill out the External Resource Reporting Information
• Complete the Dynamic form to list all external resources and attach required documentation, then submit
• You will then be rerouted to FLASHLINE to finalize submission

Your reported aid will not be accepted or applied without documentation. It is only necessary to report an outside scholarship/resource once per academic year. This form is not to be used to request additional financial aid.

When Will I Have Access to Outside Scholarship Funds?

External scholarships/resources will not show as a credit on the student's account until the funds are received by the University. Once the external scholarship funds are received, the scholarship will be added to the student’s financial aid offer and will appear as a credit on the student’s account for that semester.  The actual funds will not be released any sooner than 10 days before your classes start.  You cannot receive the scholarship funds early.   If you owe a balance for any reason on your student account, your scholarship will be applied to that outstanding balance.  If you do not owe a balance for that semester, the scholarship will be issued to you as a financial aid refund for that semester. 

Will Outside Scholarships Affect Scholarship or Other Financial Aid from Kent State?

Outside scholarships can affect a student’s existing financial aid package. Typically, this happens only if a student is receiving a large number of scholarships that exceed the cost of the student’s tuition, room and/or board. Students in this situation will usually see a reduction in the amount they can borrow in a Federal Direct Student or Parent PLUS loan. Students cannot receive two scholarships that cover the same expense in its entirety or when combined exceed that expense. For example, a student cannot receive two tuition scholarships that exceed the cost of tuition. To find out if an outside scholarship will change a student’s financial aid or scholarship offer, please feel free to contact the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center.

What If the Scholarship Check Was Sent to the Student?

Make sure the student's name and Kent State ID Number is written on the check or included with the check. Submit your check using one of the following methods: 

• In-person Kent Campus:  Take the scholarship check to the Drop Box, located on the first floor of the Schwartz Center
• In-person Regional Campus:  Take the scholarship check to the Student Services Office of the campus you will attend
• Mail: 
  Kent State University
  Bursar's Office
  P.O. Box 5190
  Kent, Ohio 44242

What Actions Must International Sponsored Students Take?

We offer special support for students who are financially supported by ‎governments (U.S. or foreign), international organizations, public or private companies and other third-party entities.

If you are a sponsored student or a sponsoring organization, please visit our dedicated webpage or contact Sponsored Student Services intlspon@kent.edu for more information.