Think back to your days as a college student. Memories and friendships were made, but not much money. That’s what made the small things so enjoyable, like parents coming to visit and paying for a meal, or nearby relatives providing a place to do laundry for free.

Many students at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma come to a point where they tell themselves that increasing their education will help increase their finances. This goal enhances their drive to excel and create a future.

Benjamin Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” That is why the support given by alumni and friends of the university makes such an impact on the goals these students have set for their future.

USAO is strictly undergraduate, meaning students wishing to pursue a postgraduate degree must prepare themselves to apply elsewhere well in advance. Whether the ultimate goal is a medical degree, master's or Ph.D., students must first pass an entrance exam.

Students must balance preparing for these rigorous exams while continuing with their regular coursework, extracurricular activities, and hours spent at work. It’s challenging, so the goal of this scholarship is to remove one of these burdens—paying for the exam—so that the ambitious USAO student is free to focus on perfecting their graduate program application.

Last spring, a scholarship was established to help upper-level classmen pay for these entrance exams: The Graduate School Assistance Scholarship. These exams range from $180 - $415. The entrance exams, often the most expensive cost for a student before enrollment in graduate school, are one of the defining factors of an applicant's admission into a program.

During fall 2017, the Graduate School Assistance Scholarship was able to provide assistance to all nine students who applied. In order give this same opportunity to students in spring 2018, we must raise funds today.

Help fund a scholarship that will provide financial need to any current USAO student who has demonstrated academic success to cover the cost of their first entrance exam.

For additional information on the Graduate School Assistance Scholarship, contact Dr. Jennifer Long at jlong@usao.edu or 405- 574-1217.