Choose Ohio First Scholarships

Get a great career with no debt. We're offering a full-tuition scholarship for students entering four in-demand fields. The Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program is available to incoming students pursuing programs in:

Information Systems Technology

Engineering Technologies

Nursing & Allied Health

Skilled Trades

Future Scientists | STEM Scholarship

For the Choose Ohio First scholarship for Science, Techology, Engineering & Math, see our Future Scientists Scholarship.

The application for the Autumn 2023 cohort is not yet open. The application will open in May 2023 and close in June 2023 and will be available on our standard scholarship system, AcademicWorks.

Check below for detailed instructions, eligibility requirements, and a list of the specific associate degree programs that qualify for the scholarship. Then, tell us you're interested and eligible in the pre-application linked below so that we can get back in touch with next steps:

Complete the pre-application here

For more information, contact: Alli Kurzawa, akurzawa@cscc.edu.

In addition to scholarship money, Choose Ohio First recipients will learn together as a cohort as they complete their program at Columbus State. Choose Ohio First recipients are a part of the STEM Experiential Learning Scholarship Community. Students will also have access to a specialized orientation, tutoring, research projects, and special events.

We'll help with connecting accepted students with resources such as career services, academic advising, and faculty mentors.

Eligibility & Application Steps

Eligible Programs

The following programs are eligible for Choose Ohio First scholarships. When you apply to Columbus State, make sure you declare one of these majors.

Information Systems Technology

Associate of Applied Science in:

Cybersecurity
Software Development
Network Administration
Web Development

Certificates in:

Cisco Certified Network Administrator Routing & Switching Certificate
Computer Literacy Certificate
IT Security Stackable Certificate
IT Support Stackable Certificate
Network Administrator Certificate
Software Developer Certificate
Mobile Game Applications Certificate

Nursing & Allied Health

Engineering Technologies

Associate of Applied Science in:

Mechanical Engineering Technology
Electromechanical Engineering Technology
Electrical Engineering Technology
Logistics Engineering Technology

Certificates: Coming Soon

Skilled Trades

Associate of Applied Science in:

Welding

STEM Majors

For the Choose Ohio First scholarship for Associate of Science degrees, see our Future Scientists Scholarship.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a scholarship, a student must:

a. Be an Ohio resident

b. Be accepted and enrolled as a Columbus State student and declared within one of the target programs (see Eligible Degrees, above):

c. Be new to the academic program listed above in autumn 2023 (students must be starting program in this semester to be eligible)

d. Be starting at college level courses (not taking developmental courses while pursuing your degree). See Placement & Testing

e. Complete the 2023-24 FAFSA.

f. Write a brief essay outlining college and career aspirations (on application)

How to Apply

Complete the Pre-Application
Complete 2023-24 FAFSA at fafsa.ed.gov listing Columbus State as a receiver (federal code: 006867)
Email Alli Kurzawa at akurzawa@cscc.edu to ensure your pre-application was received

Once your application is reviewed, you may receive an email from Alli Kurzawa with clarifying questions. If you are determined to be an eligible candidate, you will be invited to apply when the application opens in May.

Scholarship Expectations

The COF contract includes:

Scholarship criteria
Performance thresholds (including maintenance of a cumulative 3.0 GPA)
Active participation in co-curricular programming through the STEM Experiential Learning Scholarship Community including STEM Club, the Technology Speaker Series, and other career exploratory activities.
Agreement to submit responses to the evaluation surveys
All other requirements and expectations of COF Scholars, including their academic and professional conduct.