Award nominations open September 24, 2025, deadline: April 27, 2026
The Office of Graduate Education invites nominations for the Oregon Lottery Graduate Scholarship. Funds for this scholarship are provided through the Oregon State Lottery and will be awarded to domestic or international graduate students enrolled in an advanced degree program at Oregon State University. These scholarships will be awarded on the basis of academic merit and financial need.
The award also aligns with and supports development in the OSU Grad Advantage core competencies for graduate students. Nominees should complete the OSU Grad Advantage Self-Assessment Tool at the time of their nomination, or in the case of prospective students after they have been formally admitted to gauge their ongoing professional development progress and needs.
Award Details
The Office of Graduate Education anticipates awarding approximately 25 Oregon Lottery scholarships depending on funding received from the State of Oregon. Scholarship amounts vary but awards typically do not exceed $5,000. The scholarship will be disbursed in three installments through the academic year. Scholarships for less than an academic year will be prorated. This scholarship may be offered in addition to a graduate assistantship or fellowship.
Eligibility
- Nominee must have submitted an application for graduate admission and is considered regularly admissible OR nominee must be a current master’s or doctoral student
- Nominee must be enrolled for at least 5 graduate credits each term (fall, winter, spring) during the 2026-2027 academic year to receive the award
Evaluation Criteria
Once the nomination pool is established, the Office of Graduate Education will award approximately one-half of the available funds on the basis of academic merit, and approximately one-half on the basis of financial need and academic merit.
Nominations will be evaluated on the quality of the nomination materials in addressing:
- The nominee’s previous academic success and commitment to graduate studies.
- The nominee’s leadership and service
- The nominee’s scholarly potential and the quality and impact of their scholarship
- Evaluation of Financial Need
- Only nominees who are domestic students that have completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Oregon Student Aid Application (ORSAA) for the coming academic year, and have a demonstrated financial need, will be considered under this category. Otherwise, they will be considered in the merit-only category.
Nomination Period
The nomination period begins on September 24, 2025. All nominations must be submitted by 11:59 p.m., April 27, 2026. Awards will be determined in late May 2026.
Please note that this posted deadline refers to the date/time by which the Office of Graduate Education must receive the final and complete nomination packet and any accompanying materials. Academic units may have earlier deadlines to accommodate their internal selection and nomination processes, so students are encouraged to verify the timeline with faculty and/or their graduate program leadership.
Nomination Procedure
Nominations may be submitted by the nominee's graduate program director, department chair/head, college leadership, or appropriate leadership in an institutional partner (see linked document below) unit. Students may not apply directly for this award. Each unit (as defined by university major code) and institutional partner may nominate no more than TWO nominees (total) per award cycle.
In the online nomination form, nominators will be required to prepare/upload the following materials as one PDF document using the following file name convention: "Nominee's last name_Department_Lottery.pdf," and upload it through the nomination form.
- A statement from the nominee (2 pages maximum) that clearly describes (a) their previous academic success and commitment to graduate studies, (b) their recent and most significant leadership and service activities, (c) their proposed or current scholarship and its practical and academic impact, and (d) how this award will support them in their graduate studies. Nominees are encouraged to review the Office of Graduate Education’s OSU Grad Advantage core competencies and complete the OSU Grad Advantage Self-Assessment Tool.
- These criteria can be demonstrated in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, prior coursework, degrees, and institutions of higher education; honors, awards, scholarships, or other academic distinctions; scholarly activity at previous institution(s) or employment; progression of academic performance over time; commitment and persistence related to previous academic pursuits; intellectual curiosity and degree progress to date; leadership, service, or other significant involvement in professional or community organizations; and the ways in which current scholarship will make a significant contribution to their field and beyond.
- A nominating letter (2 pages maximum) from college leadership or the nominee’s major professor, unit chair/head that clearly describes (a) the nominee’s previous academic success and commitment to graduate studies, (b) the nominee’s recent and most significant leadership and service activities, (c) the nominee’s scholarly potential along with their proposed or current scholarship and its practical and academic impact.
- These criteria can be demonstrated in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, their prior coursework, degrees, and institutions of higher education; honors, awards, scholarships, or other academic distinctions; their scholarly activity at previous institution(s) or employment; their progression of academic performance over time; their commitment and persistence related to previous academic pursuits; their intellectual curiosity, commitment, and degree progress to date; the strengths and skills they bring to their graduate studies; their leadership, service, or other significant involvement in professional or community organizations; and the ways in which their current scholarship will make a significant contribution to their field and beyond.
- These criteria can be demonstrated in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, their prior coursework, degrees, and institutions of higher education; honors, awards, scholarships, or other academic distinctions; their scholarly activity at previous institution(s) or employment; their progression of academic performance over time; their commitment and persistence related to previous academic pursuits; their intellectual curiosity, commitment, and degree progress to date; the strengths and skills they bring to their graduate studies; their leadership, service, or other significant involvement in professional or community organizations; and the ways in which their current scholarship will make a significant contribution to their field and beyond.
- A copy of the nominee’s résumé or curriculum vitae.
NOTE to Institutional Partners:
If an institutional partner is submitting the nomination, they must also have confirmation from the student’s academic unit that:
- the student is not already being nominated for the same award by the academic unit, and
- the student is in good academic standing, making satisfactory progress, and that the nomination aligns with the student’s status in the program.
Nomination Form
Scholarships and Fellowships Application Form Overview
Questions
For questions about this award or any Office of Graduate Education administered awards, please contact our Graduate Scholarships and Fellowships team