The Financial Aid and Scholarship Office administers three types of scholarships:

SJSU campus based Department based Private based

The Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) is not a scholarship, it is a state grant. Refer to Types of Aid for more information on the MCS

Students should apply for as many scholarships as possible to lessen the need for loans or part-time work to attend school.

SJSU Campus Based Scholarships

The 2020-21 SJSU scholarship application, Spartan Scholarships, is CLOSED for all students.

We are currently reviewing scholarship applications for the 2020-2021 year.

Students who are selected for a scholarship award will be notified by email through the beginning of Fall 2020. We encourage all students to apply for External scholarship opportunities offered by private organizations outside of SJSU.

Please apply for Spartan Scholarships for the 2021-22 year beginning in January 2021.

Department Based Scholarships

Various academic departments on campus manage their own scholarships. Students are strongly encouraged to keep in close contact with their major department for scholarship information. These scholarships each have their own specific criteria, deadlines, and application instructions. Students should contact their department directly for additional information.

Private Based Scholarships

Scholarships come from a number of different sources. It can take some time and effort on your behalf to research them all. There are businesses that offer to do this work for you for a fee, but SJSU does not recommend these services. View Scholarship Resources for available scholarship databases.

We encourage all students to apply for External Scholarship Opportunities offered by private organizations outside of SJSU.

External Opportunities International students will only be eligible for those scholarships that are merit-based. Need-based scholarships are part of financial aid, which is unavailable to international students. View International Students for additional information.

Important to remember that when you apply for a scholarship, the application and other materials you submit represents you to the scholarship committee. It is important that you spend time on your application to do the best job you can. For some helpful hints on applying for scholarships, see our Tips on Applying for Scholarships.

Don't pay to fill out the FAFSA. The FAFSA is a free application. Fill it out at studentaid.gov