By investing in students, you open doors to opportunities for the next generation of innovators, creators, leaders, and change-makers. Your support helps pave the way for current and future Boilermakers to pursue their passions and make a meaningful impact on the world. Thank you for believing in the life-changing potential of higher education!
By investing in students, you open doors to opportunities for the next generation of innovators, creators, leaders, and change-makers. Your support helps pave the way for current and future Boilermakers to pursue their passions and make a meaningful impact on the world. Thank you for believing in the life-changing potential of higher education!
HOW IT WORKS
UPDATES AND FEEDBACK
We’re honored to update donors on the impactful difference scholarships make in our students’ lives. You may receive one or more of the following:
The Purdue for Life Foundation values your feedback. Please take this short survey to tell us about your stewardship experience.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Financial aid through FAFSA: Purdue uses the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to determine eligibility for federal, state, and institutional aid. Without FAFSA materials, the Division of Financial Aid (DFA) cannot determine the eligibility of the student.
Generous support from the state of Indiana: Indiana offers a range of financial aid options for students that are designed to make education more accessible. Primary examples are the Frank O’Bannon Grant program and 21st Century Scholars program, but there are several other programs within Indiana. These programs, along with federal scholarships, are required to be applied before institutional or outside scholarships.
FERPA: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is the federal law used to protect the privacy of a student’s educational records. Unless the student has given express permission via a legal FERPA document, even parents cannot receive education records or personally identifiable information.
The timing of distributions to the endowment support account may not always align with when awards are assigned. Awards are determined once a year for the upcoming fall semester.
The minimum total gift amount to establish a restricted endowment is $50,000.
The Purdue for Life Foundation will not solicit additional funding for your scholarship endowment. We encourage you to ask friends and family to support your endowment.
Funds are managed by scholarship coordinators across the university and the Division of Financial Aid at Purdue. Awards are distributed to candidates fitting the criteria documented in the agreement.
Generally, it takes at least one year for endowments to earn enough income to be awarded. Awards are determined September–November for the upcoming spring semester and March–May for the upcoming fall semester if no other factors limit the applicant pool. If the endowment earns enough income after one year has passed, funds will not be awarded until at least the next award period.
Several factors can affect scholarship awards, sometimes resulting in a fund left unawarded for an academic year. Restricted scholarships are often tied to donor intent, which may not always align with the current student population. As student demographics and priorities change, matching available funds with eligible applicants can become challenging. Setting specific eligibility requirements—such as particular majors, demographics, or geographic locations—can make it difficult to find qualified students who meet the criteria, often resulting in funds being under-awarded or unawarded.
It may take 2–6 months for a gift to be processed and reflected in the scholarship account. The timing of when the funds appear in the account determines whether the scholarship can be awarded for the year.
While we encourage contributions to the principal account so the endowment continues to grow, donors can contribute directly to the support account of the endowed fund before it is fully funded.
Beneficiary reports are posted in the Purdue for Life portal at the end of each semester or mailed in the fall following the close of the fiscal year. Sign up or log in to your portal account at connect.purdue.edu.
Most students apply for financial aid in general. Some scholarships require a separate application, while others are matched to eligible students based on specific criteria directed by the donor and outlined in the gift agreement.
Yes, donors can direct selection criteria for expendable scholarships. The criteria would be outlined in the gift agreement and recorded for future awards.
Yes, donors can direct selection criteria for endowed scholarships. The criteria would be outlined in the gift agreement and recorded for future awards.
While you are permitted to select the criteria of your scholarship, the selection process is managed by unit scholarship coordinators and/or Purdue’s Division of Financial Aid.
To renew scholarship awards, students must be actively enrolled and meet the minimum requirements for renewal. Unless specified otherwise in the gift agreement, Purdue strives to renew scholarship awards whenever possible.
Students can find scholarship information via their myPurdue account.
While we make every effort to connect you with the recipients of your scholarship, we cannot guarantee that a student will be willing to participate.
Donors can make anonymous contributions. Please make sure to specify your preference with a Purdue for Life Foundation representative so that it can be documented in the gift agreement.
Beneficiary reports are posted in the Purdue for Life portal at the end of each semester or mailed in the fall following the close of the fiscal year. Endowment financial reports that provide a snapshot of your fund’s growth and recent contributions are posted in the portal or mailed in the fall following the close of the fiscal year. Sign up or log in to your portal account at connect.purdue.edu.
Beneficiary reports are posted in the Purdue for Life portal at the end of each semester or mailed in the fall after the close of the fiscal year. Sign up or log in to your portal account at connect.purdue.edu.
Purdue University is committed to protecting the rights of our students. One way we honor this commitment is through strict adherence to FERPA, a federal law that prohibits universities from releasing student information to anyone other than the student without their authorization.
Some donors ask why we cannot, in certain cases, share more personal details, including the names of students who have been supported by specific scholarship funds. This is typically because a student scholar has not provided the Division of Financial Aid with permission to share their information as required by FERPA. We ask all scholars to consider granting this permission when they receive notification of their scholarship award.
The Purdue for Life Foundation is continually striving to strengthen a culture of philanthropy at Purdue so more scholars feel comfortable sharing their names and stories with members of our donor community who support their education.