Some Salem State institutional scholarship awards (SSU Academic Scholarship, Honors Grant, etc.) are automatically considered alongside the admissions application and the information received from the FAFSA. However, several endowed and external scholarships require a separate application. These scholarship opportunities are listed in the Viking Scholarships portal.
Several different offices determine scholarship awards according to the scholarship's specific guidelines. That means that decisions could be made by an academic department, through the university's scholarship committee, or the Financial Aid Office.
Viking Scholarships
The Viking Scholarships General Application Portal is open December 1st through March 1st. Students will be notified of their award before the billing due date.
Viking Scholarship Eligibility Requirements
Students who are matriculated and/or active during the scholarship application period (enrolled in classes or on an approved leave of absence) are eligible to apply for a scholarship that will be awarded in the following academic year. Incoming transfer students are encouraged to apply.
Application Process
- To apply, students can log in to the Viking Scholarships portal directly through their Navigator account or by using their Navigator login information on the website.
- Students must complete the Viking Scholarships General Scholarship Application to be considered. Every question on the application must be answered to be considered for any scholarship.
- After students have completed the Salem State General Scholarship application, they're automatically matched to scholarships for which they meet the donor's criteria.
- In the Viking Scholarship portal, click on the first tab to see a list of scholarships recommended based on the answers submitted on the general application.
- To apply for any of the general scholarships listed, click the Apply Now button beside a scholarship name to get started. If any additional questions are required for that particular scholarship, be sure to answer them.
- If additional information is required for specific scholarships that students meet the requirements for, it will appear in the second tab at the top of the page.
- When finished, click the Finish and Submit button to apply.
Students who receive a scholarship through the general scholarship application will see an SSU Endowed Scholarship on their financial aid award. The specific scholarship name(s) will be included in the email recipients receive.
Institutional Scholarships
Students who applied for a Salem State institutional scholarship will be notified about their application status via email from the department that awards the scholarship. The Financial Aid Office will add the scholarship(s) to their financial aid package after we have received notification from the office that awarded the scholarship.
Institutional Scholarship Eligibility Requirements
All institutional scholarships require a student to be enrolled full-time (at least 12 credits). Students who are not enrolled full-time and/or attending both semesters of the academic year because of extenuating circumstances may appeal the loss of funding to the Scholarship Committee.
Students who are less than full-time in their final semester before graduation but are taking all courses needed to fulfill graduation requirements can request an exemption by submitting an appeal to the Scholarship Committee.
Eligibility Review
We must review all students' awards at the beginning of each term to determine whether they remain eligible. If you no longer meet your scholarship's eligibility requirements, the scholarship offer will be withdrawn so that it may be offered to another student.
Scholarship Appeal Process
Appeals should include a brief narrative statement explaining your circumstances, along with appropriate documentation. Please note that the committee may request additional documentation if needed.
To be considered for review by the Scholarship Committee, appeals must be received no later than the last day of Add/Drop. Appeals received after the Add/Drop period of the affected term may not be considered.
Questions, appeals, and appeal documentation should be directed to the Scholarship Committee.
If you have questions, please email scholarships@salemstate.edu.