The Purdue Opportunity Award is granted to students with high financial need, personal hardship(s), and/or other extenuating circumstances. The award combines with federal and state funding to provide a total financial aid package equal to a student's tuition, room, and board for the first year at Purdue University's West Lafayette Campus. There is one award for each of Indiana's 92 counties, and the first recipients enrolled at Purdue in fall 2004.

All scholarships offer money, but your donation to the Purdue Opportunity Awards Program will help us go the extra mile by offering personal and academic support for recipients' first year at Purdue:

• Day on Campus — Award recipients attend Day on Campus in June. This one-day orientation program allows students to meet with an academic advisor, discuss their plan of study, and register for their fall classes. Participants also can take placement tests, have their student identification picture taken, set up their Purdue e-mail account, and check out the place where they will live.
• Boiler Gold Rush — Recipients receive a scholarship to attend the Boiler Gold Rush freshman orientation program. Held the week before fall classes begin, Boiler Gold Rush is exclusively for recent high school graduates starting at Purdue. Each participant joins a group of 10-12 other first-year students and is mentored by an upperclass student leader who shares personal and academic experiences and helps students get acclimated to the Purdue campus and culture.
• Dinner with President Jischke — Purdue President Martin C. Jischke personally welcomes award recipients to the University through a special dinner at the beginning of the fall semester.
• Socials and Seminars — After enrolling at the University, Purdue Opportunity Award recipients attend a seminar or social activity once a month to feel supported and connected. Students are also encouraged to form intramural teams, participate in community service projects, and join other clubs and organizations.
• Mentoring Program — In the spring of 2005, the first Purdue Opportunity Award recipients will go through training to learn how to provide encouragement, support, and guidance to the 2005-06 recipients. The students will then serve as mentors throughout the 2005-06 academic year, helping to facilitate the monthly social activities and seminars, as well as providing friendship and support on a more informal basis. Returning students are eligible to receive up to $2,500.00 after other forms of aid are applied.