Span Plan Nontraditional Student Services

Span Plan Scholarships

Span Plan is pleased to offer scholarships specifically for degree seeking nontraditional undergraduate students enrolled through the West Lafayette and Indianapolis locations. Below is information regarding our academic scholarship application and process. Please review the eligiblity and scholarships information before proceeding with the application.

If you are an undergraduate parenting student, you are encouraged to review our information on our Span Plan Childcare Scholarship.

General Eligibility Requirements

  • Be a degree seeking nontraditional undergraduate student enrolled through the West Lafayette or Indianapolis locations. Span Plan students enrolled in online undergraduate programs are welcome to apply.
  • Have a minimum 2.25 cumulative GPA. New students do not need to include a GPA. Returning Purdue students will have their current coursework reviewed and GPA calculated if under the minimum requirement to determine eligibility.
  • Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) prior to the application deadline, file it with the Division of Financial Aid at Purdue University, and demonstrate unmet financial need.
  • Be enrolled at least 3 credit hours each semester you are receiving the scholarship (summer enrollment is not required).
Timeline

Fall Scholarship Review: The scholarship application to be considered for a scholarship beginning in the fall term will open in February and is due July 1st each year.

Spring Scholarship Review: The scholarship application to be considred for a scholarship beginning in the spring term will open in November and is due after January 1st each year.

Applicants selected will be notified 3-4 weeks after the deadline. Scholarship applications are not reviewed prior to the listed deadline.

Scholarship Award Amounts

If awarded a scholarship from Span Plan, it will provide up to $1,000 for each of the fall and spring semesters (when enrolled in 8 credit hours or more) and $500 for summer when enrolled in 3 credit hours. Semester scholarship amount will be determined each semester by actual enrollment hours. The total annual award will not exceed $2,500. Scholarships are renewable when a student maintains eligibility requirements for up to an additional two years.

Additional Information

There is only one academic scholarship application for Span Plan students. You will need to submit the electronic form to be considered, no paper applications will be reviewed. Students must meet all requirements upon committee review. Applications are not reviewed until after the July 1st or January 1st deadlines.

Application Information

Before you click below to apply, we encourage you to review and work on the essays that will be asked in the application. Each questions has a 500 word limit.

  • Tell us about yourself and what this scholarship means to you.
  • How did you choose your planned program of study? Please include your academic/personal goals.
  • Talk about a personal accomplishment, related or unrelated to academics, that means a lot to you.
Apply for the Spring 2024 Scholarship

Scholarship Funds

Several named scholarships are awarded through this one application process. Below is more information on the different academic scholarships awarded to Span Plan students.

Span Plan Scholarship

The Span Plan Scholarship is given to honor the magnificent leaders of Span Plan and their tireless efforts to create educational opportunities that spanned the lifetime of learners. By providing services that recognized the unique circumstances nontraditional students faced in their academic pursuits, these women provided leadership and vision that allowed Span Plan to thrive. Their achievements are recognized through the financial support we are able to provide to undergraduate nontraditional students today. Dean Helen B. Schleman, founder of Span Plan, Cecilia Zissis (assistant and associate dean of women from 1950-74 and Span Plan director 1970-87) and Peggy Sullivan (director of Span Plan 1987-2001) have set a course that ensures nontraditional students have a voice on campus.

Helen B. Schleman Scholarship

The founder of the Span Plan Program in 1968, Dean Schleman became Purdue’s second full-time Dean of Women in 1947, a time when female students required a campus administrator’s permission to wear pants instead of skirts. Her mission was “keeping women from going to see intellectually,” according to a release issued by the Purdue News Bureau. The program began to help women gain financial independence and provide them with options and grew to help all nontraditional students in 1976.

Polman Scholarship

This scholarship was established by Jerry Polman, Jr. to recognize the dedication and strong resilience of nontraditional students that are balancing both demanding jobs and their educational pursuits at the same time.

Priscilla Boyd Hovde Memorial Scholarship

Established in memory of Mrs. Hovde, wife of President-Emeritus F. L. Hovde, this scholarship provides financial assistance to promising Span Plan students in recognition of the determination our students show in completing their degrees.

Jacqueline Walters Aldrich Memorial Scholarship

Jackie Aldrich was a dedicated student that was committed to her studies through health challenges. While she passed away before completing her degree in 1986, her goal of caring for others and desire to help continues through this scholarship.