Applications now being accepted for Steve A. Garban Grant-In-Aid

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Applications are now being accepted for the Steve A. Garban Grant-In-Aid, for children of Penn State technical service or staff employees.

This grant-in-aid, awarded to one new first-year student, is intended to assist with room and board charges for two years, provided the student continues full-time enrollment at Penn State or Pennsylvania College of Technology, incurs on-campus room and board charges, and demonstrates academic success. 

 Eligibility requirements

• Must be a child of a full-time Penn State or Penn College technical service or staff employee.
• Must be a first-year, full-time student at any Penn State campus or at the Pennsylvania College of Technology (Penn College).
• Must have demonstrated leadership and humanitarian qualities through extracurricular activities during high school.
• Must have achieved or show promise of achieving academic success.
• Must be living at a Penn State location that offers on campus housing. Campus locations with housing are as follows: Penn State Abington, Penn State Altoona, Penn State Beaver, Penn State Berks, Penn State Brandywine, Penn State Behrend, Penn State Greater Allegheny, Penn State Harrisburg, Penn State Hazleton, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Penn State Schuylkill and Penn State University Park.

Award amount varies based on on-campus room-and-board charges with two awards given annually.

Application and contact information

To be considered, students must submit a letter that includes all of the following:

• Student's Name
• Student's Penn State ID Number or Penn College ID Number
• Parent's Penn State ID Number or Penn College ID Number
• Penn State or Penn College staff employee's name and position
• A personal essay of no more than two typewritten pages that gives examples of the student's leadership, humanitarian, and academic merits

Submit applications via email to:

• Office of Student Aid Scholarship Committee, University Scholarships, at [email protected].

Application deadline

Student letters will be accepted until April 10, 2026. The award recipient will be selected by the Office of Student Aid Scholarship Committee and announced in May. All applicants will be notified.

Questions? Contact Kathie Alterio, assistant student aid coordinator, at [email protected].