Rooted Together for Ohio

Become a Behavioral Health Leader in Ohio

Eligible Ohio State graduate students may qualify for up to $15,000 annually through the Ohio Behavioral Health Scholarship Program. Help meet Ohio's growing behavioral health needs while pursuing your degree.

Please reach out to your academic advisor for information on applying.

Prepare for a career that makes a difference while reducing the cost of your graduate education.

The Ohio Behavioral Health Scholarship (OBHS) supports future behavioral health professionals committed to serving Ohio communities. Eligible Ohio State graduate students may receive up to $15,000 annually for up to two years, with institutional aid helping cover tuition and general fees. The program is designed for students pursuing behavioral health fields such as counseling, psychology, couple and family therapy and social work.

By participating in the program, students commit to working in an eligible underserved Ohio community after graduation, helping expand access to critical mental health and substance use treatment services throughout the state.

Explore how Ohio State can help you advance your education, support Ohio communities and build a meaningful behavioral health career.

Financial Information

Basic Information

Scholarship recipients may benefit from two separate forms of support. Tuition reimbursement is administered through The Ohio State University and coordinated by the program chair. In addition, eligible students may receive an internship stipend through a separate process managed directly by Health Impact Ohio, the fiscal agent for the State of Ohio. The internship stipend component is independent of Ohio State and is administered entirely by Health Impact Ohio.

What is True for Both Parts of the Program:

 Students must opt-in to the program and meet all inclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria include:

• Be a current resident of Ohio
• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• Be enrolled at least half-time in the counselor education program in the clinical mental health concentration or the couple and family therapy program.
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress. If students drop out or do not complete the program, they are required to pay back the funds.
• Agree to work in an underserved community in Ohio post-graduation.
• Work in that area for a time equal to the number of funded years (e.g. if there was one year of tuition reimbursement, that student will need to work for a year in that area post-graduation) 
  • Must work at least 20 hours per week.
• Students must complete a Student Agreement Form that is signed by them and and the program chair that commits to the agreement details stipulated above to receive the funds. The commitment is per academic year (e.g. 2026-2027)

Details about Tuition Reimbursement Part of the Program:

• Tuition Reimbursement - up to $7500 of tuition and general fees reimbursement per semester. Only the amount of tuition and fees can be reimbursed, no extra funding will be distributed beyond tuition reimbursement.
• Students will need to pay for tuition and fees up front and then get reimbursed - which will happen automatically through the Fiscal Office at Ohio State.
• This funding support will also be available for the 2027-2028 academic year. It will be open to those enrolled in the clinical mental health and clinical mental health - addictions concentrations or the couple and family therapy program during the 2027-2028 academic year.

Details about the Internship Stipend Part of the Program:

• Students can receive a one-time $4000.00 stipend at the start of their internship.
• The $4000.00 is the limit of the funds and is only distributed once.
• Stipends are applied for and paid directly to each student through the Health Impact Ohio fiscal agent (not through Ohio State).
• The application portal and process details are not yet posted on the Health Impact Ohio website. Students will be sent that information when it is available.
• Students must be participating in both parts of the program to receive the tuition stipend.
• Stipends are taxable! Students are responsible for the tax liability and implications of stipends.

Eligible Programs

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During your master’s program, you will work with many of the following experts.

Couple and Family Therapy core faculty

Clinical Mental Health Counseling core faculty

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