Career & College Directions

Financial Aid

Students who attend accredited colleges and universities, both public and private, can apply for grants and loans from the U.S. Department of Education. To apply, students must complete the FAFSA form. Federal financial aid–grants, loans, and work study programs–is based on the financial need of the student. The FAFSA form is also the form to fill out to qualify for state aid, which is mostly based on need. However, Indiana and Kentucky, as well as many other states, also base some aid on the student’s academic merit or chosen major. University or private scholarships, available at both public and private colleges and universities, may be based on need, academic merit, particular talents, and majors, among others.

In Indiana, the FAFSA must be received at the destination address by March 10 in order to qualify the student for both state and federal financial aid. Students in the 21st Century Scholars program must also have the FAFSA in by this date. In Kentucky, students who return the form by March 15 have the best chance to receive all the aid for which they qualify.

Colleges and universities may require that the FAFSA be returned by the deadlines above to qualify the student for university scholarships also. If students miss the March deadline, they may still file the FAFSA only for federal aid until June.
The FAFSA form is FREE and can be obtained through college financial aid offices, high school guidance counselor offices, and the OCU Career and College Directions office. The form may also be filled out on-line at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Because of the signature process, this too needs to be done well before March 10.
In Indiana, at least one Indiana school must be listed on the FAFSA to qualify the students for Indiana state aid. In Kentucky, the first school listed must be a Kentucky school to qualify the student for some types of Kentucky state aid.

Please don’t assume your family’s income makes you ineligible for financial aid. The first step toward getting aid is applying. If you have filed by the deadline, and your financial circumstances change before the start of the 2005-2006 school year, you may revise your information, and perhaps qualify for more aid.
For more information, please check the following links:

• FAFSA On-line
• State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI)
• KHEAA (for Kentucky residents)
• Fastweb (scholarship search engine) www.fastweb.com