Eligibility

To be eligible for financial aid:

• You must be admitted into a degree seeking program.

• Generally you must be enrolled at least 6 credit hours each semester. In a few cases a student can be enrolled less than 6 credit hours and receive Federal Pell Grants.  Most graduate students must be enrolled at least 4.5 credit hours per semester. 

• A student (undergraduate) must enroll in a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester to be eligible for the Indiana Higher Education, Freedom of Choice, and Twenty-First Century Awards.

• Extended studies (evening) and accelerated division students are assessed significantly reduced tuition charges and are therefore only considered for Federal Pell Grants, state grants, and/or federal Stafford loans.

• Graduate students are eligible for the Federal Stafford Student Loan, Graduate Plus loan and College Work-Study.

Selection Criteria

Students applying for financial aid are considered by the university financial aid office for all programs for which they are eligible, including federal, state, and institutional aid programs. A Financial Aid Counselor will review the following criteria when reviewing a student’s file:

• The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be received by the Federal Processing Center by March 10 to be considered for state aid programs.

• If applications exceed available funds, awards will be made to the timeliest applicants.

• In most cases, only student’s who are United States citizens, permanent residents, or eligible noncitizens as defined by the Federal government, are eligible for financial aid. With only a few exceptions, all students must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the University Financial Aid Application.

To receive federal aid, the student must demonstrate financial need and,

1. Meet the general eligibility requirements outlined above,
2.  Demonstrate financial need by submitting the FAFSA,
3. Meet the eligibility requirements imposed by specific aid programs, and
4. Maintain satisfactory academic progress toward completion of a degree within a reasonable time period. Failure to make normal progress will cause the student to be ineligible for federal, state, and institutional aid programs.
   

Merit scholarships are reserved for students (primarily undergraduate) who not only have financial need, but who have demonstrated superior academic achievement. High school class rank and test scores from the Scholastic Aptitude Test or American College Testing Service are used in evaluating the student's academic performance. Scholarship selection for returning or transfer students is based on college academic performance. Some specific aid programs utilize additional selection criteria.

Continued Eligibility

Many financial aid awards are renewable over the normal four-year college program. The student must demonstrate his or her eligibility each year before financial aid may be awarded. The student must continue to:

• Meet the general eligibility requirements outlined above,
• Demonstrate financial need by submitting the FAFSA,
• Meet the eligibility requirements imposed by specific aid programs, and
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress toward completion of a degree within a reasonable time period. Failure to make normal progress will cause the student to be ineligible for federal, state, and institutional aid programs.
  
  

Duration of Eligibility

Regulations also govern the maximum length of time a student may receive financial aid. Students working toward a baccalaureate degree may not receive aid beyond 150% of the length of their program of study. For a student pursuing a bachelor’s degree, this time frame is defined to be 186 total credit hours attempted (150% of hours to graduate). For a student pursuing an associate’s degree, this time frame is defined to be 93 total credit hours attempted (150% of 62 hours to graduate).

Transfer hours count toward this number of hours. Some programs, like state grants and University merit aid may restrict the student’s eligibility for aid to less than the above time frame.

The maximum time frame for graduate students is 150% of the length of their specific program.

With the exception of the Stafford Student Loan, College Work-Study, and Parent Plus Loan programs, financial aid is awarded to undergraduate students working toward their first baccalaureate degree. Students who enter the professional phase of the physical therapy or occupational therapy program at the end of three years of undergraduate study are considered to be graduate students and are not eligible for some federal and state aid programs.