Scholarships & Financial Aid
The college experience provides an amazing opportunity for personal growth and career development. Financial resources from the federal government, state government, and other public and private sources are available to help make college accessible to students and families.
As seniors begin to apply for college and make important decisions about their futures, many families may have questions about financial aid.
Please review the information below, and speak to your student's guidance counselor if you have additional questions.
How do I know if my student is eligible for financial aid?
The first step is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students who wish to attend four-year, two-year, or other post-secondary institutions should complete the FAFSA.
The process begins with creating a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID. The application will require information from both students and parents. The application will ask for financial information in order to determine the financial aid, including grants and scholarships, a student is eligible for.
The sooner the FAFSA is completed, the sooner families will know how much financial aid may be available to a student.
The FAFSA can be completed online here.
What types of financial aid are available to my student?
Students may be eligible for grants, scholarships, work-study and student loans.
Student loans must be repaid, while grants, scholarships and money earned during work-study programs do not. Refer to the table below for more information.
Type | Source | Basis of Award | Examples | Repayment Required? |
Grants | Federal or State Government |
Financial Need | Pell*, Ohio College Opportunity |
No |
Scholarships | Colleges, Private Organizations |
Financial Need and/or Merits |
Academic, Athletic, Arts, Leadership |
No |
Work-Study | Federal Government | Financial Need | Part-time job (often on-campus) | No |
Loans | Federal Government | Financial Need (students without financial need can also take out loans) | Direct Student Loan | Yes |
*Maximum Pell Grant for 2021-2022 is $6495; Maximum Pell Grant for 2022-2023 is expected to be $8370
Are immigrant students eligible for financial aid?
U.S. Citizens, U.S. Nationals, Green Card holders, I-94 students, T visa students (or students with a parent with a T-1 visa), and those under the Protection under Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) are eligible for financial aid.
Undocumented students and DACA students are not currently eligible for financial aid.
Please note:
- DACA students can access in-state tuition at many Ohio public colleges.
- Some Ohio public colleges accept students without legal status and provide merit-based aid or need-based aid.
- Private colleges often have scholarships for DACA and undocumented students.
- Undocumented students should work with the college admission and financial aid office during the admission process and when applying for financial aid.
How should a U.S. citizen student with parents without legal status complete the FAFSA?
Mixed-status families (a student who is a U.S. citizen and parents without legal status), can still qualify for financial aid. When completing the FAFSA, these students should:
- List 0s for the parents’ Social Security numbers
- Do not use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
- Print, sign and signature the page
Parents in mixed-status families cannot create an FSA ID and will not be able to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.
Scholarship Search Directories
- CareerOneStop - 800+ scholarships, fellowships, grants, and other financial aid opportunities
- CollegeBoard
- The College Grants Database
- HBCU Scholarships/Grants Directory
- FastWeb
- ScholarshipCONNECT by the Dayton Foundation (Nearly 200 scholarship opportunities)
- UNCF Scholarships
Scholarships by College/University
- Antioch College scholarships
- Cedarville University scholarships
- Central State University scholarships
- Clark State University scholarships
- Franklin University scholarships
- Kettering College scholarships
- Miami University scholarships
- Sinclair Community College scholarships
- University of Dayton scholarships
- Wilmington College of Ohio scholarships
- Wittenberg University scholarships
- Wright State University first-year scholarships
Scholarships
Many of these scholarship opportunities are yearly. Please check deadlines before applying.
- Anthony Muñoz Foundation Scholarship
- CGCS-Bernard Harris Math and Science Scholarship
- City Property Management HOA Service Scholarship
- College Board Opportunities Scholarship
- Dayton Inter-Alumni Council of the United Negro College Fund (DIAC/UNCF) Book Scholarship
- Distinguished Males of Color Awards
- Dr. Talbert L. Grooms Scholarship - for high school African American senior students in the business or education field
- Dayton-Montgomery County Scholarship
- EEqual Scholarship - designed to support students who are currently struggling with homelessness, housing instability or extreme poverty
- Leroy Luckie Omega Dayton Public Schools - Central State University Scholarship
- Military Dependents Scholarships
- Montgomery County Ohio Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Foundation Scholarship
- PFLAG Dayton LGBTQ & Ally Scholarship
- Raise Me - Get college scholarships for achievements in high school
- Rubi Girls Scholarship
- Rumpke Recycling Scholarship for Dayton Public Schools
- Students of Integrity Scholarship
- Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Founders Centennial Scholarship