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.

*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.