Grants

The Commission for Higher Education (CHE) administers the O’Bannon Grant/Higher Education Award Program. The amount of the award is dependent upon the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), as well as the type of Indiana high school diploma the student received (Honors, Core 40, or General Diploma).

To qualify:

• A student must be an Indiana resident (their parents must also be Indiana residents).
• The FAFSA must be filed by the CHE priority deadline of April 15 each year; any FAFSA errors must be cleared by April 15.
• A student must be full-time as of the CHE census date (the end of the fourth week of classes).
• A student must be working on their first undergraduate degree.
• The award is a need-based award and thus counts towards fulfilling a student’s overall need figure.

The award is available for eight semesters of full-time enrollment. The O’Bannon Grant is designated for application towards the payment of tuition and fees, but this award will not cover a student's entire tuition and fee assessment.

Beginning in Fall 2013, all students first awarded state aid in that semester or after must meet the following requirements to receive a Frank O’Bannon Grant:

• At the end of your first year, you must have at least 24 completed cumulative credit hours to receive the minimum grant amount or at least 30 completed cumulative credit hours to receive the maximum grant amount.
• At the end of your second year, you must have at least 48 completed cumulative credit hours to receive the minimum grant amount or at least 60 completed cumulative credit hours to receive the maximum grant amount.
• At the end of your third year, you must have at least 72 completed cumulative credit hours to receive the minimum grant amount or at least 90 completed cumulative credit hours to receive the maximum grant amount.

The Commission for Higher Education (CHE) administers the 21st Century Scholars Program, the initial eligibility for which is determined when a student is in 7th or 8th grade and meets specific income requirements. At that time students take a Scholars Pledge, which they then reaffirm as high school seniors.

1. A student must be an Indiana resident (their parents must also be Indiana residents) and must have graduated from an Indiana high school.
2. The FAFSA must be filed on or before April 15 each year; any FAFSA errors must be cleared by April 15.
3. A student must be full-time as of the CHE census date (the end of the fourth week of classes).
4. A student must be working on their first undergraduate degree.
5. The award is available for eight semesters of full-time enrollment.
6. The 21st Century Scholars Award is designated for application towards the payment of tuition and fees.
7. The award counts towards fulfilling a student’s overall need figure.

Beginning in Fall 2013, all students first awarded state aid in that semester or after must meet the following requirements to receive the 21st Century Scholars Grant:

• At the end of your first year, you must have at least 30 completed cumulative credit hours.
• At the end of your second year, you must have at least 60 completed cumulative credit hours.
• At the end of your third year, you must have at least 90 completed cumulative credit hours.

A student must be admitted as an in-state student (that is, paying resident fees to Indiana University Kokomo), and the parent must meet (or have met) certain Indiana residency requirements.

1. A FAFSA must be filed.
2. An Application for Remission of Fees (available on CHE's website at https://www.in.gov/che/index.html) must be certified by the Indiana Department of Veteran’s Affairs and submitted to our office.
3. CVO is available to both degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate students, enrolled in at least one credit hour.
4. CVO for graduate students will be capped at undergraduate limits.
5. Beginning July 1, 2020, students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) at the Indiana public college or university where they attend.

• Graduate students who are receiving CVO under the current cap guidelines will be grandfathered in, provided they are currently enrolled and continue to be enrolled.
• Students who do not enroll for a year or more will be subject to the new guidelines.

The award covers up to 124 credit hours of enrollment. Courses dropped after the 100% refund period in any term may be applied toward a student's CVO eligibility. CVO is designated for application towards the payment of tuition and fees.

If a student is awarded no other type of fee remission, CVO will cover all of a student’s tuition and mandatory fees. If a portion of a student’s tuition and fees are covered (e.g., by an O’Bannon Grant), CVO will pay the balance. If a student has another full fee remission, CVO cannot be used, since tuition and fees are already covered.

The award counts towards fulfilling a student’s overall need figure.

Separate instructions apply to children/spouses covered by the Indiana National Guard or public safety officer portion of the program. Please visit Commission for Higher Education (CHE) for further details.

The Federal Pell Grant is awarded to students based upon their level of enrollment and Student Aid Index (SAI). The Federal Pell Grant is considered “portable,” meaning that, for a given academic year, an eligible student would receive the same Pell Grant at any university.

1. Awards are based on a combination of SAI and level of enrollment:

• SAI range of -1500 to 999999.
• Amount of award is determined by the number of credit hours a student is enrolled in per semester. Minimum enrollment is 1 credit hour per semester.
• Eligibility is based upon the number of enrolled hours at the end of the first week of classes.
• In certain situations, an eligible student can receive up to 150% of his/her scheduled award for a year. For example, a student enrolled full time in both fall and spring and then at least half time in the summer may be eligible to receive additional Pell funds for the summer semester.

2. A student must be pursuing their first undergraduate degree.
3. An annual FAFSA must be filed.
4. The Federal Pell Grant is a need-based award and thus counts towards fulfilling a student’s overall need figure.

5. Students can receive the Federal Pell Grant for no more than 12 semesters, or the equivalent.

Learn more about Federal Pell Grants

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) is a federal, campus-based grant. This means that federal funds are provided to individual universities to administer at their discretion (although always within federally governed parameters); Federal SEOG amounts, and eligibility requirements may therefore vary from university to university. The requirement for Indiana University Kokomo is:

1. A student must have an EFC of -1500 to 0.
2. A student must be receiving a Pell Grant (and thus be working on their first undergraduate degree).
3. The annual amount of the award is $500. Depending on financial need and availability of award, IUK has the discretion to award additional funding.
4. The Federal SEOG is a need-based award and thus counts towards fulfilling a student’s overall need figure.

There is no separate application for the FSEOG. The grant is awarded based upon the annual FAFSA. Please note: FSEOG funds are limited, so the earlier you apply, the greater your chances of receiving this grant.

Learn more information about FSEOG