Scholarships & Grants
- Scholarship Listing
- Steps to apply for Scholarships at IU Southeast
- Scholarship Application Form
- Additional Scholarship Opportunities
- Online Scholarship Search Engines
- Multicultural Scholarship Opportunities
- External Scholarship Information
- Grants
- IU Incentive Grant
- Indiana State Grant Program (SSACI)
- CVO Regulation Update
Scholarship Listing
IU Southeast requires an online scholarship application to be completed for scholarships awarded by the Financial Aid Office. The online application only registers students for the scholarships awarded by the Financial Aid Office.
Click on the Scholarship Listing to view the details of the scholarship opportunities at IU Southeast (on - campus and off - campus).
Steps to apply for Scholarships at IU Southeast
- Submit Admission application to IU Southeast. Apply early to avoid processing delays.
- Complete the on-line scholarship application beginning October 1 at www.ius.edu/financialaid/ScholarshipsGrants.cfm. The scholarship application must be submitted by February 1 for priority consideration and a University ID number is required (link provided on scholarship application for look up assistance).
- Submit the FAFSA to maximize eligibility (school code 001817) at www.fafsa.ed.gov. IU Southeast must receive your FAFSA no later than February 15 for use in the scholarship process. If you are unable to meet this deadline please contact our office at 812-941-2246.
- Decide if you would like to submit an essay for additional scholarship opportunities. Essays should be submitted on-line by completing the Essay and Resume of Activities Worksheet no later than February 1 for priority consideration. The scholarship application must be submitted before this worksheet.
- Essays must be accompanied by a resume of activities and awards. This must be completed on-line by using the Essay and Resume of Activities Worksheet.
- Essays must also be accompanied by (3) letters of recommendation. The student must request these letters from a mentor, teacher, counselor or employer. Letters of recommendation should be collected by the student and submitted together to the Financial Aid Office.
- Check with your Academic Division regarding scholarship opportunities and applications. (not all scholarships are awarded by the Financial Aid Office)
- Check with local agencies, employers and community foundations for scholarship opportunities.
- Set up free online web scholarship search. You can review several search engines by clicking on On-line Scholarship Engines on our website at www.ius.edu/financialaid/ScholarshipsGrants.cfm.
Scholarship Application Form
The online scholarship application form only registers the student for scholarships awarded by the IU Southeast Financial Aid Office. Some scholarships may require additional essays, resumés or letters of recommendation (see list below in Additional Scholarship Opportunities area).
In addition to the submission of an IU Southeast admissions application and scholarship application, we highly recommend you submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to maximize eligibility. Both need-based and some merit scholarships consider demographic information provided on the FAFSA. Scholarships awarded by the IU Southeast Financial Aid Office require a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5. Specific criteria of each scholarship may be viewed through the Scholarship Listing.
To apply for general scholarships (not requiring additional information):
The 2010-2011 scholarship application form is open.
Please click to complete the on-line scholarship application.
To apply for scholarships listed in the section below additional information is required. Please submit the online scholarship application, the on-line essay and resume of activities worksheet, and three (3) letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation should be collected by the student and submitted together to the Financial Aid Office by February 15.
- F.C. Richardson Scholarship (freshmen only)
- Dr. Herb E. Smith Scholarship
- J. & F. M. Swain Scholarship
- John Reisert Scholarship
- Lee Hamilton Scholarship
- William Lowe Bryan Scholarship
- Harrison County Hospital Scholarship
Please click to complete the On-line Essay and Resume of Activities Worksheet.
Additional Scholarship Opportunities
A separate application is required for the following scholarships awarded by the IU Southeast Financial Aid office:
- Clark County REMC Scholarship (freshmen only)
- Adam W. Herbert Presidential Scholars Award (freshmen only)
- Harrison County REMC Scholarship (freshmen only)
- William Glen Bruner Scholarship
- SSACI Nursing Scholarship
- SSACI Minority and Special Education Scholarship
- IU Southeast McPheeters Scholarship Application
- Alpha Kappa Associates Scholarship
- Nassim McMonigle & Mescia Pre-Medical Scholarship
- Tau Kappa Epsilon Scholarship (freshmen only)
Other Scholarship Opportunities
Several other scholarships are available if you show promise in fine arts, theatre, music, nursing, education, mathematics, or physics. These competitive scholarships are awarded through your academic division, and the amount of the award varies. Contact your academic division directly for application and deadline information.
Further information about private scholarships is available online through our website. See Online Scholarship Search Engines to find out more.
If you have questions regarding scholarships please call the Financial Aid Office at 812-941-2246.
Online Scholarship Search Engines
Courtesy of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), a source of comprehensive information about many of these scholarships is available on the World Wide Web.FinAid (http://www.finaid.org), the Financial Aid Information Page provides information about scholarships, fellowships, grants and contests. Included are general scholarship and fellowship databases and databases of awards that are population-specific and academic field-specific. In addition to providing extensive information about commercial scholarship search services, including caveats and a section about scams, the FinAid Page provides links to four quality scholarship databases that students may search free of charge. Many scholarship applications are due early in the year from January to April for consideration for the fall semester. So start planning now for your future.
FastWEB (Financial Aid Search Through the WEB) (http://www.fastweb.com), a product of Student Services Inc., is the Internet's largest free scholarship search service. More than 400,000 private sector scholarships, fellowships, grants and loans are in the database. New scholarships are added to the database daily and there is a wealth of financial aid information for students and parents.
Collegeboard Scholarship Search (http://www.collegeboard.com) is a free Web version of the College Board's FUND FINDER scholarship database. Listings of scholarships, fellowships, loans, internships and other types of financial aid programs from 3,300 national, state, public and private sources are contained in the College Board's database. The database is updated annually.
CollegeNET MACH25 (http://www.mach25.com) is a database of more than 500,000 private sector awards, including school-specific awards, from 1,570 sponsors. Provided by CollegeNET, MACH25 Breaking the Tuition Barrier is a free Web version of the Wintergreen/Orchard House Scholarship Finder database. To match a student's profile against the award listings, MACH25 uses residential, personal, academic, organizational affiliation and general criteria.
Scholarship Hunter http://scholarshiphunter.com/ -The FREE & EASY Scholarship Source
Another source of private scholarships is the reference section of local municipal libraries. Numerous publications on scholarships, fellowships, grants and loans are available.
Multicultural Scholarship Opportunities
Name |
Estimated Amount |
Criteria |
Renewal Criteria |
Applicant Contact |
Barbara Dailey Scholarship |
Varies |
Undergraduate senior multicultural student, Indiana resident involved in a community service activity. Must have a 2.5 GPA. |
No |
|
IU Southeast McPheeters Scholarship |
up to $2000 |
Undergraduate multicultural students with a minimum 20 ACT/1000 SAT and 2.5 GPA are invited to apply through the admissions office. This scholarship award amount is based on current enrollment and evenly disbursed between semesters. |
Yes |
Office of Admissions |
Monroe Shine Scholarship |
up to $5000 |
Students majoring in accounting with intent on entering public accounting upon graduation. Preference given to multicultural students. Award covers books, fees and tuition up to 15 hrs. |
No |
|
SSACI Minority Teachers & Special Education Scholarship |
up to $1000 |
A multicultural student (defined as Black or Hispanic) seeking a teaching certification; student seeking a Special Education or Occupational or Physical Therapy certification; must be an Indiana resident and U.S. citizen; enrolled as a full time student. Visit www.ssaci.in.gov for application and submit to Financial Aid department. |
Yes |
|
Black Achievers Scholarship |
Varies |
Must have SAT of 1000 or ACT of 20, GPA 2.5, gain regular admission to IU Southeast. Must be a Louisville Black Achiever Program recipient. Requirement(s): |
Yes |
|
KYANNA Black Nurses Association Scholarship |
Varies |
African American nursing students who are residents of southern Indiana or Kentucky with a minimum 2.6 GPA. |
No |
|
Jackie Love Scholarship |
$300 |
The Love Scholarship will be given to two high school graduates who want to purse an undergraduate degree in Elementary or Secondary Education at IU Southeast. The scholarship is designed to help pay for books and ancillary fees. First preference given to Africian American, Hispanic or Asian students; must be a graduate of a KY or IN high school; cumulative high school GPA of 2.3 - 2.8 is required. Financial need considered as measured by the FAFSA. May be renewable for four (4) years with 2.5 GPA. |
Yes |
|
Jerrol Z. Miles Scholarship |
$1,000 min. |
Indiana resident. Preference to African American students. First generation students who are interested in majoring in business and economics or if the above cannot be fulfilled, recipients will be students interested in nursing. Must declare a major in one of previously mentioned fields by sophomore year. Must be full-time student. Financial need considered as measured by the FAFSA but not determing factor. May be renewable for four (4) years with 2.5 GPA. |
Yes |
Private Multicultural Scholarship Opportunities
Name |
Estimated Amount |
Criteria |
Renewal Criteria |
Applicant Contact |
Lynn Dean Ford/Indianapolis Association of Black Journalist |
$1,000 |
Must be African-American student; graduate of an Indiana High school or current college student enrolled for the fall of 2006 and majoring in communications or journalism at a four-year accredited college or university in Indiana. |
No |
|
National Association of Black Journalists Scholarships |
varies |
Fellowship scholarships available to students to help fund their education. |
No |
|
Friends of Columbia (SADCO) Hispanic Scholarships |
$1500 |
GPA must be at least 3.0; Financial need a criteria based on Applicant and Parents Federal Tax Returns; must demonstrate verifiable, unique, unusual or mitigating circumstances. |
No |
|
Gates Millennium Scholarships |
varies |
Reducing financial barriers for African-American, Hispanic American, American Indian/Alaska Native and Asian Pacific Islander American students with high academic and leadership promise who have a significant financial need. |
No |
|
Hispanic College Fund, Inc |
$500 - $10,000 |
Must be a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident; enrolled full-time in the U.S.. or Puerto Rico; minimum GPA of 3.0; must demonstrate financial need. |
No |
|
Hispanic Scholarship Fund |
$1000 - $2000 |
Be of Hispanic heritage; U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident; minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0; must complete Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). |
No |
|
| HENAAC | up to $5000 |
HENAAC scholarship honorees continue to pave the way for future generations of Hispanics and lead by example to empower our communities and enhance our nation's professional technical workforce. | No | HENAAC Scholars |
Jack Kent Cooke Hispanic Scholarship Fund |
$1250 - $2500 |
Applicants must be of Hispanic heritage; be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident; be enrolled part-time or full-time at a community college with plans to transfer and enroll full-time at a four-year U.S. accredited institution; have a minimum cumulative of 3.0 and apply for federal financial aid using the FAFSA. |
No |
|
Grants
If you file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), we will automatically consider you for the following grants listed in the table below.
You don't have to do anything to accept this aid, and you don't have to pay it back if you complete your coursework. These awards do not automatically renew - you have to submit a FAFSA each year.
This list includes SSACI State grants such as the Core 40, 21st Century and Frank O'Bannon Higher Education Awards, which require the FAFSA be submitted annually and received by the Indiana state deadline of March 10th. Click here and read below for more more information about these SSACI awards.
Grants you can get with the FAFSA |
||||
Award |
Half-time |
Eligibility |
Amount for |
Notes |
Federal Pell Grant |
Yes |
|
Varies according to EFC and hours enrolled |
The US Government guarantees enough funds to provide a Pell Grant to every eligible student. |
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant |
Yes |
|
$500 |
Based on availability of funds.(Limited funds – awarded on a first come first served basis) |
IU Southeast University Grant |
Yes |
|
$500 |
Based on availability of funds. (Limited funds – awarded on a first come first served basis) |
IU Southeast Persistence Grant |
Yes |
|
$1,000 |
Based on availability of funds. (Limited funds – awarded on a first come first served basis) |
SSACI - Frank O'Bannon Higher Education Award, Core 40 Award |
No |
Need-based grants designed to provide access for Hoosier students to attend eligible post- secondary institutions. Full-time only. (Part-time awards granted on limited basis.) |
$200 to $5172 |
File the FAFSA by March 10th, www.in.gov/ssaci/ 317-232-2350 |
Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) |
Yes |
|
1st Year - $750 max
|
Student must submit an official final high school transcript to the financial aid office as proof of completion of rigorous secondary school program of study |
National SMART (Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent) Grant |
Yes |
|
$4000 Max |
|
Scholarships and Grants that require other applications
We process many types of aid that require other applications. Here is a sampling of the most common awards:
| Award | Half-time | Eligibility | Amount for academic year |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVO Child of Deceased Public Safety Officer Grant Program | No | Eligible children and spouses of certain IN public safety officers killed in the line of duty |
Varies, Up to 124 hours |
State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana 888-528-4719 |
| CVO Child of Veteran Grant Program | Yes | Eligible children of Ind. Veteran who are deceased, disabled or wounded; Purple Heart recipients or were POW/MIA during Vietnam; also includes certain graduates of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home | Varies | State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana 888-528-4720 |
| SSACI- 21st Century Scholar Award | No | Determined by application submitted to SSACI during 8th grade year. | $200 - $5172 | File the FAFSA by March 10th, www.in.gov/ssaci/ 888-528-4721 |
| Indiana National Guard Supplemental Grant | Must be certified by the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana and the Indiana National Guard. | 100% of certain tuition costs | State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana 888-528-4721 | |
| LaVerne Noyes Award | Yes | Undergraduate, US citizen Must complete FAFSA by March 1st |
Varies | Must submit documents verifying the veteran's WWI service and the student's relationship to the veteran to the Office of Financial Aid. See www.state.in.us/veteran/ for help in documenting veteran status. |
| Minority Teacher/Special Education Scholarship | No | Minority student seeking teacher certificate, special education teaching cert, occupational or physical therapy cert, IN resident, Full-Time Student | $1,000 | State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana 888-528-4721 |
| Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship (State of IN) | No | Min SAT 1300, ACT 31 or GED 65 | Up to $1500 | Special Application through SSACI by April 24th |
| Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship (Other States) | Varies | Varies | Varies | Check State listing at the Department of Education |
IU Incentive Grant
The IU Incentive Grant is awarded to eligible Indiana resident undergraduate students who demonstrate a commitment to degree completion and academic achievement. View the press release about the IU Incentive Grant for more information.
Details for Graduating Seniors for 2009-10 Incentive Grant Awards
- Students must be paying resident undergraduate tuition and fees
- Students must complete 12 or more credit hours during the Fall 2009 semester
- Students must have a term GPA of at least 3.0 for the Fall 2009 semester
- Students must be pursuing their first bachelor’s degree
- Students must have scheduled to graduate in May 2010 and enroll in enough credit hours during the Spring 2010 semester to meet all graduation requirements
- Students who meet the above requirements will be awarded the $200 IU Incentive Grant during the Spring 2010 semester
- Students are not required to apply for financial aid through the Office of Student Financial Assistance; no Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required.
Details for Continuing Students for 2010-11 Incentive Grant Awards
- Students must be paying resident undergraduate tuition and fees
- Students must complete 12 or more credit hours during each semester of the 2009-2010 academic year
- Students must have a term GPA of at least 3.0 for each semester of the 2009-2010 academic year
- Students must be pursuing their first bachelor’s degree
- Students must be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours as of the Fall 2010 census date
- Students who meet the above requirements will be awarded the $200 IU Incentive Grant after the Fall 2010 census date
- Students are not required to apply for financial aid through the Office of Student Financial Assistance; no Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required.
Indiana State Grant Program (SSACI)
The State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI) Grants include:
- Frank O'Bannon Higher Education Award
- 21st Century Scholar Award and Summer Gear Up Scholarship
- National Guard Award
- CVO (Child of Disabled or Deceased Veteran or Officer) award
- Minority Teaching/Special Education and Nursing Scholarships
To check the status of your SSACI award log on to "eStudent" at www.ssaci.in.gov and check the following FAQ's before calling our office.
STATE AWARD FAQ'S:
Why didn't my state grant show up on my Bursar's bill as a credit? There might be several reasons:
- IU Southeast not listed as first college on the FAFSA - To fix this problem DO NOT change your FAFSA. Go to www.ssaci.in.gov and log in to eStudent. Make the change under the "Change College" tab.
- Not a full-time student - You have to be in at least 12 hours to receive the 21st Century or Frank O'Bannon award. We look at your enrollment before the semester and again 28 days into the semester.
- SSACI says you have errors to fix - SSACI would have sent you a postcard in April about this. If you did not make the corrections by May 10th it's too late, but you can still get this award next year if you file your FAFSA and take care of any errors before the deadlines. (Note: some errors can't be fixed, such as a late FAFSA submission or not being an Indiana resident.)
- Verification not complete - If you were selected for verification (check your TO DO list on OneStart) you have to turn in paperwork, then we need about 30 days to finish the process.
- Don't meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) - Check your TO DO list and IU email. You can submit a SAP appeal for consideration.
After you've made any of these corrections, your record will show up on a report and you should see your aid post to your Bursar's account within 2 weeks. if not, give us a call.
Why is my state grant lower than SSACI's award letter or why didn't I get a SSACI award at all? There might be several reasons:
- You are in less than 15 credit hours - SSACI's estimated award is based on 15 hours. Awards for students in 12, 13 or 14 hours will be less or may be $0.
- You missed the state deadlines for FAFSA submission (March 10) or correction (May 10) - visit the SSACI website to check your status
- Your verification reduced your eligibility - SSACI awards are based on academics AND need. If the US Department of Education's verification process raised your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) your SSACI aid could change. Visit the SSACI website to view your new award amount for 15 hours/semester.
- You have other "fee remission" aid - if you have other types of financial aid that also can only be used to pay specific tuition fees your SSACI award must be reduced. You can't have both.
Why was my state grant reduced or cancelled? There might be several reasons:
- You changed your schedule/dropped classes. Awards for students in 12, 13 or 14 hours will be less than for students in 15 or more, and may be $0.
- Your financial status or enrollment status changed after your SSACI award posted to your account - we monitor your account weekly but corrections sometimes are not made until after the first week of class. If you received a refund and know you are going to make or recently made schedule changes, check with Financial Aid before spending all of your refund. You may need to return part of it.
If these explanations do not apply to you or you have more questions, call our SSACI specialist at (812) 941-2029.
DATES AND DEADLINES FOR STATE AWARDS (Indiana)
- March 10th - FAFSA filing deadline for Indiana state aid.
- Late April - SSACI sends out error notices to potential SSACI award recipients
- May 10th - last day to fix SSACI errors on your FAFSA to receive state aid
- Early June - SSACI sends out your estimated award notice based on 15 hrs/semester
- July - Higher Education Awards begin to show up on your account and 21st Century awards are posted
- Early August - fall bills go out - enrollment changes made after bills go out may affect actual amount due. CHECK ONESTART WEEKLY*
- 10 days before 1st day of class - refund checks and deposits are sent - enrollment drops on or after this day may require refund repayment. CHECK ONESTART WEEKLY*
- Second through fourth week of class - SSACI awards adjusted based on actual enrollment. CHECK ONESTART WEEKLY* The exact census date is set by SSACI, but, generally, enrollment changes made past the fourth week of class will not affect SSACI awards either positively or negatively.
* SSACI awards are initially posted based on a 12-credit hour enrollment and are then adjusted up and down based on actual enrollment. Awards may go up for 13, 14 or 15+ hours and are cancelled for less than 12 hours. This is NOT automatic - it is done manually. Therefore, if you receive a refund but have since then dropped classes your adjustment may not happen for 2-3 weeks and you may need to repay some or all of that refund. If your aid will increase, that also may take 2-3 weeks.
HOW TO QUALIFY FOR A SSACI AWARD AND GET IT ON TIME
- Live in Indiana. Sorry, but out-of-state residents cannot receive state grant awards at IU Southeast, just as Indiana residents cannot receive state grants in Kentucky or any other state. KEES and CAP grants are for Kentucky schools only. 529 savings plans such as Kentucky's KAPT or KESPT or Indiana'sCollege Choice plan , however, can be used at IU Southeast.
- File your FAFSA every year by the deadline. Indiana's deadline is March 10th and if the Department of Education hasn't received your FAFSA by then you will lose your state award for that year (although you can still get your federal aid). CVO recipients can miss the deadline and still receive their award (Child of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran or Officer), but they do have to file the FAFSA every year.
- List IU Southeast as your first choice school on the FAFSA. Our code is 001817. Only the first-choice school receives award information from the state. If you need to change your first choice school don't change your FAFSA, unless you haven't listed IU Southeast at all and need to add us to the FAFSA. Instead, go to the SSACI website and change your school choice there.
- Make FAFSA corrections by the deadline. Indiana's correction deadline is May 10th. Log in to the SSACI website to see if you need to fix anything and if so get it done before this date.
- Enroll in at least 12 credit hours. The Higher Education Frank O'Bannon grants and 21st Century state grants require full-time enrollment. They look at your enrolled hours as of about 28 days into the semester and awards are cancelled or adjusted based on those credit hours. The exact date fluctuates a little. CVO recipients do not have to be full-time. if your award is cancelled or reduced mid-semester you will owe this amount to the school.
- Complete verification paperwork early (if required - check your TO DO list and IU email)
- Meet minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements. State award recipients must meet the school's requirements to qualify for their grant.
- Stay in a degree-seeking program. Recipients must be working on their first bachelor's or associates degree to receive this award.
More State Grant Fund Information
- You will receive an award notice from SSACI mid-summer. This award notification is an estimate, based on 15 credit hours per semester, and assumes your FAFSA information will not change. If your FAFSA information is adjusted because of verification or error correction your state aid could also be adjusted. Your actual award is calculated by the IU Southeast financial aid office and is listed first as an estimate until certain enrollment dates have passed. After that we post it to your account and then adjust it if your enrollment changes or if your FAFSA data changes.
- SSACI also sends out error correction notices, but the best way to make sure you receive your award is to manage your own account by logging in to the SSACI website and reading the messages there.
- Indiana pays up to 8 semesters of the Higher Education Award and 21st Century grant. If you sit out a year you can still receive the grant when you return to school provided you continue to file your FAFSA every year. For more information about the specific rules for these awards visit the SSACI website.
- If you qualify for both awards, the state adjusts them so that the two combined awards do not exceed your tuition and mandatory fees (activity and technology fees) for the semester. You can never get a refund from a state grant.
- If you have other grants or fee remissions that must be used for tuition, such as CVO, employer fee remits, vocational rehabilitation or certain scholarships, your state grant or the other awards must be reduced so that the combined amount does not exceed tuition and fees.
- HEA and 21st Century grants do not cover summer courses, 2nd bachelor's degrees or professional degrees or certificates.
- CVO benefits cover 124 hours of any type of college credit, so if you also qualify for the HEA or 21st Century grants you might want to save your CVO for future coursework, including 2nd bachelor's and/or master's or doctoral credits, or for summer courses.
- The Summer Gear Up State grant is a summer award for 21st Century scholarship students who have less than 26 credits going into the summer semester. Students must apply for this limited fund scholarship.
- The National Guard grant must be recertified by the recipient's commander every semester.
- Nursing scholarships and minority teaching/special education grants are also available through the state.
- Part-time grants are available under limited circumstances and are generally awarded after the 8th week of the semester.
- If the state is denying you your state grant benefits and you feel you have extraordinary circumstances that led to missing a deadline or other uncorrectable error you must appeal directly to SSACI in writing. Phone or e-mail appeals will not be accepted. The IU Southeast Financial Aid office has no control over this decision but when asked we will provide any documentation we can to the commission in order to assist you.
Do you have more questions about your Indiana state grant that haven't been answered here or on the SSACI website? Call the IU Southeast Office of Financial Aid.
CVO Regulation Update
In 2001, the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI) became responsible for managing the Child of Certain Veterans and Public Safety Officers (CVO) fee remission program. This action was sanctioned by the Indiana General Assembly to provide consistent administration, uniform billing and payment procedures, and a centralized eligibility reporting database to the CVO program.
Prior to 2001, the CVO program was not centrally administered. Indiana institutions were individually responsible for remitting fees and tracking eligibility accurately. This raised several issues regarding student eligibility and processing procedures.
- There was no central reporting system in place to track the historical CVO hours used by students or to indicate when students reached the 124 credit hour maximum.
- There was no uniform procedure for collecting and tracking residency information for students or veterans.
- There was no process for verifying the relationship between the student and the veteran.
- There was no system to identify students who were in overpayment or default of federal aid.
- Students were potentially eligible for other state and/or federal aid but had not filed a FAFSA.
In order to combat the issues and concerns raised prior to 2001, SSACI has initiated a number of new processing procedures and eligibility guidelines to regulate the CVO program.
- Students seeking CVO benefits are required to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for each year they wish to receive CVO. (The March 10 FAFSA filing deadline does not apply to student applying for CVO.) This will not only allow students to be considered for other state and/or federal aid, but it will also allow Indiana institutions to determine residency, verify the veteran-student relationship, and identify students who are in default or overpayment of federal aid.
- The student's FAFSA must be clean. This means that all errors and SSACI edits that could affect a student's eligibility for state or federal aid must be cleared. This does not include SSACI edits dealing with the FAFSA filing deadline, the eligibility time limit for SSACI grants, or the first time undergraduate student.
- Students must not be in default of a government loan or in overpayment on a government grant.
- Students must meet the residency requirements of the Indiana institution they are attending. (Non-resident students admitted into the CVO program prior to July 1, 2005 will be grandfathered in if they received CVO in the 2004-05 academic year .)
- The veteran must have, at some time, been a resident of Indiana for 36 consecutive months.
- Students must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress standards.
- Awards will not be made retroactively. Once a semester is complete, CVO award can no longer be made.
NOTE: From 7/1/05 through 6/30/06, the Indiana Department of Veteran's Affairs only considered new applications from dependents of veterans with disabilities greater than zero percent. As of 7/1/06, applications from dependents of veterans with disabilities of zero percent will again be considered.
Exceptions to the requirement for the 2005-2006 academic year (all applications processed from 7/1/05 through 6/30/06) are listed below.
- Students who are dependents of veterans with 0% disability and are currently enrolled using CVO benefits will be grandfathered into the program.
- Any dependent student of a veteran with 0% disability who was previously enrolled using CVO benefits and renews their enrollment will be grandfathered into the program.
- New students of veterans with 0% disability whose applications were approved prior to July 1, 2005 and who will start school by fall 2005 will be grandfathered into the CVO program.
- This requirement does not apply to students of veterans who have received the Purple Heart Medal or who died of a service connected death.
Any questions regarding this policy should be directed to the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs at 800-400-4520.
