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Oklahoma City - An OSU Degree in OKC.

Applying for Aid

Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City Federal School Code:

009647

Types of Assistance

The types of assistance a student could receive while attending OSU-Oklahoma City varies depending on the aid sources. The majority of aid administered at OSU-Oklahoma City is federal aid programs. Students make application for these federal aid programs when they complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For detailed information concerning the types of aid programs available at OSU-Oklahoma City, see http://www.osuokc.edu/financialaid/assistance

AN OVERVIEW OF THE FINANCIAL AID PROCESS

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA should be completed as soon as possible after October 1 each year. Only an official FAFSA can be used to calculate eligibility for aid. An official FAFSA must include:

  • All signature requirements satisfied (including parents if required).
  • An official Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
  • All required questions completed (no blanks or incompletes).

Click here to view a video playlist on applying for aid.

Things to know:

We suggest you temporarily allow pop-ups when using the FAFSA website (or if your browser has the option, select "always allow from this site").

  • Our federal school code is 009647.
  • You must be admitted to OSU-Oklahoma City to have your application reviewed.
  • You should enroll early! The early bird gets the worm
  • You must have a FSAID: you and your parent (if you are a dependent student) will need a U.S Department of Education FSAID to sign your FAFSA electronically.
  • On the FAFSA application, use the IRS data retrieval process to obtain tax return information if you are eligible to do so and have filed your federal taxes online at least 2 weeks prior. Don't make changes to the IRS data.
    • If you have not filed taxes, provide estimated information to file your FAFSA early, and then file your taxes as soon as possible and use an electronic process. After 2 weeks, make corrections to your FAFSA and use the IRS data retrieval process. Don't make changes to the IRS data.
    • If you are unable to use the IRS data retrieval process, request an IRS Tax Return Transcript shortly after filing your taxes.

OSU-Oklahoma City’s priority deadlines for applying are:

  • Fall – May 31st
  • Spring – November 30th
  • Summer – April 15th

For details steps in the financial aid process, see Financial Aid Flowchart

Eligibility Requirements

The application and receipt of federal student aid are contingent upon general eligibility requirements. For details on these requirements see: http://www.osuokc.edu/financialaid/eligibility

Dependency Status

The federal government has established criteria for classifying financial aid recipients as dependent or independent. If you are dependent (supporting according to federal criteria), your parents' assets and income as well as your own are considered when determining your financial need. If you are independent, your need is evaluated solely on your own and your spouse's income and assets. Need help in determining your dependency status? Visit https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/dependency for assistance. If you think you have extenuating circumstances that would exempt you from including parental information, contact a Financial Aid Counselor for discussion.

MONITOR YOUR FAFSA STATUS

Once you have submitted your FAFSA, you will receive an email from The U.S. Department of Education confirming that your FAFSA was received and will be forwarded your schools of choice. The most effective way to determine if the OSU-Oklahoma City has received your FAFSA is to frequently check your OKSTATE email address for notifications from the Financial Aid Office or check the student portal at MY.OKSTATE.EDU using your O-KEY credentials to monitor your application. If you need student portal navigation assistance, see http://www.osuokc.edu/financialaid/statuscheck. For additional information about the aid process at OSU-Oklahoma City, see our publications Steps in the Financial Aid Process at: Financial Aid Flowchart

Important information you should know concerning the receipt of your FAFSA at OSU-Oklahoma city:

  1. You must be admitted to OSU-Oklahoma City for your FAFSA to be received by the Financial Aid Office.
  2. Your admissions application must contain your Social Security Number. If you applied for admissions and did not provide your SSN, please visit the Admission Office with a signed copy of your social security card so that your record can be updated. Failure to provide this information will delay the receipt of your FAFSA.
  3. Your name, date of birth, and social security number supplied on your FAFSA should directly match your admissions record. OSU-Oklahoma City encourages aid applicants to ensure that the name, date of birth, and social security number on their admissions record directly match their federal aid application. Please refrain from using nicknames or shortened versions of your legal name when applying for aid and/or admissions.

COMPLETING REQUIREMENTS

Once your FAFSA has been received by the Financial Aid Office, a determination will be made regarding the need for additional information. Students selected for verification by the central processing system will need to submit documentation needed to substantiate their applications. A general overview of documents that could be requested, if selected for verification can be found at: Application Verification Guide

Applicants are encouraged to promptly respond to request for additional information. Downloadable OSU-Oklahoma City’s financial aid forms can be found at: http://www.osuokc.edu/financialaid/forms . Students are strongly encouraged not to complete and/or submit forms unless they are specifically requested by the Financial Aid Office. General processing timelines for award notifications after the student has enrolled, submitted the FAFSA, and submitted all requested information and/or transcripts from previously attended colleges or universities range from two to four weeks depending on the time of the year. Generally peak processing times are three weeks prior to each term through the census date of the term. In addition, once awarded, students may need to complete aid program-specific requirements to receive their financial aid. For instance, Direct Loan programs require the completion of Entrance Loan Counseling and Master Promissory Note Requirements. For more specific information concerning Federal Direct Student Loans, visit http://www.osuokc.edu/financialaid/DirectLoan .

HOW AID IS DETERMINED

For the most part, a student’s eligibility for federal aid is determined by the information on the FAFSA. The Cost of Attendance (COA) and the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) along with other factors will determine the types and amount of federal, state, institutional and private aid programs that can or will be offered to students. It is the policy of OSU-Oklahoma City to award students an aid package up to the Cost of Attendance with eligible aid programs. Most aid will be based on federal and state sources and may include some institutional or external aid sources. This award package will include programs that are need based and non-need based. To see which aid programs are need and non-need based at OSU-Oklahoma City, see http://www.osuokc.edu/financialaid/assistance .

Cost of Attendance

The Department of Education requires OSU-Oklahoma City to estimate what it costs to attend college. The Financial Aid Office assigns cost of attendance based on a student’s residency, dependency, and enrollment status. The cost of attendance will include average figures for tuition, fees, books and supplies, room, board, transportation expenses, expenses for basic personal needs and student loan fees. The cost of attendance is a reasonable estimate based on average cost for the metropolitan Oklahoma City area and could be more or less than the actual individual student cost. The estimated cost to attend OSU-Oklahoma City can be found at:

https://osuokc.edu/sites/default/files/documents/Catalog/money.pdf

Financial Need Determination

A student’s financial need is determined by one simple formula: COA minus EFC = NEED:

Cost of Attendance - OSU-Oklahoma City will assign federal aid applicants a standard cost of attendance (COA) based upon the costs associated with going to school for all students in your category.

Expected Family Contribution - The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is the amount the federal government says you and your family should pay toward your education and living expenses, based on your FAFSA information. If you are a dependent student, the EFC is based on your parents' income as well as your own. If you are independent, the EFC is based only on your household income. The federal government calculates your EFC and it is not something OSU-Oklahoma City can change directly.

Financial Need - is the difference between your COA and your EFC. (COA - EFC = Financial Need)

Terms & Conditions of Aid

The receipt and continuance of aid is contingent upon the student reading, understanding, and meeting the terms and conditions of their aid. To read the Terms and Conditions of the receipt and continuation of federal student aid see Student Aid Terms and Conditions.

Rights & Responsibilities of an aid recipient

As a federal aid applicant or recipient, you have certain rights and responsibilities. To read and understand your rights and responsibilities as a federal aid applicant, see: Student Rights and Responsibilities.

Delayed or loss of aid

There are a number a ways a student can delay and/or lose financial aid eligibility. Following are a few of the major reasons:

  1. Not completing application and/or aid program requirements could cause a delay or ineligibility of aid. An offer and acceptance of aid does not mean that all is complete. When you choose to borrow for your education, there are one time requirements that must be completed such as Entrance Loan Counseling and Master Promissory Note requirements. Borrowers who delay completing these requirements will delay and/or possibly lose their eligibility of receiving these programs. Students considering borrowing to finance their education should get a head start and complete the Entrance Counseling and Promissory Note requirements at www.studentloans.gov . In addition, students who are offered and accept Federal Work Study must still apply for and obtain a job. Employment opportunities are available on and off campus. Basically you must obtain the job. If you were offered and accept a federal Work-Study allocation, be sure to visit www.osuokc.edu/employment for possible job opportunities.
  2. Failing to make Satisfactory Academic Progress – Academic progress is monitored on a semester basis. It will comprise your academic history from all schools in which OSU-Oklahoma City accepts and articulate academic history for. Your progression toward graduation is monitored for each term of aid receipt. The OSU-Oklahoma City Academic Progress Policy details the requirements to meet and maintain its policy requirements. Please visit www.osuokc.edu/financialaid/sap for these requirements. Your failure to meet or exceed the policy requirements will result in students not being eligible for federal aid and most state aid programs such as Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant (OTAG) and Oklahoma’s Promise (OHLAP). Students who are deemed ineligibility following a Warning period have the right to appeal their ineligibility if they have mitigating circumstances. Request for Appeal are decided by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. If approved for a second chance by the Appeals Committee, the student may be placed on an Academic Plan to ensure their continued progression toward graduation.
  3. Dropping Classes – Dropping classes could result in loss of eligibility for some aid programs awarded. Before making changes to your enrollment, you should always consider if you are on a financial aid warning or appeal approval, what your enrollment level would be after you drop your course, the enrollment level required to maintain eligibility for federal, state, institutional and private aid. We encourage you to check with the financial aid office and your scholarship donor concerning how a drop in enrollment will impact your aid now and in the future. In addition, enrollment changes made prior to the census date of the semester directly affects your aid eligibility for that term.
  4. Making a complete withdrawal – Federal aid applicants who make a complete withdrawal from classes prior to completing sixty percent of the term will owe some portion of their federal aid received. Upon notification of a student’s withdrawal, the Financial Aid Office is required to calculate a Return to Title IV. This calculation determines the amount of unearned federal aid that must be returned to the federal aid programs. Federal aid programs that are subject to the Return of Title IV are Federal Pell, SEOG, and Direct Loans. OSU-Oklahoma City will return the funds to the federal aid programs on the behalf of the student who will in turn need to repay OSU-Oklahoma City. Please read Return to Title IV Policy for detailed information on how withdrawing from classes will impact students. Should the need to withdraw arise, please make a point to visit with a Financial Aid Counselor beforehand to determine the impact and your best course of action.

Disbursements of Aid

OSU-Oklahoma City Financial Aid Office will begin crediting eligible students university accounts with direct loan funds beginning a week prior to the start of classes for each term. Business Services will begin refunding students who have financial aid credits that exceed their account balance the first week of classes for each term. All other aid programs will begin crediting student accounts no earlier than the week following the census date of each term or upon the receipt of funds from state aid programs, external scholarship donors, or institutional foundation funds. Refunds are made available to students by Business Services via direct deposit or paper check. Paper check refunds are processed and mailed each Friday. Students who have not signed up for direct deposit are encouraged to continually monitor and/or update their mailing address to ensure they receive their paper check refund. For more information concerning refunds at OSU-Oklahoma City, visit http://www.osuokc.edu/businessservices/deposit .

Questions???

OSU-Oklahoma City understands the aid process can be overwhelming to most students. We are here to assist you with questions and concerns you may have. Feel free to contact the Financial Aid Office with your questions. We will do our best to assist you with questions and/or concerns you may have as you navigate through the application process.