State Grants

The State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI) offers grants to college-bound Indiana residents.

Higher Education Award and 21st Century Scholarship

To apply for Indiana grants and scholarships, and for federal aid programs, students must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and submit it before March 10 each year.

IPFW Award Notifications, both on-line and on paper, contain information about your eligibility for the need-based Frank O'Bannon Grant, which includes the Indiana Higher Education Award.

Eligibility is based on data you disclosed on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the approved and typical tuition and fees at IPFW, and the type of high school diploma you earned. There are some general eligibility requirements for all full-time state grants and scholarships:

• You must show financial need according to program rules.
• Your FAFSA must be received by the federal processor by March 10 and be error-free by June 10 each and every year.
• You and your parent(s), if you are a dependent student, must be legal residents of Indiana and remain so during the academic year; and
• You must be an undergraduate working on an associate or first bachelor degree.
• You must maintain satisfactory academic progress.
• You cannot be in default or overpayment.
• The grant amounts are annual amounts and may be used only during fall and spring terms of the academic year and not summer school.

Additional notes to be made regarding SSACI Awards include:

• The grant amounts listed on the letter from SSACI are based on 30 hours of enrollment per academic year, or 15 hours per semester.
• SSACI prorates these awards down depending on the amount of credit hours being taken.
• IPFW will award all students based on the 12 credit hour amount initially. After the 4th week of classes, if a student is enrolled in 13, 14, or 15 credit hours, a manual adjustment of the award will be made.
• If you are enrolled in 13 or 14 credit hours, you will not be eligible for the full amount of the award – it will be prorated.
• SSACI sends IPFW a roster once a week on Friday
• We must review this roster manually to post these awards
• Changes will usually appear around week 6 or 7 of the semester.
• And finally: These are awards given to you from the State of Indiana – not IPFW; we are at the State’s mercy regarding these awards – SSACI has the final say concerning these awards.

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Indiana National Guard Supplemental Grant

A grant that guarantees up to 100% of certain tuition costs will be met by the State of Indiana for eligible members of the Indiana Air and Army National Guard. The National Guard Supplemental Grant (NGSG) covers only certain tuition charges and does not cover other expenses such as room and board and textbooks.

To be eligible an applicant must be certified by both SSACI and the Indiana National Guard. It can be used only in the fall and spring semesters and not summer school.

SSACI Eligibility:

• Applying for the NGSG requires that the FAFSA be filed every year.
• The student must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) so that it is received by March 10 of each year they intend to enroll in college.
• If necessary, the FAFSA must be corrected to make it error-free before June 1 of the filing year. Filing an error-free FAFSA means the student will be automatically considered for state need-based tuition-specific aid including the NGSG—no separate application process is required.
• Filing deadline holds for both full time and part time students.
• If the student is determined by FAFSA data to be dependent on their parents for financial support, the student's parents must be residents of Indiana since at least December 31 of the previous year.
• If the student is determined to be independent of their parents, the student must be a resident of Indiana since at least December 31 of the previous year.
• Students who have been deployed on active duty (other than training) can be declared independent for financial aid purposes. Questions should be directed to the financial aid office of the campus the student attends.
• SSACI requires that the student must be a high school graduate (including home-schooled students) or have a GED. The Indiana National Guard might have other restrictions.
• The student must be seeking their first associate or bachelor degree at a state college or university.
• The NGSG cannot be used for graduate school or for professional degrees such as in law.
• Students must use state grants within a ten year period when any state grant (NGSG or other grant) is first used.
• Students can receive a total of eight semesters of state aid in any combination including any state grants used prior to, after, or concurrently with the NGSG.

National Guard Eligibility:

• A student must be certified by the Indiana National Guard (ING). This means starting at the unit command level and then proceeding to the headquarters or airbase education offices for final approval before the start of classes.
• Certification must be done for each term of enrollment.
• The student must be in active drilling status. The unit commander is the sole determiner of this status. This applies to each academic term.
• The student cannot have been AWOL at any time during the 12 months prior to their enrollment in college for any academic term. The unit commander is the sole determiner of this status. This applies to each academic term.
• The student must complete all the required ING paperwork and must have all the paperwork approved by the appropriate ING education office before the start of classes.
• This applies to each academic term. Forms and process differ by ING branch, Air and Army. Students should contact their unit commander for details.
• The student's name and other pertinent data as required by SSACI must be on an official list submitted to SSACI by the appropriate Air or Army education offices of the ING, usually before classes start each term the student is enrolled.

The Indiana National Guard reserves the right, in cooperation with SSACI, to revoke for cause the NGSG at any time.

If there are questions about Indiana National Guard eligibility and certification, the student should start with their unit commander.

If the questions are about SSACI eligibility or tuition charges or financial aid in general, the student should go to the Financial Aid office of the school they plan to attend or contact SSACI directly at:

• State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana
  150 W. Market Street, Suite 500
  Indianapolis, IN 46204
  Phone: 317-232-2350
  grants@ssaci.state.in.us

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Child of a Veteran or Public Safety Officer (CVO)

Child of a Veteran or Public Safety Officer (CVO) is a grant from the State of Indiana that will pay tuition and may pay mandatory fees. This will not cover your books! Things to keep in mind regarding this award include:

• A Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be on file with the school you are attending
• If you were selected for verification or have any other outstanding packaging requirements, you will not be awarded the CVO until these requirements are completed.
• CVO will pay as little as 1 credit hour a semester
• You have 124 credit hours in which CVO may be applied.
• CVO may apply to undergraduate as well as graduate courses
• You must complete an IPFW Supplemental Grant Request form with our office each academic year to receive the CVO award; we will not automatically set up CVO each year.
• If you sit out of school for an academic year or more, you will need to complete a new State Certification document.
• We must have the original, embossed State Certification document for your file.

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State Nursing Scholarship

The State of Indiana offers a Nursing Scholarship for those admitted into the nursing program. Pre-nursing students can sometimes be eligible for this scholarship, but it depends on the number of applicants. Awards are limited and go to students pursuing a Bachelor’s degree first, then to students pursuing an Associate’s degree, and, if there are still funds left, to those students who are pre-nursing. Criteria are as follows:

• Applicant must be a resident of Indiana and a citizen of the United States
• Applicant must be admitted to an eligible Indiana college or university as a full time or part time (minimum of six credit hours) student seeking a nursing certification or bachelor degree in nursing
• Applicant must have a minimum GPA of at least 2.3 on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent, or meet the minimum GPA requirements established for the college’s School of Nursing program if it is higher
• Applicant demonstrates financial need for the scholarship by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form
• Applicant not be in default on a state or federally sponsored student loan
• Applicant meets all other minimum criteria established by the school being attended
• This scholarship can only be used for tuition and fees

There is an obligation to accepting the scholarship. This obligation includes:

• Applicant is obligated to practice as a full-time nurse in an Indiana health care setting for two years following graduation
• Applicants must provide the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI) with their current home and employment addresses during the obligation period

A scholar will be obligated to repay the full amount of the scholarship to SSACI if the scholar:

• Fails to fulfill their obligation to practice as a nurse
• Does not complete the 2 year obligation within 6 years of graduation
• Drops out of the nursing program

Applications are available in the Financial Aid office and in the scholarship rack in the hallway outside the Financial Aid office in Kettler Hall Room 102.

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Minority Teacher & Special Education Services Scholarship

The Minority Teacher Scholarship was created by the 1988 Indiana General Assembly to address the critical shortage of Black and Hispanic teachers in Indiana. Scholars may receive up to 4 scholarships (if funds are available) and may take up to 6 years to complete their certification program from the date of receiving their first scholarship.

Applicant must comply with the following:

• A minority student (defined as Black or Hispanic) seeking a teaching certification
• A student that is an Indiana resident and a citizen of the United States
• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Not be in default on a state or federally sponsored student loan
• Must be an Education major – students who are “Education Pre-Major” or “Education Exploratory” are not eligible
• Student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5

There are obligations connected with this scholarship. They include:

• Applicant is obligated to teach in Indiana on a full time basis for 3 out of 5 years following graduation
• Applicant is obligated to provide their current name, address and their employer’s name and address to the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI) during the obligation period

A scholar will be obligated to repay the full amount of the scholarship to the SSACI if applicant fails to:

• Fulfill their obligation to teach or practice in Indiana
• Complete the Teaching certification program within 6 year period
• Complete the Teaching certification program at all (i.e., drops out of the program)

Applications are available in the Financial Aid office and in the scholarship rack in the hallway outside the Financial Aid office.

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