Financial Aid and Scholarships

Eligibility for most financial aid is contingent on your financial need. Need is the difference between the cost of attendance and your expected family contribution (EFC). The EFC is calculated from the information you supply on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) which uses a federally legislated formula used by postsecondary educational institutions across the nation.

Mathematically, financial need is determined as

Cost of Attendance (student budget)
– EFC (parents and student)
                         
= Need

Since you are the prime beneficiary of the college education, you (and your parents, if you are dependent) are expected to contribute toward meeting your educational costs. Part of your income and assets is considered to be available to pay for educational expenses during the award period.

In order to be considered for financial aid, you must

• have a Social Security number
• be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident
• have a high school diploma or GED
• be enrolled as a regular student in a degree, certificate, or license program
• make satisfactory academic progress
• not owe a refund on a Federal Pell Grant, Federal Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (SMART), or Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
• not be in default on a Federal Perkins Loan or Federal Direct Stafford Loan
• not have borrowed more than the allowable limit under those loan programs
• sign a statement of educational purpose agreeing to use your student aid only for education-related expenses
• register with the Selective Service, if required
• fulfill the federal requirement regarding illegal drug convictions

Federal verification regulations require institutions to check the accuracy of information supplied by students applying for federal financial aid. As a result, you and your family may be asked to supply additional information in order to verify original data supplied in your application for financial aid.

Failure to respond to requests for verification or other additional information requests will jeopardize your current and future receipt of financial assistance.

Federal Programs

Verification procedures must be completed, or you will not be eligible to receive most federal funds, including:

• Federal Pell Grants
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG)
• Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Work-Study
• Federal Direct Stafford Loans. (Verification requirements also apply to the Fees Assistance Grant and the Ball State Grant.)

State Programs

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education (CHE) requires that all students selected for federal verification meet those requirements before receiving funds from the:

• Indiana Frank O’Bannon Grant
• Indiana Evan Bayh 21st Century Scholars Award
• Indiana Adult Student Grant
• Indiana National Guard Supplement
• Child of Veterans and Officers Fee Waiver
• State of Indiana scholarship programs.

State aid deadlines are November 1 for fall and April 1 for spring.

University Programs

Verification requirements apply to the:

• Fees Assistance Grant
• Ball State Grant

Ball State's deadline for completing verification to receive campus-based aid is Oct. 1.

Your initial award package will be determined assuming full-time enrollment status:

• 12 hours or more each semester for an undergraduate
• 9-11 hours each semester for a graduate

This is reflected in the original award notification, which outlines the types and amounts of aid to be received for the period of enrollment. However, your actual financial aid award package depends on the number of hours for which you are registered.

If you plan to enroll for less than full-time in either semester, please notify our office.

Your budget and financial aid will be adjusted accordingly.

Enrollment Reviews and Adjustments

Enrollment will be checked each semester prior to disbursement of financial aid. Certain types of aid will not be disbursed if enrolled hours do not coincide with the hours for which the financial aid was awarded. If you are enrolled less than full-time at the conclusion of the drop/add period, and your financial aid has already been disbursed, you may need to repay a portion of what you received.

Indiana program guidelines require that you maintain full-time enrollment during the first four weeks of each semester. Less than this will result in the cancellation of your award.

If you or your family's financial situation has been significantly impacted by death, divorce, separation, loss of employment, loss of untaxed income, or excessive medical or dental expenses not covered by insurance, contact our office. We can help you examine your options during this uncertain time.

After contacting our office, you will be asked to provide us with a detailed, written explanation of the change and supply documentation to verify the change. Any adjustment in aid resulting from this request is contingent on your eligibility according to program regulations and the availability of funds at the time of review.

In determining whether you are independent for the 2019-20 academic year, our office is required to adhere to the standard definition of “independent status” as outlined by the U.S. Department of Education. According to this definition, you will be considered an independent student if you meet any of the following conditions:

• were born before Jan. 1, 1996
• are married at the time of filing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
• are working on a master's or doctorate program
• are currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training
• a veteran of the U.S. armed forces • have children who receive more than half of their support from you
• have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you
• were in foster care or were a dependent or ward of the court or both parents were deceased at any time since you turned 13
• are or were an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence
• are or were in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence • were determined by your high school or school district homeless liaison to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless at any time on or after July 1, 2018
• were determined by the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless at any time on or after July 1, 2018
• were determined by the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless at any time on or after July 1, 2018
• in very limited circumstances a financial aid professional may override a student’s dependency status. Exceptions must be made on a case-by-case basis and must be based upon documented extenuating circumstances such as abandonment by parents or an abusive family environment that threatens the student’s health or safety. Contact our office for instructions.

Students who qualify as independent are not required to provide parents’ information on the FAFSA. Our office may request additional documentation to verify that you are independent.

An applicant who is a permanent resident or other eligible noncitizen must provide documentation of that status to receive federal student financial aid funds.

Primary confirmation: This documentation may be provided automatically through the results of a match with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) records. If your status has been confirmed, no other documentation is required, and eligibility for federal aid has been established.

Secondary confirmation: If the primary confirmation is not received, you must submit one of the following documents to our office 

in order to establish eligibility:

• a valid U.S. passport
• Certificate of Citizenship
• a Certificate of Naturalization
• a Form FS-240
• a completed Form G-641
• an Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form 1-151, I-551, or 1-551C)
• an Arrival-Departure Record (Form 1-94)
• a Family Unity Status Form (1-797s)

Within 15 working days, the information will be mailed to the DHS for secondary confirmation. DHS must respond within 15 working days. If DHS does not respond, our office will document that DHS exceeded the time allotted, and we will determine eligibility on the basis of the secondary confirmation and in accordance with federal regulations.

Deadlines: You will meet eligibility requirements for federal aid as long as you submit the documentation and the secondary confirmation is determined by the last day of class for which you are requesting financial aid.

It is important for you to know that your academic standing and progress impacts your financial aid status. In particular, you need to know how the following items may affect you:

• satisfactory academic progress
• withdrawing from individual courses
• withdrawing from all courses
• unofficial withdrawals
• Return of Funds Policy

Learn more about Satisfactory Academic Progress and Maintaining Aid Eligibility

Federal regulations affect the ability to award financial aid for courses that you have already taken. You can receive financial aid:

• to repeat a course that has already been passed (D-minus or higher) only one additional time; attempts beyond that will not be eligible for financial aid; this applies even if you earn a failing grade (F) or withdraw (W) during the second attempt.
• as many times as necessary to repeat a course in which the only previous grade earned has been a failing grade (F)
• even if a passing grade has been earned for certain repeat courses due to different subject matter being studied in each term

All courses previously taken, even if financial aid was not used, are compared against the current semester to determine if it is a repeated class and whether it can be paid for using financial aid. Your financial aid may be recalculated if you take a class that is not eligible for financial aid. This policy does not provide exceptions if the repeat courses are taken to meet plan of study grade requirements, i.e. a grade of C or higher must be earned to count toward your major.