Students pursuing a degree from Ohio University may be eligible for financial assistance for enrollment in flexible courses to include print-based correspondence courses. Financial aid covers the cost of tuition, textbooks, the Student Information System and Network Fee (SIS), and technology fees for print-based (non-term based) correspondence courses and special projects. To be considered eligible to receive financial assistance, the student must file the current year FAFSA at https://fafsa.gov to begin the financial aid process, listing the Ohio University School Code of 003100. Once the award offer has been prepared, the student will be notified by the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships with specific financial aid details that are provided by a Financial Aid Counselor. The online award offer may be viewed at the My OHIO Student Center at the Accounts tab on the My OHIO portal – (log in at http://sis.ohio.edu/student ). The award offer is not prepared until the enrollment plan is determined for print-based (non-term) correspondence courses or combined enrollment in term-based and print-based (non-term) courses.
Please note the following Financial Aid limitations:
- Financial Aid is not availablefor Course Credit by Examination ( CCE) courses.
- Living expenses are not covered for enrollment in flexible courses only and therefore are not included in the financial aid award offer
- Students are considered “half-time” students regardless of the number of credit hours enrolled
- Financial aid does not disburse upon enrollment, so students must prepare for out of pocket tuition and textbook costs.
- Students cannot receive financial aid from more than one institution for the same term. If financial aid has been awarded by another college in addition to Ohio University, financial aid at the other college must first be cancelled in order for Ohio University to prepare an award offer and disburse the financial aid for courses enrolled at Ohio University.
Students should work with their academic advisor to determine course selection. The amount of financial assistance awarded to the student is based on the total cost of the tuition, fees, and textbooks for the courses selected by the student; therefore course selection must be known before any financial aid awards can be determined. The Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships may be contacted if the student has questions about verification or the completion of the FAFSA application. Students should contact the eLearning OHIO Office with specific questions about enrollment in the print-based correspondence courses. ( ecampus@ohio.edu ).
Tuition, Payment, and Financial Aid
Because Federal Pell Grants and Federal Direct Student Loans do not pay in full at the time of course registration for Print-Based Correspondence Courses, financial aid recipients are required to pay a portion of the tuition costs by the stated payment deadline for the enrollment in addition to the cost of the textbooks. For example, if a print-based course is registered with an effective date of December 1st, then the payment due date will be December 21st. If a balance remains on a student’s account after the eligible financial aid (that can disburse upon registration) has disbursed, the student is responsible for making that payment by the payment due date. If the payment is not made, a late fee of 1.5% will be assessed. The upfront cost is the difference between the total amount assessed for tuition and fees, and the portion of the student’s financial aid award that disbursed at the time of registration. Textbook costs are out of pocket. A percentage of financial aid will disburse once certain milestones within the coursework are completed as described below.
Financial Aid – Federal Pell Grants
Federal Pell Grants are paid in two disbursements. If you qualify for the Pell Grant, one-half of the total Pell Grant awarded will be paid to the student upon completion of 25% of your coursework. The second half will be disbursed once 75% of the student’s coursework has been completed.
Note:To receive the full amount of the Federal Pell Grant, the student must complete at least 75% of the course during the award year which ends June 30th. A new award year begins July 1, and runs through June 30 of the following year.
It is the responsibility of the student to notify the E-Learning OHIO office when the student has reached the reimbursement thresholds of 25% and 75% completion for coursework to initiate release of award funds; however, a lesson-tracking report is sent monthly to the financial aid office.
The Office of Instructional Innovation (eLearning OHIO) verifies to the Office of Student Financial Aid & Scholarships that the student has completed the required number of lessons and exams to satisfy the 25% and 75% completion rate requirement. The Student Financial Aid & Scholarship office will disburse the appropriate financial aid funds to the student’s account.
Financial Aid – Federal Direct Student Loans
If the student chooses to borrow a Federal Direct Student Loan, the loan will disburse in two payments. The first half of the student loanwill be sent to Ohio University after the student completes course registration and all loan requirements are met. First-time borrowers must complete the Loan Agreement/Master Promissory Note and Loan Entrance Counseling at https://studentaid.gov . Note: If the student is unable to complete the loan acceptance on the My OHIO Student Services Center, the student will need to complete a loan acceptance statement and send an e-mail with that information to Lisa Butler, Senior Assistant Director of Financial Aid, eLearning from the student’s Ohio University email address. The student’s OHIO ID, student PID # and full name should be listed in the body of the email.
The second half of the student loanwill be disbursed at the calendar midpoint of the initial enrollment period, provided the student has completed at least 50% of the coursework. To receive the full amount of the available Direct Loan, the student must complete at least 50% of the coursework during the award year which will end in August of the current academic year.
Need Assistance?
For assistance with the Financial Aid process for your Print-Based Correspondence (PBC) Enrollment Plan, please contact:
Lisa Butler
Senior Assistant Director of Financial Aid, eLearning
Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships 020 Chubb Hall
Athens, OH. 45701
740-593-4712
butlerl@ohio.edu
or financial.aid.elearn@ohio.edu