Summer Aid

If financial aid is needed to help with summer costs, it is recommended that students meet with their financial aid counselors prior to enrolling in summer coursework to determine eligibility for financial assistance.

While the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applies towards fall through the following summer, summer aid requires special processing. Since the summer is the same length as a regular semester, it has the same enrollment requirements. Half-time for undergraduate students is at least 6 semester hours.

Summer Loan Eligibility -  If you have not exhausted your annual loan eligibility by the end of the regular academic year (fall/spring) or your grade level changes at the end of the spring term, you may be eligible for summer loan funds. You must be enrolled and attending at least half-time for your loan to pay out. To receive loan funds for the summer term, you must complete the Summer Loan Application which is available each year in late March/early April.

EARN Indiana, launched in summer 2013, revamped the existing state work-study program. More information is available on Indiana's Division of Student Financial Aid website.

In previous years, only students who had not exhausted their annual grant award could use remaining eligibility for summer. Although these students may still utilize their remaining funds, students who used their full annual award in fall/spring may now qualify for additional grant funds for summer.

Federal Pell Grant

To utilize the additional Pell Grant Funds, students must:

• Be seeking a first undergraduate degree.
• Be enrolled at least half-time (or more in some cases) in summer courses prior to the end of the 100% refund period for the summer session(s) you are enrolled in. 
• Have remaining lifetime Pell Grant eligibility. (Students may not receive more than the equivalent of six full-time years of Pell Grant funding in their lifetime.)
• Be meeting the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy at the end of spring.

The amounts will vary based on your FAFSA results and your enrollment status. There is not a separate application for summer Pell Grant funds. We will automatically begin packaging in April, for those who qualify.  

Indiana State Grants (Frank O'Bannon/IHEA and 21st Century Scholarship)

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education will provide qualified students an option to receive additional state grants in their current award year through ‘Fast Track’. To utilize Fast Track, students must:

• Qualify for and use either a Frank O’Bannon (IHEA) or a 21^st Century scholarship during the academic year.
• Earn at least 30 credit hours in the current academic year without the aid of the Credit Bank.
• ‘Opt in’ to use Fast Track by completing a simple application in ScholarTrack and select either the ‘half-time’ award or the ‘full-time’ award option.
• Meet enrollment requirement for the award selected (half-time or full-time enrollment).
• Must have remaining eligibility of at least 25 or 50 eligibility units.
• Be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

Students meeting eligibility requirements for a Fast Track award will have eligibility units deducted from their total lifetime units. This is not an additional semester of eligibility; it is allowing students to use their awards in a condensed time-frame. While we expect the majority of students to use Fast Track during the summer, it is designed to supplement the annual award and can be used during a third payment period after exhausting the annual award. Like the Frank O’Bannon and the 21st Century scholarship, Fast Track can only be used for eligible tuition and the University Service fee.