State Aid from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education Division of Student Financial Aid (SFA) – Formerly SSACI

The Frank O’Bannon Awards are need based and the amount of the award varies each year based on funding levels and the number of eligible students. The amount of an O’Bannon award is calculated based the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) for independent students or the Parent Contribution portion of the EFC for dependent students and the type of Indiana high school diploma earned by the student (Academic Honors, Core 40, or General).

To qualify for state grant consideration the applicant must:
• Be an Indiana resident;
• Be a U.S. Citizen or eligible noncitizen
• Be a high school graduate or hold a GED
• Attend, or plan to attend, an eligible college or university
• Be enrolled, or plan to enroll, in a course of study leading to an associates or first bachelors
 degree;
• Be a full-time student, or plan to enroll as a full-time student. (The state grant defines full-time as
 at least 12 credit hours per term); and File a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - by
 March 10 of the year proceeding the academic year the applicant plans to enroll.

The SFA award eligibility period is limited to eight semesters within a maximum of eight years. A student must be full-time (12 semester hours) on the SFA census date (the end of the 25% refund period & end of the fourth week of the semester). If a student has dropped below full-time, SFA awards are cancelled in full and the student’s bursar account will reflect an amount due that is equal to the cancelled SFA award.

New for Students Who Initially Enrolled at IUPUI as Freshmen Starting Fall 2012
Students who initially enrolled at IUPUI during the Fall 2012 semester must meet a minimum grade point average (GPA) to maintain their eligibility for state grants.  This requires our office to review your GPA before the start of each new academic year.  This review will take place at the end of each spring semester once grades are final.

Freshmen will be required to have a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.0, sophomores a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.25, and juniors and seniors a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.5.

If you meet the GPA requirement for your grade level, then you will still be considered for state grants for the upcoming academic year.  However, if your GPA is below the GPA requirement, you will be granted one semester of probation to increase your GPA. You are only allowed one semester of probation during your entire academic career.