Ohio University
PA-8: Affordability and Access

The OHIO Guarantee is a cohort based, level-rate tuition, housing, dining and fee model assuring a set of comprehensive rates for the pursuit of an undergraduate degree. Rates remain unchanged for four years, 12 consecutive semesters offering predictability, transparency and stability of costs. Low-income Ohio University students who file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may be eligible for need-based aid, including grants, subsidized loans and/or federal work-study. Scholarships are also available for low-income/economically disadvantaged students (see below).

"Your Passport to The OHIO Guarantee” was a training event for faculty and staff held on three separate dates in Fall 2014 and allowed members of the University community to transform into the personas of eight different fictitious OHIO college students, aided in part by Passport cards that defined details about the students’ diverse backgrounds and individual situations. The events gave faculty and staff an inside look at how The OHIO Guarantee affects multiple students, including veterans entering college, as well as traditional, multi-campus, part-time, transfer, regional campus, non-traditional, low-income and international students making their way through the college process.

Ohio University Upward Bound is a successful college access program that was established in 1967 and is sponsored by the US Department of Education. Upward Bound provides high school students who are potential first-generation college students with readiness skills and support services that cultivate resilience, confidence, and preparation for a healthy and successful transition to a postsecondary institution upon high school graduation. Program eligibility is based in part on family income. For more information, see http://www.cehs.ohio.edu/centers-partnerships/centers/upward-bound/history-trio-program.htm The College Adjustment Program (CAP) is supported through a TRIO Student Support Services grant from the US Department of Education and by Ohio University. CAP has helped students adjust to the demands of college life since 1979 at OHIO and assists students as they work toward graduation, a career, and/or graduate school. The CAP staff is committed to collaborating with our participants through a wide variety of academic support services at no cost to students. Through supportive and professional academic advising, CAP provides opportunities for academic and intellectual development, assists students in understanding the various graduation requirements, and gives students a home base and physical place on campus where they know they will be supported. For 34 years, CAP has been a positive force for student success and enrichment at Ohio University. All CAP services are designed to increase a student's chance of success. LINKS program: LINKS is a peer-mentoring program for first-year multicultural students. For over 25 years, the LINKS Program has been the cornerstone of support and assistance for first-year students at Ohio University. Successful upper-class students serve as mentors to LINKS participants. Peer mentors serve as role models to the first-year students and assist in the transition from high school to college. LINKS helps first-year students navigate the college experience by making students aware of the available university resources, services, and offices.

The OHIO Signature Awards, a set of scholarships and grants is designed to honor and assist Ohio University students on the Athens campus in accordance with the University's twin missions of excellence and access. The program includes generous merit-based scholarships, supportive need-based grants, and a set of awards unique to Ohio University that blend both merit- and need-based criteria. Appalachian Scholars: Appalachian Ohio is home to a large portion of the state's economically disadvantaged students. The Appalachian Scholars Program was created to provide academically qualified students who reside in Appalachian counties with the financial resources and the support system they need. The Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG) is a state-funded grant program available to residents of the state of Ohio only. You must complete the FAFSA by October 1 of each award year in order to ensure consideration. OCOG is awarded based on total family income and the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the FAFSA. The family's total income has to be equal to or less than $75,000, and the EFC has to be equal to or less than 2190. For those who qualify, the OCOG is available for full-time and part-time enrollment. Urban Scholars: The Urban Scholars program was created to provide academically qualified students who graduated from an urban school district in the State of Ohio with the financial resources and the support system they need to seize their opportunity.: Templeton Scholars: The Templeton Scholars Program provides valuable educational opportunities designed to enrich the intellectual experiences of talented students from disproportionately represented populations. OHIO Promise Scholars: The merit-based OHIO Promise Scholarship Program provides valuable educational opportunities designed to enrich the intellectual experiences of talented students from disproportionately represented ­populations.:

Ohio University hosts an annual Financial Aid Workshop to guide parents of admitted students in completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and to provide general information regarding the financial aid process. Additionally, we are involved in numerous outreach activities and events including high school financial aid nights and presentations to other targeted groups. A "Parent's Page" exists on the Financial Aid and Scholarships website. The links offered provide parents with the terms and expectations relevant to their student's financial aid experience. Also offered are additional recommendations of forms or offerings available to a student should a financial aid gap need to be bridges.

We work with community-based organizations that support college access, such as College NOW of Greater Cleveland and I Know I Can in central Ohio, to support students engaged in the college search process. We offer application fee-waivers for any student demonstrating need, including at special application nights that provide access to the technology and information needed to submit the online application. We invite and host several special groups to visit campus, including TRIO-based programs such as Upward Bound, and we support the communities we serve by attending college info nights, targeted recruitment fairs, and other events that support a college-going culture among low-income communities. Our regional campuses and centers extend the mission of Ohio University throughout southeastern Ohio, and all of our locations work closely to provide access and information to low-income families in their communities. We also have very strong transfer recruitment pipelines, enabling students to transfer to Ohio University after completing a portion of their education at a less expense community college partner.

We offer an application fee-waiver for an student demonstrating financial need. We participate in NACAC, ACT, and College Board fee-waiver programs. The OHIO Guarantee, new for fall 2015, offers a fixed-rate structure for required tuition, fees, room, and meal plans over the course of four academic years or twelve semesters, providing predictability and transparency in OHIO’s costs.

Ohio University does have a monthly payment plan option, through the Office of the Bursar, that allows any student the ability to split the balance of their current semester charges into installments.

A limited number of endowed/restricted institutional scholarships are available to eligible non-traditional and/or part-time students. For example, the Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG) is a state-funded grant program available to residents of the state of Ohio only. OCOG is awarded based on total family income and the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the FAFSA. For those who qualify, the OCOG is available for full-time and part-time enrollment.

On-Site Child Care Facility: The Child Development Center at Ohio University opened in September 1972. It is the early childhood laboratory within the Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education. As one of the only centers in the area that serves children ages six weeks to five years, we serve as a model for best practices in Southeastern Ohio. We believe that all children and parents have the potential to be an integral part of our community.

A handbook is available online for non-traditional students (http://www.ohio.edu/univcollege/support/handbook.cfm). Other policies and programs that support non-traditional students are listed in the handbook. The handbook is older, but most of the programs listed are still available.

The graduation/success rate for low-income students is from http://www.ohio.edu/instres/student/righttoknow/PELLSTAFFGRADRATES.html and is 2013 data for the six-year graduation rate for the 2007 freshmen cohort he percentage of student financial need met, on average, is from the data submitted for the 2014-2015 submission of Common Data Set statistics for question: Average percent of need met for any need-based aid – first-time, full-time freshman.