Future Students
Financial Aid questions you need answered
To ensure proper processing, external scholarships should be mailed to the following location:
Office of the University Bursar – External Scholarships
The Ohio State University
PO Box 183248
Columbus, OH 43218-3248
Each item should include the student’s name and OSU ID number.
If you drop below full-time status at any time through the fourth Friday of the term, your aid may be adjusted. See the “Important Dates” section on theRegistrar's website for the semester's calendar, registration dates, and add/drop/withdrawal deadlines. Some scholarships such as the Grace Washburn, Charles High and the Ohio Academic Scholarship will be cancelled or reduced regardless of when you fall below full-time. Please refer to What Happens to Your Aid When You…for more information.
If you decide to withdraw from all of your classes at any time during the semester and you have received a refund check or direct deposit, you may be required to return all or a portion of the refund. Your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) completion percentage will be affected. If you drop classes, but are still enrolled for at least one credit hour, only the classes with a mark of "W" will affect your SAP status. However, your aid may be subject to adjustments depending on the drop dates showing on your registration record and the final number of hours enrolled.
When the SAP completion percentage is below the requirement, your future financial aid will be in jeopardy. Please see the next question for more information. If you have had a SAP appeal approved and have been given specific conditions to meet, you will need to follow the stipulations listed on the SFA Status page in the Financial Aid section of your Student Center, accessible viaBuckeye Link, in order to continue to receive financial aid.
The To Do items on your Student Center (via BuckeyeLink) will be updated to show a date in the Received field once we have logged them in. The received date will be the actual date the item arrived in our office, not the date it was logged in. Once the item has been reviewed, the Status field will be updated to display "Completed." Depending on the time of year forms are requested, it may take 2-4 weeks for documents to show as received and the review to be completed.
Financial aid is awarded annually. You must apply each year. Enrolled undergraduates, graduate students, and professional students (in Dentistry, Medicine, Optometry, Veterinary Medicine, Law, and PHP Pharmacy) begin the application process by completing and submitting the following by the priority application date:
- The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the U.S. Department of Education - The preferred method of filing the FAFSA is through online submission from the U.S. Department of Education's FAFSA website at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. If you would prefer to complete a paper FAFSA, please print a copy from the Department of Education's website. For assistance in filing the FAFSA, access https://studentaid.gov/resources#fafsa.
- The Scholarship Application: If you wish to be considered for the Mansfield Scholarship or renew your Mansfield scholarship, please complete the scholarship application here: https://mansfield.osu.edu/financial-aid/scholarships.
- Summer Aid: If you are an enrolled undergraduate or graduate student and you register for upcoming summer term classes and have filed the FAFSA, Student Financial Aid will assume that you would like to receive financial aid for summer. No special application or notification to our office is required. Professional students will be awarded based on their college's academic schedule.
- Remember! Be sure to apply by the priority application date. Some financial aid funds are limited, and late applicants will not be awarded most types of institutional aid unless funds are available. The amount of financial aid awarded may vary each year according to your need, the type of aid you are requesting, your academic performance, and available funding.
From your Student Center, click on "Student Information Release."
You will enter the individual's information and designate which areas(Academic information, Account information and/or financial aid information) can be discussed with that person. The will also set an Access Code. Click Save.
When the designee calls to inquire about the student's account, they will be asked for the Access Code in order to verify their identity.
The student can have more than one designee at a time.
Prior to 10 days before the start of the term, check "Pending Financial Aid" under Student Accounts. Any aid displayed here for which you remain eligible will credit to your Statement of Account ten days before the first day of the term. You can check on the status of your financial aid online at your Student Center, accessible via Buckeye Link .
If you are not able to resolve your questions by these means, contact the Student Service Center directly to find out what you need to do.
If you have not filed the 2022-2023 FAFSA, you should still complete and submit it as soon as possible at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. Ohio State's FAFSA code is 003090. When you apply after the February 1 priority deadline, funds from certain programs, including scholarships, the university's Affordability Grant programs, Federal SEOG, and Federal Work-Study will be awarded on a funds-available basis only.
Some financial aid is need based and some is merit based, while other types require both need and merit. Several factors are involved when determining your aid eligibility:
- Student Aid Index (SAI) - An eligibility index number that a college's or career school's financial aid office uses to determine how much federal student aid the student would receive if the student attended the school.
- Grade Point Average (GPA)- Certain scholarships require a specific cumulative GPA.
- Class Rank- The Federal Direct Loan Program has annual limits based on the total number of hours you have successfully completed. Visit borrowing limits for more details.
- Budget/Cost of Attendance- There are established budgets for all Ohio State students based on academic level, residency, living arrangements, etc. A budget includes tuition, room and board, transportation, clothing, laundry, telephone, and other miscellaneous expenses for the terms you enroll in an academic year. Federal regulations prohibit any institution from awarding aid that exceeds a student's annual budget or need-based aid in excess of a student's demonstrated financial need.
- Deadlines- There are federal, state, and university deadlines. If you do not file the FAFSA or Scholarship Application by your priority deadline, you may be ineligible for certain types of aid. Visit Important Dates and Deadlines for more information.
Review the Finances section of your Student Center, accessible viaBuckeye Link, first. If your financial aid has been posted to your account, and you have an overage after all charges are paid, you can expect your refund about 5-7 days prior to the start of the term if you have signed up for direct deposit. You can sign up for direct deposit with cashNet by clicking on the Account Refund link in the Finances section of your Student Center.
If you have not signed up for Direct Deposit, a check will be mailed to your current address.