The refusal from parents to not complete the FAFSA is not grounds to make you independent for financial aid. You may contact the Office of Student Financial Aid if there are other circumstances around this refusal.

Regarding you being independent or dependent is determined from the FAFSA questions. If you answer “No” to questions on the FAFSA in section 3 then you are dependent and have to provide parent information. If you answer “Yes” to any question in section three than you will only answer questions that pertain to you and your income. You will be asked to provide documentation on some of the questions in section 3 if answered “Yes.”

A parent cannot be counted in college on the FAFSA, only dependent students.

The FAFSA is year specific for each academic year. You may complete the FAFSA each calendar year beginning October 1st for the next academic year.

We recommend that every student apply for financial aid each year.

We have a Feb. 15 FAFSA priority deadline for all students.

No, the priority deadline allows the maximum aid available to the student. If filed after the deadline the student would still receive federal and state aid and a calculation on institutional aid according your filing date.

The verification process is established by the Federal Department of Education. You will receive a letter indicating the forms needed to complete the process. You can also refer to your Banner link for the requirements to complete your verification.

For consideration for federal, state and institutional aid.

On the FAFSA the student will answer the question regarding that they have a “guardian” or are a “ward of the court” and therefore will be considered an independent. You will need to supply a copy of the court document regarding your guardianship/Ward of the Court.

There will be Federal Aid restrictions if you have been convicted for the possession or sale of illegal drugs in a state or federal court. This question is on the FAFSA section One question #23. Read the Drug Law Violations and Financial Aid line item for more information.

The FAFSA is now based on taxes that should have already been filed. However, in some circumstances, there could be an extension filed. In these cases, you should use your estimated income from your W-2s.

You will go to https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa and complete the information on the form. You will need a FSA ID number for both student and parent (if dependent). The FSA ID can be requested at https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch?continueTo=fafsa

Adjustments to full-time charges are only made if a student adjusts his/her schedule during the term’s add/drop period. No adjustments to full-time charges are made after add/drop period unless a student withdraws entirely from the University. Full-time financial aid is tied to full-time charges. Financial assistance is not adjusted when a student drops a class after the add/drop date.

Check out the Financial Aid and Scholarships landing page that will direct you to more information about different types of aid.

Need based aid is awarded according to the FAFSA information/calculation, such as Pell Grant, state grant and institutional Grant etc. Need based aid can change from year to year depending on the FAFSA information. Merit aid is academically awarded for achievements accomplished and therefore will not change unless requirements of the award are not met.

Your aid is established by the Cost of Attendance (COA) and housing budget you are assigned (on or off campus and commuter). Therefore to change from any housing status will mean that your aid package will need to be revised according to the new budget.

The Otterbein Grant is need based and calculated each year in regard to your FAFSA information (income, household size, number in college, priority deadline, etc.).

The FAFSA is completed each year to give a financial and household picture for the coming year using prior year income. With that the income could change as well as the household number and the number in college. Another reason there might be a change is due to your housing from one year to the next. If you are going from an on-campus budget to a commuter budget you could experience a change.

The student should be listed as an Ohio resident on the FAFSA, as long as a student stays continually enrolled.

Ohio College Opportunity Grant is based on the FAFSA EFC (Expected Family Contribution). Currently you are eligible with an EFC or 2190 or below and a maximum family income of less than $96,000.

There are limited departmental scholarships for upper-class students.

Yes there is a lifetime Pell Grant limit. Accurately it is 12 semester payments of full-time Pell Grant and calculated accordingly for the part-time student.

There are limited federal and state programs that pay for less than half time enrollment but you have to show eligibility by filing the FAFSA.

Outside scholarships have to be reported to verify that you are not receiving funds greater than your cost of attendance (COA).

We will start awarding financial aid packages to new students’ in early January. An award will be sent by U.S. Mail to your permanent address. Returning students will be notified by Otterbein e-mail, usually before the close of the current spring semester if you have completed all essential forms.

Aid is disbursed beginning the first day of the semester as long as all eligibility requirements are met.

The summer aid available to student can be a portion of federal and state aid (Pell grant, SEOG and Direct loan (Subsidized and Unsubsidized)). Direct loans used in summer will reduce the academic (Fall and Spring Semesters) year eligibility. Please inform the Office of Student Financial Aid if you will enroll summer semester

This is dependent on when you withdraw from your courses. We have a refund schedule that is set up each year and depending on the date you withdraw your financial aid and your billing account will be adjusted accordingly. Students must attend at least 60% of the semester to fully earn their federal assistance.

If your financial aid award is complete and will create a credit on your student account after the funds are credited, you may contact Student Accounts to have funds from the anticipated refund added to a bookstore account on your Cardinal Card to purchase books at the Campus Center bookstore. Pell Grant recipients may contact the Student Accounts Office to have funds added to the bookstore account on your Cardinal Card to purchase books at the Campus Center bookstore.

Students are permitted to repeat a course that has been passed one additional time and be eligible for financial aid. Any additional repeats of the same course will not be covered through financial aid.

The scholarship(s) received at the time of admission to the school is the scholarship amount that will be received for the four years of your undergraduate program. As long as you maintain the GPA requirement. Eligibility for need based aid is reviewed each year after the FAFSA is received.

1) Log into My O-Zone using your Otterbein network user name and password.

2) Click on the Banner icon.

On the Financial Aid Status for Financial Aid Year page: You can check your account balance at any time by logging into Banner through My O-Zone or checking your ePay account.

The Department of Education selects students FAFSA for verification. This process requires Otterbein to verify that the information on the FAFSA is accurate. To perform this review you will be asked to submit certain documentation to the Office of Student Financial Aid.

The verification process is established by the Department of Education. You will receive notification indicating the forms needed to complete the process. You can also refer to your “Banner” link for the requirements to complete your verification.

If you are selected for verification you will need to provide your federal tax return transcripts (student and parent) to the process identified by Otterbein Office of Student Financial Aid.

You can obtain a Federal Tax Return Transcript online at www.irs.gov or by calling the IRS at 1-800-908-9946.

Students and parents who qualify to use the DRT but did not utilize this option when completing the FAFSA can log back into the FAFSA and select the DRT option at this time. Those who do not qualify for or opt to not use the DRT can obtain their federal tax return transcript for verification. We cannot accept a copy of the income tax return (1040) only the tax transcript.

We can receive your documents by postal mail to:
Otterbein Office of Student Financial Aid
1 S. Grove St.
Westerville, OH 43081
Fax: 614-823-1588
Hand delivered to the Office of Student Financial Aid

For your protection, please do not submit personally identifiable or confidential information via email. This includes attachments with tax returns/tax return transcripts and social security numbers.

No need based will be credited to your billing account.

Any reduction in income for the current year due to: job loss (involuntary), divorce, death, reduction in hours or hourly wage and retirement would be considered. There could also be a loss of child support due to the student’s age or graduation date. Complete the FAFSA with the prior year tax information. Once you are awarded for the next academic year we can review the upcoming expected year income. Contact the Office of Student Financial Aid and inquire about your situation.

The student or parent(s) should notify the Office of Student Financial Aid to determine if their situation would merit a review by the special circumstance committee.

Initially you will need to provide the amount of the bequest on the FAFSA as either cash or investment. Once that is completed you would need to contact the Office of Student Financial Aid regarding the special circumstance process.

Contact the Office of Student Financial Aid to go over you circumstance with a counselor. Once reviewed an appropriate form and requirements will be requested for your situation. p/ 614.823.1502

Check to make sure you have web accepted your loans in Banner and completed the needed requirements (Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling) for your loans to disburse.

Log into your Banner account and web-decline your loans if you have not yet accepted your loans.

Contact the Office of Student Financial Aid.

We have a list of preferred lenders on our website through FASTChoice. You can compare up to three different loan options at one time. The list does not include all the options one has for loans at Banks or Credit Unions.

Federal regulation only gives students a certain amount of loan eligibility each year. These are known as annual Direct loan limits.

Freshmen (0 to 30 undergraduate credit hours earned/transferred)	$5,500 (No more than $3,500 of this amount may be in subsidized loans.)
Sophomore (30 to 60 undergraduate credit hours earned/transferred)	$6,500 (No more than $4,500 of this amount may be in subsidized loans.)
Junior/Senior (60 to 90+ undergraduate credit hours earned/transferred)	$7,500 (No more than $5,500 of this amount may be in subsidized loans.)

You will not have to repay your loan until you have used up the one-time six-month grace period. At that time, your loan will go into repayment. Once you are enrolled for at least half-time, your loans can go into an “in school deferment.”

See this document for the step by step process to accept your loans (PDF).

There are limited small dollar amount emergency loans available in the Student Affairs Office.

Once you have determined that you are eligible for an on-campus work study position you can look at the Handshake Internship and Job Database for job opportunities.

Students eligible for Federal Work Study are invited to attend a Job Fair during the First Flight week. Attendees will meet employers to find employment and complete hiring paperwork. Students may work up to 20 hours per week while classes are in session (not to be exceeded). Students will be paid bi-weekly for actual hours worked.

To learn more, visit Student Employment Information.

The money you earn from the work study program is generally subject to federal and state income tax, but exempt from FICA taxes (provided you are enrolled full-time and work less than half-time). Work study earnings during the calendar year should be included in your AG (adjusted gross income).

It depends on what your current financial aid package and what program you will pursue. Make an appointment with the Study Abroad coordinator at studyabroad@otterbein.edu to start the process.

There are additional funds available as part of one’s 5 cardinal Experiences. For information about Otterbein’s 5 Cards funding contact 5cards@otterbein.edu.

Academic standing with Otterbein is used to assess academic achievement. Federal SAP has different standards and therefore you have to appeal your Federal SAP.

Schedule an appointment with a counselor in the Student Success & Career Development to establish a plan for success. The Academic Plan is just that – a plan. To improve your SAP standing is up to you as you follow the plan to completion.

The Federal SAP policy has qualitative and quantitative components to assess eligibility for financial aid. Review the details carefully.

No. There are no extensions to paying your balance. All tuition, academic fees and room and board fees are due fourteen (14) days prior to the start of each academic term. Fees may be paid in full or students may select (for $25 per term) a payment plan through ePay. A payment plan must be set up every term.

NOTE: International student (those students requiring a visa to attend) must pay in full by the due date. These students are not eligible for the payment plan.

Access ePay

ePay is an on-line service available 24/7 for you (and any others you authorize) to view your student account statement, make payments, and set-up a payment plan. You can enroll in a payment plan up to one month prior to the start of each semester.

Access ePay