Financial Aid & Scholarship FAQs
Whether you’re a first-time student or a returning financial aid recipient, we’ve compiled answers to commonly asked questions to help guide you through the financial aid process.
If you don’t find what you’re looking for here, visit the Scholarships and Financial Aid home page or reach out to the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center support team.
Financial Aid and Eligibility
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What is Financial Aid?
Financial aid refers to monetary support, such as grants, scholarships, loans (require repayment) or employment, provided to students to help pay for their education. At Kent State, financial aid is awarded based on financial need and/or merit. You may receive a combination of the different forms of aid.
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Who is Eligible to Receive Financial Aid?
To receive federal aid funds, you must be officially admitted and enrolled in an eligible program with the goal of obtaining a degree or approved certificate. If you take courses before official admission (such as a guest student), you won’t be eligible for federal financial aid until you are officially admitted to a degree or certificate program.
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What Actions Could Change My Financial Aid Eligibility?
To review a list of actions that may change your financial aid eligibility, including not attending classes, exiting in the middle of the semester or dropping a course, visit the Aid Recalculation Due to Enrollment Activities page.
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I am Leaving Kent State for Another School, What do I Need to do With My Financial Aid?
To begin the process of transferring your federal financial aid, please contact the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center support team.
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Where can I Find Additional Financial Aid Information and Resources?
College Board
The provides information about planning and paying for college. It has separate sections of content for students and parents.
Peterson's
The College Bound section on helps students and parents gather information regarding their college search, test preparation, admission essays and financial aid. Additionally, the financial aid section includes a scholarship search.
American Council on Education
The is committed to helping first generation and minority students succeed in college. ACE provides helpful information on subjects like college readiness and paying for college.
Federal Student Aid
The U.S. Department of Education can provide you with a , from elementary school through high school, and videos to help you prepare for the future. Whether you’re a student, parent or adult thinking about going back to school, the Federal Student Aid website will guide you in the right direction.
FinAid
is a comprehensive website that provides links to information about student financial aid. It is maintained by Mark Kantrowitz, author of The Prentice Hall Guide to Scholarships and Fellowships.
Department of Veterans Affairs Education Service
If you are a military-connected student, visit the federal government's website and Kent State’s Center for Adult and Veteran Services to familiarize yourself with the programs and services that may be available to you.
Office of Postsecondary Education
, from the U.S. Department of Education, provides a comprehensive overview of applying for and receiving financial aid. There are many links to other Department of Education publications and resources, including "Education Planning" and "Student Resources."
Ohio Department of Higher Education
website provides information on the state’s grants and scholarships.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
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What Happens After I Submit the FAFSA?
After receiving your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) results, we assess your eligibility based on financial need.
If you’re an incoming freshman, an Initial Financial Aid Offer will be mailed to you. Continuing students will receive a financial aid offer via email.
Any subsequent adjustments to your aid will be communicated through email. Remember to check for the latest updates on your student aid.
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What is My FAFSA Federal School Code?
Kent Campus: 003051
Ashtabula Campus: 003052
East Liverpool Campus: 003056
Geauga Campus and Twinsburg Academic Center: 003059
Salem Campus: 003061
Stark Campus: 003054
Trumbull Campus: 003064
- Tuscarawas Campus: 003062
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How is My Financial Aid Award Determined?
Starting in 2024-2025, a new formula called the Student Aid Index (SAI) replaced the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) on the FAFSA. The SAI assesses your family’s financial strength, considering income, assets, family size and retirement allowances. It’s subtracted from the cost of attendance to determine your financial need. Based on this, Kent State determines the types and amounts of aid you’re eligible for, including both need-based and non-need-based assistance.
Example: Cost of Attendance $12,000 – Student Aid Index $3,500 = Financial Need $8,500
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When Will I Receive My Financial Aid?
Financial aid cannot be disbursed to your student account until you’ve completed all processing requirements, such as your MPN or Verification. Provided all steps have been completed, financial aid will disburse 10 days prior to the start of each semester. Refunds are processed for students who have financial aid awards that exceed their bill for the semester.
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Why has the Amount of My Federal Pell Grant Changed?
Students who are eligible for a Federal Pell Grant are awarded based on enrollment. If your enrollment changed prior to the start of classes, it will affect the amount of Pell Grant you are eligible for.
After the first week of class, at the time of the census date, the Federal Pell Grant amount will no longer update due to the addition of classes. Students will be notified of the census date and process via email each semester.
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After the Fall Semester, I Have a Grade Level Change. Can I Receive Additional Loans?
Kent State will evaluate your eligibility for both subsidized and unsubsidized loans based on your grade level and degree program.
If you have a mid-year grade level change, you must complete the Federal Direct Loan Change Request Form - Increase to be evaluated again. This must be your official grade level in .
Scholarship FAQs
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Report Outside Scholarships/Resources
About Outside Scholarships
Students are welcome to bring any scholarship received from an external source (such as your high school, church, employers) to 鶹ý, provided the donor will allow the use of the scholarship at Kent State. However, those scholarships must be reported.
What Must Be Reported?
All external scholarships must be reported to the university, even if the organization gave the student a check made out to them personally.
Students who will receive an outside scholarship/resource that will assist in paying their education-related expenses (tuition, housing, food, books, supplies, equipment, travel, miscellaneous and personal expenses) must report that information and include documentation annually through FlashLine.
External resources include outside donor scholarships and/or tuition assistance/reimbursement.
Note: You are not required to report aid already included in your financial aid package. You also do not need to include monetary gifts from friends, relatives or scholarships that were awarded to you by 鶹ý.
How Do I Report an Outside Scholarship?
Students can self-report external scholarships in FlashLine by following these steps:
- Login to your FlashLine Account at
- Select Student
- Under Finances, choose Scholarships & Financial Aid
- Select Financial Aid Resource & Additional Information
- Choose the current Award Year from the drop-down menu and click the Submit button
- Click on Resources/Additional Information tab
- Fill out the External Resource Reporting Information
- Complete the Dynamic form to list all external resources and attach required documentation, then submit
- You will then be rerouted to FLASHLINE to finalize submission
Your reported aid will not be accepted or applied without documentation. It is only necessary to report an outside scholarship/resource once per academic year. This form is not to be used to request additional financial aid.
When Will I Have Access to Outside Scholarship Funds?
External scholarships/resources will not show as a credit on the student's account until the funds are received by the University. Once the external scholarship funds are received, the scholarship will be added to the student’s financial aid offer and will appear as a credit on the student’s account for that semester. The actual funds will not be released any sooner than 10 days before your classes start. You cannot receive the scholarship funds early. If you owe a balance for any reason on your student account, your scholarship will be applied to that outstanding balance. If you do not owe a balance for that semester, the scholarship will be issued to you as a financial aid refund for that semester.
Will Outside Scholarships Affect Scholarship or Other Financial Aid from Kent State?
Outside scholarships can affect a student’s existing financial aid package. Typically, this happens only if a student is receiving a large number of scholarships that exceed the cost of the student’s tuition, room and/or board. Students in this situation will usually see a reduction in the amount they can borrow in a Federal Direct Student or Parent PLUS loan. Students cannot receive two scholarships that cover the same expense in its entirety or when combined exceed that expense. For example, a student cannot receive two tuition scholarships that exceed the cost of tuition. To find out if an outside scholarship will change a student’s financial aid or scholarship offer, please feel free to contact the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center.
What If the Scholarship Check Was Sent to the Student?
Make sure the student's name and Kent State ID Number is written on the check or included with the check. Submit your check using one of the following methods:
- In-person Kent Campus: Take the scholarship check to the Drop Box, located on the first floor of the Schwartz Center
- In-person Regional Campus: Take the scholarship check to the Student Services Office of the campus you will attend
- Mail:
鶹ý
Bursar's Office
P.O. Box 5190
Kent, Ohio 44242
What Actions Must International Sponsored Students Take?
We offer special support for students who are financially supported by governments (U.S. or foreign), international organizations, public or private companies and other third-party entities.
If you are a sponsored student or a sponsoring organization, please visit our dedicated webpage or contact Sponsored Student Services intlspon@kent.edu for more information.
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Scholarship Eligibility and Renewal Criteria
What are the eligibility and renewal criteria for my scholarships?
For scholarship awards made by the Student Financial Aid Office, Admissions Office, and Honors College the renewal and eligibility criteria are available on your FlashLine account. Please follow the directions below to review the details. For scholarships awarded by Colleges and other departments, please contact the appropriate office for more information.
- Login to your FlashLine Account at
- Select Student
- Under Finances, choose Financial Aid
- Select Financial Aid Awards
- Select Aid for Award Year
- Choose the current Award Year from the drop-down menu and click the Submit button
- Click on the Award Overview tab
- Click on the name of each scholarship and carefully read the Eligibility and Renewal Criteria for that award
Do I have to submit a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to be considered for scholarships?
Newly admitted students do not have submit a FAFSA to be considered for the Academic Achievement Award, President’s Achievement Award, Oscar Ritchie Memorial Scholarship, Founders Scholarship, Honors Distinction Award, or incoming transfer student scholarships. These scholarships are strictly merit based.
If a scholarship program indicates that “demonstrating financial need” is required, then the student must have a FAFSA on file for the academic year to be considered for that award. The FAFSA allows the Student Financial Aid Office to determine whether the student is demonstrating financial need.
How do I accept my scholarships?
View step-by-step instructions on how to accept your Kent State scholarships.
Accepting a scholarship does not commit you to attending 鶹ý, but we ask that you only accept your scholarship if you are planning to attend. Accepting a scholarship will not eliminate you from consideration for additional scholarship awards.
How will I receive my scholarship award?
All 鶹ý scholarships (except for a limited number of scholarships awarded specifically for research or conference travel) will be applied to your student account for the semester. Scholarships will show as credit on your student account, but the actual funds will not be released any sooner than 10 days before your classes start. You cannot receive the scholarship funds early. If you owe a balance for any reason on your student account, your scholarship will be applied to that outstanding balance. If you do not owe a balance for that semester, the scholarship will be issued to you as a financial aid refund for that semester.
Will my other financial aid be revised if I receive a scholarship?
The addition of a scholarship, from any source, could result in the revision of your other financial aid awards. The most common revision is a reduction in a Federal Parent PLUS Loan, a private alternation loan, or the reduction/cancellation of student’s federal Direct Loans. This typically happens only when the student is receiving a very large amount of financial aid that already equals their Cost of Attendance budget. Based on a student’s FAFSA results, the student’s Federal Direct Subsidized Loan may have to be reduced or cancelled. Whenever possible, that funding is replaced with a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan.
Scholarship awards that can only to be applied to certain expenses, such as tuition, may have to be reduced if the student’s total scholarships exceed that expense.
If I did not meet the renewal criteria in order to receive my scholarships next year, is there anything I can do?
Students who did not meet their scholarship renewal criteria for the awards listed below can request an appeal if they have extenuating circumstances.
- Academic Achievement Award
- President's Achievement Award
- Oscar Richie Memorial Scholarship
- Trustee Scholarship
- Founders Scholarship
- University Award
- President's Scholarship
- President's Award
- Academic Transfer Award
- President's Transfer Award
- Transfer2Kent Scholarship
- Flash Transfer Northeast Ohio Scholarship
Extenuating circumstances include illness, death in family, family crisis, etc. The appeal must include supporting documentation. Students cannot request a scholarship appeal form until after they have been notified that the scholarship was cancelled for the upcoming year or semester.
Can I request an extra semester of my scholarship because I will be here for a 9th semester?
Yes, but you must submit a Scholarship Appeal Form to request the additional semester.
I am graduating early – can I double up on my scholarship in my last semester?
No, your Kent State scholarship cannot be increased from the original offer amount per semester. For example, an $1,000 annual scholarship will be awarded $500 per semester. You cannot receive all $1,000 in one semester.
Can I receive my scholarship if I register for regional campus courses?
You will not be eligible for your Kent Campus scholarship if you register for regional campus courses unless you are also enrolled for a minimum of 12 credit hours in Kent Campus designated courses that same semester.
I only need 2 courses this semester to graduate and I have one semester of scholarship eligibility remaining. Am I eligible for my Kent Campus scholarship?
You may appeal to use your scholarship, for less than full-time enrollment, if it is your last semester of enrollment prior to graduation. View scholarship appeal forms. Please note, your scholarship may be prorated if you are not enrolled full-time.
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Tuition and Fee Waivers
Will I be eligible for Kent State scholarships if i will have a faculty/staff/dependent tuition waiver benefit?
Many Kent State scholarships can be applied only to tuition instructional and general fees. Therefore, if the student will use a Tuition Waiver Benefit, these types of scholarships will be cancelled. Affected scholarships include, but are not limited to, the following incoming freshman and incoming transfer student scholarships awarded by Admissions, Student Financial Aid and the Honors College:
- Academic Achievement Award
- Founders Scholarship
- Honors Distinction Award
- Oscar Richie Memorial Scholarship
- President Achievement Award
- Transfer2Kent Scholarship
- Transfer in a Flash Scholarship
If cancelled due to a Tuition Waiver Benefit, these awards will NOT be replaced with funding to be used towards living expenses, books, or other educational-related expenses.
Visit the Financial Aid Videos and Scholarship Videos pages for step-by-step tutorials.