(A) Authority
This rule adopted under authority conferred upon the chancellor
of higher education by section
3333.122 of the Revised
Code.
(B) Definitions
(1) "Ohio resident" as used in this rule has
the same meaning as used in rule
3333-1-10 of the Administrative
Code.
Each eligible participating institution
shall determine
is
responsible for determining the residency status of students for Ohio
college opportunity grant (OCOG) purposes in accordance with rule
3333-1-10 of the Administrative
Code. Institutions of higher education participating in the OCOG program
shall
are to
provide individual students with a fair and adequate opportunity to present
proof of their Ohio residency for purposes of this rule. Such institutions may
require the submission of affidavits and other documentary evidence which it
may deem necessary for a full and complete determination under this
rule.
(2) Enrollment status
definitions
(a) Full-time student
A "full-time student" is one who is enrolled in a
degree-granting curriculum at a participating institution for not less than
twelve credit hours per semester, quarter, or term.
(b) Three-quarters-time student
A "three-quarters-time student" is one who is enrolled in a
degree granting curriculum at a participating institution for not less than
nine and no more than eleven credit hours per semester, quarter, or
term.
(c) Half-time student
A "half-time student" is one who is enrolled in a
degree-granting curriculum at a participating institution for not less than six
and no more than eight credit hours per semester, quarter, or term.
(d) One-quarter-time student
A "one-quarter-time student" is one who is enrolled in a
degree-granting curriculum at a participating institution for not less than one
and no more than five credit hours per semester, quarter, or term.
(3) Appropriate
academic progress
"Appropriate academic progress" means in working toward an
associate degree, bachelor's degree or nursing diploma, the student must
maintain a grade point average or other standards of achievement considered by
the institution as satisfactory progress toward receipt of the degree or
diploma sought by the student. A student placed on academic probation and
attending classes as prescribed by the institution on a full-time,
three-quarters-time, half-time or one-quarter-time basis
shall be
is
considered to be making appropriate progress.
(4) State cost of attendance
"State cost of attendance" means the average cost to a student
when attending an Ohio institution of higher education. In calculating the
average cost to a student, the chancellor may include any or all of the
following items:
(a) The average
instructional and general fees charged at Ohio institutions of higher
education. The chancellor may choose to calculate the average instructional and
general fees for each sector, as defined by the chancellor.
(b) The average cost to a student in Ohio for
any or all of the following items: books, transportation, housing costs or
living expenses.
(5)
Instructional and general charges
"Instructional and general charges" means the instructional and
general fees charged to the student. A general fee is one that is uniformly
assessed to all students.
(6) Expected family contribution (EFC)
As used to determine the eligibility of students for OCOG,
"expected family contribution" is defined as the measure of a family's
financial strength, and is used to determine eligibility for federal student
aid during one academic year. An EFC is received based on the processing
results of the student's free application for federal student aid (FAFSA). This
value is calculated in the same manner as the federal
methodology calculcation by using FAFSA fields
that may include the income and/or asset
figures reported, number in household, number in
household going to college, and state of legal residence in a formula
written by congress.
(7) As
used in this rule, "accredited" means approved by the chancellor.
(C) Eligibility
To be eligible for OCOG, a student must:
(1) Be an Ohio resident.
(2) Receive an EFC in the range of 0 to 2190
and not exceed a total household income of ninety-six thousand dollars on the
student's FAFSA, except as described in this rule. The chancellor may choose to
modify the total household income eligibility threshold, not to exceed a
maximum income eligibility threshold of twice the median household income in
Ohio, to maintain correlation with Ohio's median household income. As used in
this rule, "median household income" means as reported annually by the United
States census bureau. It is the intention of the chancellor that the income
eligibility threshold will be established and communicated to each eligible
participating institution by October first for awards to be made beginning in
the first term of the following academic year.
(3) Make appropriate academic progress toward
an eligible associate's degree, bachelor's degree, or nursing
diploma.
(4) Be enrolled in an
eligible undergraduate program pursuant to section
3333.122 or
3333.18 of the Revised
Code.
(D) Prohibited use
of funds
(1) No funds
shall
are to
be used if the student is:
(a) Enrolled in a
course of study leading to a degree in religion or theology, or other field of
preparation for a religious profession, unless such course of study leads to an
accredited bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, associate of arts, or
associate of science degree;
(b)
Pursuing a second baccalaureate degree;
(c) Serving a term of imprisonment.
(2) Non-discrimination
It is the intent of the chancellor of higher education to
provide OCOG awards to undergraduate students only if they enroll in
participating institutions of higher education in which there is not
discrimination among students in admission, in institutional services, or in
placement based upon race, sex, religion or national origin. Each participating
institution is expected to have met the various requirements under the
provisions of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.
(E) Award amounts
(1) Before the start of each new academic
year the chancellor
shall
will post proposed award tables on the agency
website that will include a definition of that academic year's state cost of
attendance. Except as provided in this paragraph, a student's award amount
shall
will
not exceed the state cost of attendance. The award amounts for students less
than full time
shall
will be the following:
(a) The award amount x .75 of the for a
three-quarters-time student;
(b)
The award amount x .5 of the for a half-time student;
(c) The award amount x .25 of the for a
one-quarter-time student.
A qualified foster youth as defined in section
3333.122 of the Revised Code
attending a community college, state community college, or technical college in
this state, may receive an amount greater than the state cost of attendance for
housing costs or living expenses if the state cost of attendance does not
include those items. Such expenses include reasonable costs for room and board
and do not include costs for textbooks, supplies, transportation or other
non-housing related items.
(2) The award amount
shall
will
apply only to instructional and general charges at an eligible institution
unless the state cost of attendance in any given academic year includes
additional items.
(3) Consortium
and study abroad agreements - OCOG may be used to pay the instructional charges
of an eligible Ohio visiting institution or study abroad institution when a
student is engaged in study outside of the student's home institution provided
that the outside courses are an integral part of the academic program of the
institution at which the student is pursuing the academic degree. Additionally,
such an arrangement must be documented and meet federal standards. The
student's enrollment status is based on the total credits attempted at both the
home and eligible visiting institutions; however the award amount is based on
the lower instructional and general fees. An OCOG award may need to be reduced
or eliminated for a term if the adjusted instructional and general charges
under a consortium or study abroad agreement are fully covered by a student's
federal pell grant and EFC share for that given term. A calculator to assist
institutions in such instances will be published on the agency
website.
(4) OCOG awards for
students enrolled in a dual degree program (which confers both an undergraduate
and graduate degree) must be based on the enrollment status of the qualifying
undergraduate courses only.
(5)
Influence of other instructional and general fees specific awards
In any given academic year, if the state cost of attendance
includes instructional and general fees only and if a student receives other
awards, loans or scholarships which are instructional and general fees specific
and meet the total instructional and general fees of the institution, then the
student has no eligible expenses that would qualify for an OCOG award. If other
awards, loans or scholarships are instructional and general fees specific and
must be used to cover some part of the student's instructional and general
fees, the OCOG award may need to be reduced accordingly. A calculator to assist
institutions in such instances will be published on the agency website.
(6) Priority basis in awarding
grants
If funds should not be available to make awards to all eligible
applicants in a funded sector, the chancellor may prioritize granting awards in
accordance with section
3333.122 of the Revised
Code.
(F)
Student application process
(1) Student
responsibility:
(a) A student must first
complete the free application for federal student aid (FAFSA). The higher
education information (HEI) system will determine OCOG eligibility for any
institutional student information record (ISIR) that is received.
(b) Deadline dates
All original FAFSA applications must be received by the United
States department of education (USDE) central processor on or before October
first of each year. All applicants should apply before this deadline, including
those who do not intend to enroll until later in the academic year.
(2) Institutional
responsibility:
(a) Financial aid offices at
participating institutions will need to determine students eligible for OCOG by
accessing the eligibility query available on the HEI system.
(b) An institution shall submit other
information requested by the chancellor's staff to assist in determining
eligibility.
(G) Post award guidance
(1) Transferring a grant
(a) Students may retain eligibility when
transferring to another participating Ohio institution of higher education.
Students should be counseled by the new institution as to the possible effects
of transferring an OCOG award.
(b)
If the student transfers to a participating institution in a sector with a
smaller award, the grant amount shall
will be reduced for that term in accordance with
the award table. If a student transfers to a participating institution in a
sector with a greater award, the grant amount may be increased for that term in
accordance with the award table, provided that sufficient funds are
available.
(2) Refunds
(a) If a student reduces his or her
enrollment - either by dropping a class(es) or withdrawing altogether - to
three-quarters time, one-half time, or less than half-time prior to an
institution's census date, the OCOG award allotment for the term must be
reduced to the corresponding enrollment level. Such a situation assumes a one
hundred per cent instructional and general fees refund will be made to the
student for the classes dropped.
(b) If a student reduces his or her
enrollment - either by dropping a class(es) or withdrawing altogether after the
institution's census date, but during the institution's refund period, the
percentage of the OCOG award refund will be equivalent to the percentage refund
of the student's actual instructional and general fees charges.
(c) If a student reduces his or her
enrollment - either by dropping a class(es) or withdrawing altogether after the
institution's freeze date, and after the institution's refund period, no OCOG
award refund will be necessary.
(d)
A calculator to assist institutions in such instances will be published on the
agency website.
(3)
Continuous enrollment
An OCOG award can be used for continuous enrollment. In
addition to a student's annual award amount, the student can receive an
additional term award amount (one-third for quarter terms or one-half for
semester terms of the annual award amount) if continuously enrolled for the
entire academic year.
(4)
Duration of grants
An OCOG award is limited to ten semesters or fifteen quarters,
the equivalent of five academic years of full-time undergraduate education. If
a student received an award from the Ohio instructional grant (OIG) programs
previously, those semesters or quarters of receipt of OIG will be counted
toward the ten semester/fifteen quarter limit for the OCOG program. A grant
made to an eligible student on the basis of less than full-time enrollment
shall
will be
based on the number of credit hours for which the student is enrolled and
shall
will be
computed in accordance with a formula adopted by the chancellor.
(H) Payment of
opportunity grants
(1) Students: The student
awarded an OCOG award who is enrolled in a participating institution shall
agree to permit the Ohio department of higher education, on the student's
behalf, to make payment of the grant to the institution. The remittance
shall
will be
made payable to the institution in which the student is enrolled.
(2) Institutions
(a) Payment requests for the OCOG award will
need to be made by accessing a payment file on the HEI system.
(b) The institution
shall
will
apply the grant awarded to the student to the instructional and general fees of
the institution for the requested term in that academic year after that
student's federal pell grant and EFC allotment have been applied to the
instructional and general fees charges.
(c) Payment and adjustment process
(i) During each term, an institution can
submit a payment file to the chancellor through the OCOG certification and
adjustment (OG) file, accessed through the HEI system. After the fifteenth day
of each term files may be submitted as often as necessary, although the
chancellor recommends submitting no more than one per term. The completed files
are used to generate computer grant payment files which are sent to the
institutions via electronic funds transfer (EFT) or with a warrant. The OG file
contains a record for each student who is to receive the grant. An eligible
application record from the student must be on file in order for a
corresponding opportunity grant record to be accepted. Each institution must
submit payment files before the corresponding term submission window closes.
Extension requests for term submission of payment files will be denied unless
they meet one of the published lists of exceptions.
(ii) The OG file contains the following data:
(a) The student identifier
(b) The student rank
(c) Enrollment status
(d) Term award amount
(e) Award type
(iii) At the conclusion of each term, the OG
file is used by the institutions to make adjustments including reporting
refunds and eligible students no longer enrolled. An updated file is provided
to each institution for each subsequent term through the disbursement query
accessed on the HEI system. When a refund adjustment is submitted in HEI during
an academic year, the refund will be captured from the next OCOG disbursement.
If no further disbursements will be made for the academic year, a refund check
must be submitted to the Ohio department of higher education within thirty days
of submitting the refund file. Checks and a refund manifest form from the
unrecovered refund query accessed on the HEI system should be mailed to the
Ohio department of higher education office of financial aid. Extension requests
for term submission of payment files reflecting refunds will be approved
indefinitely.
(d)
Overrides
Any overrides for issues regarding residency, duplicate
identifiers or foster youth eligibility at community colleges are at the
discretion of the chancellor. Institutions may be required to submit additional
documentation to the Ohio department of higher education office of financial
aid in such situations.
Notes
Ohio Admin. Code
3333-1-09.1
Effective:
5/28/2023
Five Year Review (FYR) Dates:
3/13/2023 and
05/28/2028
Promulgated
Under: 119.03
Statutory
Authority: 3333.04,
3333.122
Rule
Amplifies: 3333.122
Prior
Effective Dates: 06/18/2010, 07/16/2017
