OTAG (Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant)

1. OTAG(Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant) July 22, 2014

2. Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant • OTAG is a need-based grant for Oklahoma resident undergraduate students working on a degree or certificate at approved Oklahoma postsecondary institutions. • Last year just under $20 million was awarded to about 23,000 students.

3. Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant • Eligibility • Residents of Oklahoma per OSRHE policy. • Attend an approved Oklahoma postsecondary institution. • Must have filed the FAFSA by current “filing date cutoff”. (March 31, 2014) • Must have an EFC of 1700 or less. • Must be an undergraduate. (Graduates are not eligible due to funding restrictions.) • Must be seeking a degree or certificate. • Must be enrolled at least ½ time. • Must be Title IV eligible. (Including meeting SAP) • Undergraduates eligible as long as Pell eligible. (No longer eligible when LEU is met or the first bachelor’s degree is completed.) • Must have sufficient unmet need.

4. Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant • Certain undocumented students are eligible for OTAG per the OSRHE residency policy (see Chapter 3 of the Policy and Procedures Manual at http://www.okhighered.org/state-system/policy-procedures/ (3.17 In-State/Out-of-State Status of Enrolled Students). Since many of these students are not able to complete a FAFSA, an application is available on our website (http://www.otag.org ). The specific eligibility criteria are there as well. These students are also subject to the application cut-off date and the maximum EFC (we calculate this based on the information submitted). Please note that undocumented students that begin postsecondary education in the fall of 2007 or later must provide the institution with a copy of a true and correct application or petition filed with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) to legalize their immigration status. • The DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) process does not affect state aid eligibility.

5. Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant • Amount (up to $1,000/yr. for public schools and up to $1,300/yr. for private, non-profit schools) The amount of tuition aid grant to any student for any semester shall represent a percentage not greater than seventy-five percent (75%) of the previous year's tuition and enrollment fees normally charged to residents of the State of Oklahoma by the institution of attendance. The tuition and enrollment fees used in calculating the award will be based on standards as follows: full-time undergraduate - 30 credit hours per academic year; part-time undergraduate - 12 credit hours per academic year; full-time career technology - at least 900 clock hours; and part-time career technology - at least 450 clock hours. (Note: Programs/Career Majors must be at least 600 clock hours in length to be eligible.) http://www.okhighered.org/admin-fac/FinAidResources/docs/otag-flat-rate.pdf

6. Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant OTAG is currently totally “state funded”. In late May, the State Regents allocate a set amount for the program. We must not overspend the funds available. A FAFSA filing cut-off date is set based on past experience (% of potentially eligible students awarded and average award), the number of potentially eligible students on each date and the total number of dollars available from the allocation, potential interest and carryover (if any). Watch for a possible new FAFSA filing cut-off date for spring-only awards if we find that we have underestimated fall disbursement totals. The notification will be sent in early December and will include whether or not you can disburse spring-only awards to students that had been eligible in the fall but for some reason had not received the award.

7. Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant ExampleE-Mail Notification • With Fall 2013 OTAG disbursement activity now finalized by most institutions, we have identified uncommitted funds that will accommodate the extension of the FAFSA receipt date cutoff for OTAG awards for Spring 2014 to 4/7/2013.  ONLY SPRING SEMESTER FUNDS CAN BE CLAIMED using this extended cutoff. • Pre-populated Award Claim Forms generated by OTAG for Spring 2014 will include: • students who were awarded and disbursed in Fall 2013 • students who were awarded and subsequently cancelled in Fall 2013, unless they were cancelled due to a change in EFC greater than 1700 • students with award potential who were not awarded in fall but could be awarded in spring -- this group includes students with FAFSA receipt dates from 1-1-13 through 4/7/13 and EFCs of 1700 or lower. • Students included in an Excel pre-populated Award Claim Form for spring will be sorted in the following order: • Awarded • Cancelled • Pending • On the Excel spreadsheet Award Claim Form this status will be displayed in Column J.  On the Text Award Claim Form the status will be displayed in Field #11, Position 71. • As in fall Award Claim Form reporting, institutions using the pre-populated form will need to delete information for students who should not be paid in spring (even if they were paid in fall) and edit the information as appropriate (FT/PT, overawards, etc.) for the students to be paid in spring. More detailed instructions will accompany the spring pre-populated or blank template reports. • If you would like to receive a "work copy" pre-populated Award Claim Form to assist you in identifying additional students who can be awarded in spring, please send a request toreports@otag.org. • Please contact our office at 405.225.9456 or toll free 800.858.1840 or send e-mail toreports@otag.org if you have questions or require more information regarding spring OTAG awarding and disbursement processes.

8. Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant • Notification to students Each school is responsible for determining eligibility, “packaging” the award, and notifying the student that he/she is eligible to receive OTAG.

9. Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant • Payment Processing 1. Ask for pre-populated claim form (reports@otag.org). Retrieve it from O-SAFE at https://www.okhighered.org/O-SAFE/default.aspx 2. Edit, rename and upload the claim to the O-SAFE site. • When notified, Retrieve disbursement roster from O-SAFE. • Disburse funds to students. • Edit, rename and upload the disbursement roster to O-SAFE. • Work with us when you need to return funds for a student on a previously returned disbursement roster.

10. Oklahoma Tuition Aid GrantO-SAFE

15. Resource PagesFinancial Aid Resources for Institutions • http://www.okhighered.org/admin-fac/FinAidResources/ • One location for up-to-date information including: • Administrative rules and statutes • Report form templates • Reporting instructions • OTAG Authorized Institutional Representative Form • Other information related to OSRHE financial aid programs

17. Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant Program Communication: Please subscribe to the OASFAA listserv at http://lists.onenet.net/mailman/listinfo/oasfaa

18. Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant • Issues • O-SAFE sign-up • Program differences (OTAG/OTEG/Oklahoma’s Promise/Academic Scholars) • Timelines • Officer certification-OTAG • Exceptions • Double claimed students • New institutional employees

19. Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant Program Contact Information Irala K. Magee imagee@osrhe.edu (extension 9378) Director of Scholarship and Grant Administration Shipra Sinha ssinha@osrhe.edu (extension 9360) Scholarship Specialist III (405) 225-9456 or (800)858-1840 Report requests: reports@otag.org Fax: (405) 225-9392