Immediate changes to Ohio State’s financial aid priority date and acceptance fee deadline
Overview
The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that colleges and universities would not receive Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applicant information for the 2024-2025 academic year until the first half of March.
As a result, higher education organizations and financial aid advocates called for colleges and universities to give students and families the time to adequately consider their financial options before making enrollment decisions.
In response, Ohio State has extended its financial aid priority date and acceptance fee deadline.
How Ohio State is responding
Ohio State is extending its priority deadline to submit the FAFSA and apply for scholarships through ScholarshipUniverse to Friday, March 15. This applies to all incoming and current students.
The new priority deadline will give students and families more time to apply for financial aid while still ensuring that the university receives all data required to determine aid packages.
We are moving the acceptance fee/commitment deadline for incoming first-year students to Wednesday, May 15.
We understand how important financial aid is to students and families who are still making their college decision. To give them more time to make an informed decision, Ohio State is extending the deadline for incoming first-year students to pay their acceptance fee and commit to the university. We will continue to monitor the situation and consider additional flexibility as needed while also balancing the university’s commitment to first-year student success.
We are letting students and families know that financial aid notifications will be delayed.
The delay in data will in turn delay Ohio State’s financial aid notifications for incoming students until April. We will provide aid notifications as quickly as possible once we receive and process the data from the U.S. Department of Education.
Why is this student data important?
Ohio State relies on FAFSA data and information from ScholarshipUniverse to determine the best financial aid offer for each student. Aid can include scholarships, loans, and federal, state and institutional grants.
FAFSA data in particular determines financial need: the difference between the cost of attendance at Ohio State and a student's ability to pay.
Actions for students to take
File the FAFSA by March 15.
Create (or update) your ScholarshipUniverse profile by March 15.
NEW: If you believe you have financial need, we encourage you to report this in your ScholarshipUniverse profile so that you can be matched with need-based scholarship opportunities. We'll confirm your need once your FAFSA data becomes available.
If you haven't logged in before: You'll need your Ohio State username and password. Get help with credentials.
- Pay your acceptance fee as soon as you decide on Ohio State.