Financial aid and scholarships

The Federal Pell Grant Program offers up to $7,395 (2023-24 academic calendar) in aid that does not need to be repaid. The amount granted depends on your tuition costs and financial need. Complete the FAFSA to see if you are eligible and to apply. Learn more about federal student aid here.

If you are an Ohio resident and qualify for a federal Pell Grant, you may also qualify for a needs-based state grant. Funds for this program are more limited, however, and awards are made on a first-come, first-served basis.

Ohio College Opportunity Grants

Ohio College Opportunity Grants (OCOG) are state-funded each academic year and are available to Ohio residents who demonstrate financial need and have qualified for Pell Grant funds. Funds for this program are limited. The grant is prorated based on full- or part-time enrollment status.

Grants and scholarships are automatically accepted. If you want to decline grants or scholarships, contact the Financial Aid office at financialaid@centralstate.edu. 

Federal Direct Loans

• A subsidized loan is awarded based on financial need. Students will not be charged interest before they begin repayment or during authorized deferment periods. The federal government subsidizes the interest during these periods. 
• An unsubsidized loan is not awarded on the basis of need. Students will be charged interest from the time the loan is disbursed until it is paid in full. If students allow the interest to accumulate while they are in school or during other periods of nonpayment, it will be capitalized; that is, the interest will be added to the principal amount of the loan and subsequent interest will be based on the higher amount. 
• Federal Direct PLUS Loans enable parents who do not have an adverse credit history to borrow money to pay the education expenses of each child who is a dependent undergraduate student enrolled at least half-time. 

The federal work-study program offers financial assistance to students with financial need, enabling them to work part-time on campus. This program provides an excellent opportunity for students to gain valuable hands-on experience that can benefit them in the future, while also earning money to help cover their expenses while in school.

A federally funded grant, the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides up to $4,000 per year in grants for undergraduate students in specified majors who intend to teach full-time in high-need subject areas for at least four years at schools classified as serving low-income students. For students who do not complete the service obligations associated with the program, this grant will be converted to a Direct Unsubsidized loan. 

Grant-becomes-loan provision 

While students intending to teach may benefit from this grant money, accepting a TEACH grant is unlike other grant programs. 

Failure to meet all service provisions will result in all TEACH grant funds being permanently converted to a loan with interest calculated to when the grant was received. 

To receive a TEACH Grant, students must do the following:  

• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) 

• Meet basic aid eligibility requirements for matriculation and academic progress 

• Be enrolled in a program of study designated as TEACH Grant-eligible 

• Meet one of the following academic achievement requirements: score above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test (e.g., SAT, ACT, or GRE) or have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 

• Complete TEACH Grant counseling each year funds are received 

• Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve (ATS) each year the student receives funds and respond to requests by the U.S. Department of Education confirming your continuing intention to meet the teaching obligation 

Active-duty service members, veterans, and their families may be eligible for additional educational benefits under the Forever GI Bill. It provides funding to qualified students to help pay for tuition and fees, housing, books, and supplies. Learn more

Veterans' educational benefits

GI Bill

GI Bill benefits help students pay for college, graduate school, and training programs. It is available to qualifying veterans and their family members to cover all or some of the costs for school or training.

AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps is a program for students to participate in national service and community service that can help put them through college.

FASTChoice

FASTChoice makes it easy to learn a student’s options, responsibilities and details of each lender’s loan products. There are many ways to pay for higher education, and FASTChoice makes it easier by providing students with simple yet critical information about funding types and money management. It also clearly presents the student’s new responsibilities when they borrow money. Finally, FASTChoice presents the student with a comparison of loan products in easy-to-understand ways.

ROTC scholarships

Army ROTC scholarships pay 100% tuition, $1,200 per year for books, and required fees. They are awarded on merits such as academic achievements, extracurricular activities, personal interviews, and physical fitness.

Scholarship winners also receive a monthly stipend of $420 for each academic month. Each scholarship may have different benefits that are attached to the specific type of scholarship.

Eligibility

• Be a U.S. citizen and at least age 17 with the ability to commission by the time you are 30 years old
• Have a high school GPA of at least 2.50
• Have a high school diploma or equivalent
• Meet physical standards according to the Department of Defense Medical Review Board and Army physical fitness test
• Agree to accept a commission and serve in the Army on Active Duty or in a Reserve component (Army Reserve or Army National Guard)
• Pass a background check

Click Here to learn about CSU ROTC 

Central State University supports the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) for general education courses. Students enrolled in only OER courses incur no course material or textbook charges, as the resources used for learning in the courses are copyrighted for open access.

Check out Textbooks and Course Materials for complete details.

• COM 3308 Film Image and Social Reality
• ENG 2100 Great Books, Great Films
• ENG 2200 Introduction to Literary Studies
• ENG 2600 Comics & Graphic Novels
• ENG 2300 Introduction to Creative Writing
• ENG 2320 Poetry Workshop
• ENG 2500 Literature by Black Women
• ENG 2600 Comics
• ENG 3020 African American Literature I
• ENG 3040 British Literature I
• ENG 3041 British Literature II
• ENG 3100 Literary Criticism
• ENG 4080 Shakespeare and His Influence
• FLA 2234 Spanish and Latin American Cinema
• HIS 1110 Introductory History of Africans in the US
• HIS 1121 Global History to 1500
• HIS 1122 Global History since 1500
• HIS 2100 Research Methods in History
• HIS 2201 History of the U.S. to 1877
• HIS 2202 History of the U.S. since 1887
• HIS 3270 Pan African History
• HIS 3301 African American History to 1877
• HIS 3330 History of Modern China & Japan
• HIS 4370 Recent America
• IDS 1400 Introduction to Environmental Humanities
• IDS 1500 Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies
• IDS 2100 Introduction to Studies in the Humanities
• IDS 4500 Senior Capstone in Humanities
• PHI 2210 Survey of Global Philosophy
• PHI 2230 Global Religion
• PHI 2240 Critical Thinking
• PHI 2250 Applied Ethics
• PHI 3200 Environmental Ethics
• PHI 3300 Logic and Scientific Method
• PHI 3350 African American Philosophy
• PHI 3500 Disciplines in Philosophy
• PHI 3000 Ethic of Digital Culture

• CRJ 2XXX Criminal Justice in Cybersecurity
• PSC 1100 American National Government
• PSC 2223 Intro to Political Science
• PSY 1200 Introduction to Psychology
• SOC 1105 Introduction to Sociology
• SOC 1125 Social Problems
• SOC 2206 Statistics in Social and Behavioral Sciences
• SOC 2800 Methods of Social Research
• SOC 3325 Race and Ethnic Relations
• SOC 3330 Gender and Society
• SOC 3343 Social Stratification
• SWK 4420 Child & Family Services I
• SWK 4421 Child & Family Services II

• GEO 1103 World Geography: East Hemisphere
• GEO 1110 Fundamentals of Geography
• GEO 3313 Weather and Climate
• EDP 3104 Curriculum and Instruction in Science for Primary Education
• WRM 4470 Applied Remote Sensing
• WRM 4402 Urban Water Problems

• AGED 3100 The Adult Classroom
• AGED 3115 Addressing Diverse Populations in Agriculture
• AGED 4110 Student Leadership Organization
• AGED 4500 Extension Internship

• CPS 2271 Data Structures
• CPS 4210 Artificial Intelligence
• CPS 3200 Computer Algorithms
• CPS 3340 Computer Architecture
• CPS 4XXX Data Analysis & Visualization
• INT 2311 Circuit Analysis
• INT 2420 Industrial Instrumentation and Process Control
• INT 2430 Electronic Devices and Circuits
• MFE 4710 Measurements and Instrumentation
• MFE XXXX Manufacturing Science & ERP

• CPS 1000 Ethics in Computer Science
• CPS 1191 Computer Science I
• CPS 1192 Computer Science II
• CPS 2215 Internet Web Essentials
• CPS 2300 Cybersecurity I
• CPS 3316 Computer Networks
• CPS 3300 Cybersecurity II
• CPS 3320 Database Systems
• CPS 4895 Senior Project
• CRJ 2210 Introduction to Criminal Justice

If you are waiting for a university-funded scholarship (band, choir, housing, etc.), please be patient. The Financial Aid office has requested each of these units provide information as soon as possible, but no later than June 1. Following National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) guidelines, Athletics will provide scholarship information by July 1.  

For scholarships from external sources, the Financial Aid office will add your financial aid award as soon as the Financial Aid office receives official notice of the award. You can see it under the financial aid tab in the student portal. 

Parent PLUS loans for the 2023-24 academic year will not be available until after April 1. You can access information about the PLUS loan application at https://studentaid.gov/app/launchPLUS.action?plusType=parentPlus. 

After your parents have completed the application, please notify the Financial Aid office via email financialaid@centralstate.edu.  

This will inform the Financial Aid officer to make the necessary adjustment to your student account. 

As always, if you have questions or need assistance, please reach out to us at: financialaid@centralstate.edu.