Frequently Asked Questions
Indiana College Core & Dual Credit
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Visit MyCollegeCore.org for a complete list of frequently asked questions.
Indiana’s Core Transfer Library (CTL) makes it easy to find out. The CTL is a comprehensive, continually-updated list of courses that are pre-approved for transfer between all Indiana public college and university campuses and five independent colleges and universities (assuming adequate grades were earned).
Visit TransferIN’s Core Transfer Library page for more information.

College Discovery – Cost
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Although room and board may be different depending on your college, the costs include housing and a meal plan. The 21st Century Scholarship and Frank O’Bannon Grant are applied to tuition only and do not cover room and board. However, there are a number of places you can search for additional scholarships find a list here!
Many colleges can also award institutional scholarships to help with room and board costs.
The comparison price between living in a dorm or off campus depends on your school. It is best to check with your college’s admissions office to find more information on this. Also, some schools do not allow students to live off campus unless they are commuting.
Some scholarships can pay for room and board. However, some explicitly state that funding cannot be used for room and board. Pay close attention to the details of your scholarships.
Filing the FASFA can help with room and board. However, it doesn’t always provide money for these costs. To determine if you qualify for money to pay for room and board, file the FASFA by April 15 each year to see how much aid you can receive for the next school year.
Most families pay for college through multiple different sources. A mix of financial aid, scholarships, savings, or loans is often used to cover the costs of a student’s higher education.

Paying for College – Scholarships
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Each scholarship has a description of its recipients. You can tell if a scholarship is the right fit for you by reading this description. Also, if you file the FASFA by April 15 you will receive the information for the scholarship for which you qualify.
You can apply for as many scholarships as you want. The more you apply for, the better because you’ll have a larger chance of covering the cost of your education.
No. Scholarships are free money that you receive and don’t have to repay.
There is no limit to how many scholarships you can receive. However, you can’t use your scholarship money on anything other than higher education, so therefore it is necessary to not exceed the total cost of your higher education through scholarships.
Scholarships have many different deadlines. Make a list of all the scholarships you hope to apply for and their deadlines so you can apply at the correct time.
The Frank O’Bannon Grant includes both the Higher Education Award and the Freedom of Choice Award. The grant is designed to provide access for Hoosier students to attend eligible public, private and proprietary postsecondary institutions. Eligibility for the grant is based on financial need as determined by the FASFA, which needs to be filed each year by April 15. The grant may be used toward tuition and regularly assessed fees.
529 Savings Account
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All the contributions made to your account grow tax-deferred and the distribution are free from federal and Indiana state taxes if used for qualified higher education expenses.
Any number of people can contribute to the same Indiana529 account, but total contributions cannot exceed $450,00 for all accounts for the same beneficiary in 529 plans sponsored by the State of Indiana.
If the beneficiary decides not to go to college, you have three options:
- Stay invested. You can leave the money in the account in case the beneficiary decides to attend school later. There is no age limit for using the money.
- Change the beneficiary. You can change the beneficiary on your account at any time provided that the new beneficiary is an eligible Member of the Family of the former beneficiary. Please see the Disclosure Booklet for more information on who qualifies.
- Withdraw the money for other uses. The earnings portion of a withdrawal not used for a beneficiary’s qualified higher education expenses is subject to federal and state income taxes and may be subject to a 10% federal penalty tax.
21st Century Scholars
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- Graduate from a state-accredited Indiana high school.
- Graduate from high school with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
- Earn at least a Core 40 diploma.
- Complete all 12 high school Scholar Success Program requirements and track them in ScholarTrack by high school graduation.
- Apply to and be admitted to an eligible Indiana college, university, or proprietary school as a high school senior.
- Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) by April 15 as a high school senior and each year thereafter until college graduation.
- Complete at least 30 credit hours each year of college.
- Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards established by your college.
- Maintain Indiana residency.
- Do not do drugs, commit a crime or delinquent act, or consume alcohol before reaching the legal drinking age.
You must receive notifications and updates from the 21st Century Scholars program to ensure you’re on track to complete your requirements in high school and college. Scholars can update their information in their ScholarTrack account at ScholarTrack.IN.gov by logging in to a fully upgraded account, clicking their name in the top right corner, and selecting Edit My Profile.
The state will complete a financial means test prior to your first year of college enrollment to determine how much state aid you are eligible to receive.
To maintain the scholarship, Scholars must be members of households that meet the Indiana Choice Scholarship eligibility requirements and be enrolled in the 21st Century Scholarship. This amount changes for each graduating class.
For more information, check out the corresponding one-pager for each graduating class in the materials library.
Yes. A Scholar and/or their parent must report potential pledge violations to the program as soon as they become aware of the violation. Pledge violations could also be reported to the Financial Aid Support Center by a third party such as a counselor, caseworker, or law enforcement officer. Learn more about pledge violations here.
Potential pledge violations should be reported to Scholars@che.IN.gov or to: Indiana Commission for Higher Education ATTN: Financial Aid Support Center 101 West Ohio, Suite 300 Indianapolis, IN 46204.
How to Enroll in 21st Century Scholars
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The income guidelines change every year to match the current Federal Free and Reduced Price Lunch guidelines.
Yes, you can! Students in foster care in Indiana can enroll beyond their 8th-grade year and aren’t required to follow the same income guidelines. If you need help understanding what this means for you or to your student, please contact the Indiana Commission for Higher Education at scholars@che.in.gov.
You don’t have to file the FAFSA to enroll – you file the FAFSA beginning your senior year of high school. You will have to file the FAFSA by April 15 starting in 12th grade and refile each year of college to keep your scholarship.

21st Century Scholars - High School Resources
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To earn your scholarship, you must maintain the Scholar Pledge, including completing all twelve high school Scholar Success Program activities by June 30 of your final year of high school. You must track your completion of these activities through ScholarTrack.
Once you’ve completed all Scholar Success Program activities and have enrolled at an accredited Indiana college within a year of high school graduation, the 21st Century Scholars office will send your name to the college you will attend.
The financial aid department at your enrolled college will claim the scholarships and deposit that money into your student account to be used to pay for your college tuition.
If you have questions, you can contact your school’s financial aid office, or the statewide Financial Aid Support Center at 888-528-4719.
No. The scholarship is only available after you have graduated high school.
Yes. If you plan to graduate following your junior year of high school, you need to notify your school counselor so they can inform the 21st Century Scholars program. You should complete all twelve high school Scholar Success Program activities by June 30 after your junior year. You must file the FAFSA by April 15 of your junior year.
No. You must graduate with a Core 40 diploma or higher from an eligible high school recognized by the Indiana Department of Education. Homeschooled students are not eligible for the 21st Century Scholars program. Students who are not eligible for the 21st Century Scholars program may still be eligible for the Frank O’ Bannon Grant, see more information here!
No. You have up to one year after high school graduation to use your scholarship. Remember that you must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the April 15 deadline of your senior year of high school, even if you plan to take a year off.
The 21st Century Scholarship can be used at eligible public, private, and most proprietary two- and four-year institutions. A full list of eligible colleges can be found at scholars.IN.gov/eligible-colleges.
Some colleges provide incentives to Scholars, like application fee waivers, additional scholarships, and more. Research each of the institutions you are interested in attending.
Yes. Other state financial aid can be used with the 21st Century Scholarship. However, there are certain programs that cannot be combined. These include (but are not limited to): Frank O’Bannon Grant, Workforce Ready Grant, and Adult Student Grant.
Maintain 21st Century Scholars Eligibility in College
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All the requirements are laid out in the Scholars Pledge:
- I pledge to graduate with a minimum of a Core 40 diploma from a state-accredited Indiana high school.
- I will complete the Scholar Success Program in high school and in college, which helps me stay on track for college and career success.
- I will achieve a cumulative high school GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
- I will not use illegal drugs or alcohol or commit a crime or delinquent act.
- I will apply for admission to an eligible Indiana college my senior year and apply on time for student financial aid.
- As a college student, I will complete at least 30 credit hours each year to stay on track toward earning my degree on time. I aim to succeed.
There are a few ways to lose your 21st Century Scholarship, like not meeting credit completion requirements, not filing the FAFSA by April 15, not completing the college Scholar Success Program, or not maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress
(SAP).
In many cases, if you lose the 21st Century Scholarship, you may still be eligible for the state’s Frank O’Bannon Grant or other state aid.
Students who face extenuating circumstances that prevented them from fulfilling the requirements are welcome to appeal with supporting documentation in their ScholarTrack accounts.
If you exceed the one-year requirement to begin college as a full-time college student due to active-duty service in the military, you will need to submit an appeal that includes your discharge papers (if possible). Appeals are submitted through your ScholarTrack account.
No. You must be enrolled as a full-time student (12 credit hours in the fall and spring semesters and 6 credit hours in the summer) to use the scholarship.
Students must be enrolled full-time (Minimum of 12 credits) to use the 21st Century Scholarship.
The only exception is if a Scholar does not need to be enrolled full-time in their final semester to graduate.
Ex: a Scholar only needs to take 6 credits in their final semester to graduate. If this is the case, the scholarship may be used for part-time attendance.
You should talk with your financial aid office about this so that they pull down your scholarship
No. The scholarship can only be applied for up to four years in college.
In some cases. If you plan to take classes during the same semester on two campuses, the scholarship can only be applied to your bursar bill at one of the campuses.
The 21st Century Scholarship may be used to take summer classes, depending on how your college charges for tuition.
This is often more difficult for students attending colleges that charge banded
tuition (your tuition fee covers 12-18 credit hours for one cost).
Contact your college’s financial aid office for more information.
Students who plan to graduate early can consider applying for the Fast Track Award. Learn about the Fast Track Award here.
We understand that circumstances may arise that require a student to take time off.
As long as you are in good standing with your requirements when you take time off, you should be able to continue using the 21st Century Scholarship when you return to school. As long as you file your FAFSA by April 15 for the academic year, you plan to return.
Scholars also must use their entire four years of award within eight years of first activating the scholarship.
If extenuating circumstances caused you to not meet your requirements before taking time off, you must file an appeal. You can submit your appeal in your ScholarTrack account.
Resource Hub – Information by Grade
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