Summer Aid Options

UC's summer semester is at the end of the academic year. Therefore, aid eligibility for summer will be based on the previous year's FAFSA (which carries a June 30th deadline) and aid utilization during the academic year preceding summer.

NOTE:  Students starting in summer 2024 will need to complete the 2023-24 FAFSA before June 30, 2024, to receive summer aid. It can also be to your advantage to have your 2024-25 FAFSA completed prior to summer in preparing for the upcoming aid year.

Summer aid (except Federal Work-Study) requires summer enrollment. Summer work-study employment requires enrollment for the following fall if summer classes are not taken. Any summer work-study award will be made based on application (available February 1 of each year) and term of enrollment.

Students who have summer eligibility and register for summer coursework will have their aid updated within 2 weeks of enrolling for summer courses. 

Students interested in knowing their summer aid eligibility prior to enrolling should contact Enrollment Services (enrollmentservices@uc.edu; 513-556-1000; 2nd Floor University Pavilion, 150 Muntz Hall, or 100 Student Services Bldg). Staff can assess eligibility for renewable scholarships, the Federal Pell Grant, or additional loan funding. Co-op students may also have unique opportunities to move specific funds from a co-op term.

The Federal Pell Grant program allows students to utilize unused portions of their grant if they attended part-time and only received a percentage of their term Pell award during any portion of the previous academic year. In cases where the full Pell was received fall and spring, a Second Pell is awarded allowing for another term of Pell within the 6-year limit. OCOG eligibiity for summer will be based on the upcoming year (v. the past year) based on state rules and may not be determined until well into the summer term. Renewable scholarships are generally capped at a set number of semesters of consideration. Speak with the coordinator for your renewable scholarship award to determine if you can utilize summer as one of your upcoming, qualifying terms.

Because your aid eligibility will be determined based on your total summer enrollment, students are advised to sign up for all summer classes (no matter if they are full session or in one of the later summer segments) by the beginning of the summer term. In doing so, your maximum aid eligibility can be assured.

Planful students are eligible for summer loans when they reserve a portion of their academic year eligibility for the summer. Students in co-op programs are most likely to know enrollment plans for the upcoming year when accepting their annual award offer.

These additional loan options can assist students attending summer semester for 6 or more hours.

• Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans – Students who advance from the freshman to sophomore level or sophomore to junior level may be eligible for additional funds due to a the change in your maximum loan levels and a mid-year class level advancement.  Students who did not borrow or were not eligible for their maximum loan eligibility may also find increased eligibility with summer enrollment.
  
• Federal PLUS Loans – Graduate students and parents of undergraduate, dependent students are eligible for Federal PLUS Loans based on their credit approval. 
  
• Alternative Loans – While they should be explored on a limited basis, non-federal loans are available for summer students.
  

Students can initiate summer loan requests via email or at Enrollment Services.

In addition to the loan items listed above, students who were on co-op, sat out a term, went part-time, or began mid-year may be able to tap into unused academic year aid.

A thorough review of your individual case with knowledgeable staff at Enrollment Services can give you the information necessary to make the best plan for summer enrollment.

Summer aid is limited as most student exhaust their annual aid eligibility during the academic year.

Please discuss options specific to you with a staff member at Enrollment Services (enrollmentservices@uc.edu; 513-556-1000) as you are thinking about summer school to better understand any funding resources that may be available to you.

You may also want to balance limited financial aid eligibility with your summer costs. Part-time attendance will adjust aid in some cases.

In order to know the aid resources in planning and when you see your bill, always discuss and register for the entire summer. Summer is treated as one term even though there are various start dates and registration periods.