Financial Assistance
Financial aid eligibility differs for each student and is affected by personal circumstances as well as Federal, State, and Institutional policies and compliance regulations. The Science & Arts Financial Aid Office is available and encourages contact regarding any questions. Science & Arts Financial Aid complies with the Institutional Equal Opportunities policy, as well as all other current Institutional, Federal, and State policies.
Office contact information is as follows: financialaid@usao.edu; 405-574-1251, 405-574-1240, or 405-574-1353. The Financial Aid Office is in room 112 of Troutt Hall. Normal office hours are from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm Monday-Friday.
Financial aid offers are sent to student email accounts. The financial aid offer represents the student’s current financial aid package, and includes known federal, state, institutional, and outside aid sources. The financial aid offer also includes a breakdown of aid according to the type of assistance: grant/gift, loan, and/or work-study. Potential direct and indirect costs are also included in the aid offer. The aid offer is not a bill for enrollment and is intended to assist the student in planning for expenses.
Students with current active Science & Arts email can access aid offer information; review and upload missing documents; and accept or decline student loan offers at their “MyFinAid” account. New users must follow the instructions for creating a log in. “MyFinAid” is separate from “MyUSAO”.
All aid is subject to change. Reasons include, but are not limited to, changes in federal, state, and institutional funding, enrollment level, residency status, the receipt of outside scholarships, change in financial standing, academic or program status, and failure to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as defined by Science & Arts policy. Changes to financial aid offers are sent as financial aid revisions to student email accounts. Students should report any expected assistance not reflected on the aid offer to the Financial Aid Office.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
The Financial Aid Office must receive valid results of the student's Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before federal aid is determined. If selected for verification, those requirements must be complete before any type of federal aid and some state aid, such as OTAG and Oklahoma’s Promise, is available. FAFSA verification is the process used by the Science & Arts Financial Aid Office and the Department of Education to make sure the information reported on the FAFSA is both accurate and complete. This process ensures that eligible students receive the financial aid they are entitled to, and ensures eligibility reflects accurate information. The various types of assistance available are described in the “Federal, State and Institutional Financial Assistance Programs” section of this catalog. Submit the FAFSA corresponding to the academic year of attendance at studentaid.gov, or through the myStudentAid app, available on the App Store (iOS) or on Google Play (Android). USAO’s federal school code is 003167. Each new year’s FAFSA application process opens on October 1 of the year prior to the next academic year.
Students with reductions in household income or other special circumstances regarding income should contact the Financial Aid Office regarding possible income adjustments, made possible through approvals of “professional judgement”. Students who do not meet the Department of Education’s independent student criteria, but who no longer have parental contact, should also contact the Financial Aid Office regarding a possible “dependency override”. Specific criteria and supporting documentation are required for professional judgement and dependency override approval. This approval is solely the decision of the Director of the Financial Aid Office.