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, or the mailing address on file with the Registrar. 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, or the mailing address on file with the Registrar. Students should report all any expected assistance from outside sources not already reflected on the aid offer to the Financial Aid Office. Any form of financial assistance provided to the student from Science & Arts must also be included in the aid package. This includes gift cards or financial prizes or awards.
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.
Upon completion of verification, usually within 1-5 business days, notification of federal aid eligibility goes to the student in the form of a financial aid offer, to the student email address or the mailing address on file with the Registrar, and is available for review at usao.edu/myfinaid. Science & Arts admission approval is also required. Students who do not complete the FAFSA and/or required verification processes by the end of the term for which they are applying for aid are not guaranteed aid eligibility. If Science & Arts Financial Aid makes corrections to a student’s FAFSA, in compliance with the Department of Education, a list of changes made is sent to the student email address or the mailing address on file with the Registrar.
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. USAO’s federal school code is 003167.
Generally, each new year’s FAFSA application process opens on October 1 of the year prior to the next academic year. The 2024-2025 FAFSA is expected to open in December 2023.
Requests for Special and/or Unusual Circumstances
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. The forms to request professional judgements and dependency overrides are available by contacting the Financial Aid Office. These forms and more information regarding these request options are also online at https://usao.edu/financial-aid/professional-judgement.html.
Cost of Attendance (COA)
Cost of attendance (COA) is the estimated total cost the student may expect to incur during the period of enrollment. The COA includes, but is not limited to, 1) Tuition and fees. 2) Food. 3) Housing. 4) Books, course materials, supplies, and equipment. 4) Transportation. 5) Miscellaneous personal expenses and other items allowed under Section 472 of the HEA.
Science & Arts uses averages to determine the amount it will reasonably cost a student to attend during one academic year (fall and spring). Housing and food plan costs are determined by a student’s living expenses as either on or off campus. Tuition and student fees are based on the Science & Arts’ block rate. The block rate applies to fall and spring full time enrollment in 12-18 credit hours. Students taking more than 18 total credit hours will be billed for the additional tuition and fees associated with the additional enrollment.
Students are grouped in COA categories based on:
• Residency status (in-state/out-of-state)
• Housing status (on/off campus/with parents)
• Enrollment status
Science & Arts cost of attendance is used to determine eligibility for financial aid and includes direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are normally related to a student’s Science & Arts bill for enrollment. In-direct costs are other expenses not usually paid to Science & Arts but are still expected to be incurred. All actual final costs will vary based on the student’s individual choices and personal needs. A detailed breakdown of each year’s cost of attendance can be found on the Science & Arts financial aid page.
If you have any questions about the cost of attendance, please contact the Financial Aid Office at financialaid@usao.edu.