Ohio College Opportunity Grant

The Ohio Department of Higher Education administers the Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG) program, which provides grant money to Ohio residents who demonstrate the highest levels of financial need (as determined by the results of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that should be completed) who are enrolled at Ohio public colleges or universities, Ohio private, non-profit colleges or universities, and Ohio private, for-profit institutions.

Who is Eligible?

Ohio residents in an associate degree, first bachelor’s degree, or nurse diploma program at an eligible Ohio or Pennsylvania institution with an SAI (Student Aid Index) of $3,750 or less and a maximum household income of $96,000.

Please Note: The OCOG award chart outlines maximum per student award amounts based on institutional sector; however, each institution will not automatically receive the maximum sector award amount. If your institution’s tuition and general fee charges minus the maximum Pell grant of $7,395 is lower than the sector award amount, you must reach out to the OCOG program manager to establish a separate award amount. Over awarding OCOG will result in an audit finding.

• All amounts reflect annual awards in $. Appropriate annual award amounts should be divided by two for semesters or three for quarters.
• Eligible students continuously enrolled may receive an additional 1/2 or 1/3 of their respective award amount in their third semester or fourth quarter.
• Students are limited to 10 semesters or 15 quarters of state, need-based grant aid (including combination of OCOG and OIG).
• The fixed Pell/SAI combo of $7,395 continues to exceed the average tuition and general charges at community colleges and therefore, consistent with past practice, no OCOG awards will be available to students attending these institutions unless they otherwise qualify for foster youth status, Federal Veteran’s Education benefits, or third-term OCOG. These students may be eligible for up to the public main campus award amount.
• The average tuition and general charges at university regional campuses slightly exceeds the fixed Pell/SAI combo of $7,395. Therefore, a modified maximum OCOG award amount will be available to students attending these institutions. However, if a student in this sector qualifies for Federal Veteran's Education benefits or third term OCOG, the student may be eligible for up to the public main campus award amount.