OTAG
(Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant)
July 22, 2014
Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant
• OTAG is a need-based grant for
Oklahoma resident undergraduate
students working on a degree or certificate
at approved Oklahoma postsecondary
institutions.
• Last year just under $20 million was
awarded to about 23,000 students.
Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant
• Eligibility
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Residents of Oklahoma per OSRHE policy.
Attend an approved Oklahoma postsecondary institution.
Must have filed the FAFSA by current “filing date cutoff”. (March 31, 2014)
Must have an EFC of 1700 or less.
Must be an undergraduate. (Graduates are not eligible due to funding
restrictions.)
Must be seeking a degree or certificate.
Must be enrolled at least ½ time.
Must be Title IV eligible. (Including meeting SAP)
Undergraduates eligible as long as Pell eligible. (No longer eligible when
LEU is met or the first bachelor’s degree is completed.)
Must have sufficient unmet need.
Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant
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Certain undocumented students are eligible for OTAG per the OSRHE residency
policy (see Chapter 3 of the Policy and Procedures Manual at
http://www.okhighered.org/state-system/policy-procedures/ (3.17 In-State/Out-ofState Status of Enrolled Students). Since many of these students are not able to
complete a FAFSA, an application is available on our website (http://www.otag.org ).
The specific eligibility criteria are there as well. These students are also subject to
the application cut-off date and the maximum EFC (we calculate this based on the
information submitted). Please note that undocumented students that begin
postsecondary education in the fall of 2007 or later must provide the institution with a
copy of a true and correct application or petition filed with the United States
Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) to legalize their immigration status.
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The DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) process does not affect state aid
eligibility.
Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant
• Amount
(up to $1,000/yr. for public schools and up to $1,300/yr. for private, non-profit schools)
The amount of tuition aid grant to any student for any semester shall represent a
percentage not greater than seventy-five percent (75%) of the previous year's tuition
and enrollment fees normally charged to residents of the State of Oklahoma by the
institution of attendance. The tuition and enrollment fees used in calculating the
award will be based on standards as follows: full-time undergraduate - 30 credit
hours per academic year; part-time undergraduate - 12 credit hours per academic
year; full-time career technology - at least 900 clock hours; and part-time career
technology - at least 450 clock hours. (Note: Programs/Career Majors must be at
least 600 clock hours in length to be eligible.)
http://www.okhighered.org/admin-fac/FinAidResources/docs/otag-flat-rate.pdf
Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant
OTAG is currently totally “state funded”. In late May, the State Regents
allocate a set amount for the program. We must not overspend the funds
available. A FAFSA filing cut-off date is set based on past experience (%
of potentially eligible students awarded and average award), the number of
potentially eligible students on each date and the total number of dollars
available from the allocation, potential interest and carryover (if any).
Watch for a possible new FAFSA filing cut-off date for spring-only awards if
we find that we have underestimated fall disbursement totals. The
notification will be sent in early December and will include whether or not
you can disburse spring-only awards to students that had been eligible in
the fall but for some reason had not received the award.
Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant
Example E-Mail Notification
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With Fall 2013 OTAG disbursement activity now finalized by most institutions, we have identified uncommitted
funds that will accommodate the extension of the FAFSA receipt date cutoff for OTAG awards for Spring 2014 to
4/7/2013. ONLY SPRING SEMESTER FUNDS CAN BE CLAIMED using this extended cutoff.
Pre-populated Award Claim Forms generated by OTAG for Spring 2014 will include:
– students who were awarded and disbursed in Fall 2013
– students who were awarded and subsequently cancelled in Fall 2013, unless they were cancelled due to a
change in EFC greater than 1700
– students with award potential who were not awarded in fall but could be awarded in spring -- this group
includes students with FAFSA receipt dates from 1-1-13 through 4/7/13 and EFCs of 1700 or lower.
Students included in an Excel pre-populated Award Claim Form for spring will be sorted in the following order:
– Awarded
– Cancelled
– Pending
On the Excel spreadsheet Award Claim Form this status will be displayed in Column J. On the Text Award Claim
Form the status will be displayed in Field #11, Position 71.
As in fall Award Claim Form reporting, institutions using the pre-populated form will need to delete information for
students who should not be paid in spring (even if they were paid in fall) and edit the information as appropriate
(FT/PT, overawards, etc.) for the students to be paid in spring. More detailed instructions will accompany the
spring pre-populated or blank template reports.
If you would like to receive a "work copy" pre-populated Award Claim Form to assist you in identifying additional
students who can be awarded in spring, please send a request to reports@otag.org.
Please contact our office at 405.225.9456 or toll free 800.858.1840 or send e-mail to reports@otag.org if you
have questions or require more information regarding spring OTAG awarding and disbursement processes.
Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant
• Notification to students
Each school is responsible for determining eligibility, “packaging” the
award, and notifying the student that he/she is eligible to receive OTAG.
Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant
• Payment Processing
1.
Ask for pre-populated claim form (reports@otag.org). Retrieve it from OSAFE at https://www.okhighered.org/O-SAFE/default.aspx
2. Edit, rename and upload the claim to the O-SAFE site.
3. When notified, Retrieve disbursement roster from O-SAFE.
4. Disburse funds to students.
5. Edit, rename and upload the disbursement roster to O-SAFE.
6. Work with us when you need to return funds for a student on a
previously returned disbursement roster.
Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant
O-SAFE
Resource Pages
Financial Aid Resources for Institutions
• http://www.okhighered.org/adminfac/FinAidResources/
• One location for up-to-date information
including:
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Administrative rules and statutes
Report form templates
Reporting instructions
OTAG Authorized Institutional Representative
Form
– Other information related to OSRHE financial aid
programs
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Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant Program
Communication:
Please subscribe to the OASFAA listserv at
http://lists.onenet.net/mailman/listinfo/oasfaa
Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant
• Issues
 O-SAFE sign-up
 Program differences (OTAG/OTEG/Oklahoma’s Promise/Academic
Scholars)
 Timelines
 Officer certification-OTAG
 Exceptions
 Double claimed students
 New institutional employees
Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant Program
Contact Information
Irala K. Magee
imagee@osrhe.edu
(extension 9378)
Director of Scholarship and Grant Administration
Shipra Sinha
ssinha@osrhe.edu
(extension 9360)
Scholarship Specialist III
(405) 225-9456 or (800)858-1840
Report requests: reports@otag.org
Fax: (405) 225-9392