Financial Aid and Scholarships

The Census Date is the point at which your enrollment is locked for financial aid purposes, and it happens to coincide with the last date you can add or drop classes for a full tuition refund. At this point in the term, credit hours are locked and financial aid for the term is adjusted to reflect the student's official enrolled credits. For example, if the student received aid at the beginning of the term based on full-time enrollment and then dropped credits, aid is then revised to match their eligibility based on the number of credits enrolled in as of the Census Date and types of aid that were awarded. Credits added after the Census Date cannot be used to increase financial aid eligibility.

A student whose Census Date enrollment is less-than-half-time is not eligible for any federal student loans. In this case, the entire loan amount for the term must be returned to the Department of Education. The return of loan funds may create an outstanding balance on a student's OSU account, but also reduces the outstanding principal balance of the student loan.

Census Dates by Term

2012-2013

Fall 2012 - Sunday, October 7th

Winter 2013 - Sunday, January 20th

Spring 2013 - Sunday, April 14th

Please note: If you are enrolled in the DPP program and you enroll in classes that will not transfer towards your degree, your enrollment will be adjusted to reflect the classes for which you are eligible to receive financial aid. For example, courses such as Life Skills and Welding will not count for financial aid purposes, because OSU does count these courses in any of our degree programs. If the credits you are taking will not transfer over as part of this agreement, they cannot be counted in your enrollment total and your financial aid will be adjusted accordingly. Be sure to check with your Academic Advisor about the transferability of your courses to avoid any delays or unexpected aid reductions! Credits added after the Census Date cannot be added to increase financial aid.