Evan Bayh 21st Century Scholarship

The Evan Bayh 21st Century Scholarship is a state program meant to assist students who are Indiana residents to attend and complete college. They receive funding through appropriations made by the Indiana General Assembly. ScholarTrack

Eligibility

Student must:

• Enroll in the program during 7th or 8th grade (http://scholars.in.gov/parents/enroll/) and complete the Scholar Success Program, for more information concerning the Scholar Success Program go to the following link:  http://scholars.in.gov/;
• Be an Indiana resident;
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen;
• Have submitted a valid Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by April 15.  Indiana State University (school code is 001807) must be listed on the students FAFSA. The Commission will consider students who file their FAFSA past the original deadline, however, limited funding is available on a first-come basis;
• Be enrolled full time (at least 12 credit hours) before the last day of the term to receive State Aid;
• Be working toward his or her first bachelor's degree; and
• Be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP);

Amount

• Pays 100% of tuition and mandatory fees.
• Students who (in 7^th & 8^th grade) enrolled in the program after 2011 may have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) requirement and receive a one-time $2500 award.  

Renewal

• Valid for 8 semesters of full-time enrollment, and must be used within 8 years of initial application.
• Student must file a FAFSA on time (April 15) for all consecutive years, skipping a year is permissible.
• IMPORTANT: Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE) requires that students meet the following credit completion standard to receive their On-Time award:
  • Earn 30 completed credit hours per academic year;
  • If you do not complete the 30 hours requirement,
    • Then your Evan Bayh 21st Century may be reduced to Frank O’Bannon Grant (Higher Education Award), and
    • Your Frank O’Bannon Grant (HEA) will be reduced dollar value (Full-Time Award compared to an On-Time Award)
    • You must at least have 24 credit hours to receive the Frank O’Bannon Grant (HEA).

Notification and Disbursement

If eligible, the Evan Bayh 21st Century Scholarship will be listed on the student's award notification as well as posted to the MyISU Portal account. Funds are applied directly to the student's account approximately nine days before the start of the applicable semester. Students can check their eligibility for state awards on their ScholarTrack account.

Additional Options

If eligible for the Evan Bayh 21^st Century Scholarship you may be eligible for these additional scholarships:

• 21^st Century Scholars Housing and Book Voucher Award

Frequently Asked Questions

What counts as "earned"?

• Anything earned at ISU for credit, including even D-
• All pre-college work, including dual-credit, AP, and LEAP
• ISU only reports cumulative credit earned at ISU.
• All transfer work.  If you're worried about transfer credit being included, talk to your previous institution to ensure they are reporting those hours to the state.

Can I receive this if I take a semester off after High School Graduation?

• Scholars have one year after graduation to enroll at an eligible Indiana institution. Therefore, a Scholar must enroll at an eligible institution no later than the fall semester of the calendar year following the Scholar’s high school graduation year. For example, a student graduating in May 2017 must attend an eligible institution no later than December 31, 2018 to retain scholarship eligibility.

I have taken summer classes but my fall award doesn’t show the 30 hour completion award?

• These awards will not be increased until the credit completion file has been sent to the Indiana Commission of Higher Education (ICHE), this will happen once all final summer grades are posted (late August).