The Commission for Higher Education is dedicated to making college affordable for all students by offering both need-based and non-need based awards. Please review the program pages below for instructions on how to apply and application submission deadlines for these programs.
For questions about state financial aid programs contact our support center:
Financial Aid Support Center
by phone: (888) 528-4719
by email: awards@che.in.gov
- Scholarships for Teachers
Earline S. Rogers Student Teaching Scholarship for Minorities
The Earline S. Rogers Teaching Scholarship for Minorities is available for minority students (defined as Black and Hispanic individuals) who will participate in student teaching or a school administration internship as a part of their degree requirements during the semester in which they receive it. Students must agree in writing to apply for teaching positions in Indiana and, if hired, teach in Indiana for at least three years.Student Teaching Scholarship for High-Need Fields
The Student Teaching Scholarship for High-Need Fields is available for students who plan to teach in a high-need field (defined as middle or high school level math, science or special education). Students are eligible to receive the stipend in the term they are student teaching as a part of their degree requirements. Students must agree in writing to apply for teaching positions in Indiana and, if hired, teach in Indiana for at least three years.Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship
The Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship provides high-achieving high school and college students interested in pursuing a career in education the opportunity to earn a renewable scholarship of up to $10,000 a year for four academic years. In exchange, students agree to teach for five years at an eligible Indiana school or repay the corresponding, prorated amount of the scholarship.Transition to Teaching Scholarship
The Transition to Teaching Scholarship provides students interested in pursuing a career in education the opportunity to earn a one-time, non-renewable scholarship of up to $10,000. In exchange, students agree to teach for five years at an eligible Indiana school or repay the corresponding, prorated amount of the scholarship.William A. Crawford Minority Teacher Scholarship
The William A. Crawford Minority Teacher Scholarship is available to minority students (defined as Black and Hispanic individuals) who intend to pursue, or are currently pursuing, a course of study that would enable them to teach in an accredited school in Indiana. Students must agree in writing to apply for teaching positions in Indiana and, if hired, teach in Indiana for at least three years. - 21st Century Scholarship
21st Century Scholarship
Started in 1990, 21st Century Scholars is Indiana’s early college promise program. It offers income-eligible Hoosier students up to four years of paid tuition at an eligible Indiana college or university after they graduate from high school. Students enroll in seventh or eighth grade, and in high school they participate in the Scholar Success Program and are connected to programs and resources to help them prepare for college and career success. Once in college, Scholars receive support to complete their college degrees and connect to career opportunities. - EARN Indiana
EARN Indiana
EARN Indiana (Employment Aid Readiness Network) is the state’s work-study program. Students with financial need have access to resume-building, experiential, paid internships, while participating employers receive state matching funds—up to 50% of the student’s hourly wage. EARN Indiana partners with Work and Learn Indiana to better match students and employers and to assist employers in finding the perfect fit for their team. - Frank O’Bannon Grant
Frank O’Bannon Grant
The Frank O’Bannon Grant, which includes the Higher Education Award and the Freedom of Choice Award, is Indiana’s primary need-based financial aid program. It is designed to provide access for Hoosier students to attend eligible public, private and proprietary colleges and universities. Eligibility is based on a student’s FAFSA, and the grant may be used toward tuition and regularly assessed fees. - Mitch Daniels Early Graduation Scholarship
Mitch Daniels Early Graduation Scholarship
The Mitch Daniels Early Graduation Scholarship is a one-time, $4,000 scholarship for students who graduate at least one year early from a publicly supported Indiana high school. To claim this scholarship, students must enroll at an eligible Indiana institution no later than the fall semester in the academic year immediately following the year they graduate high school. - Adult Student Grant
Adult Student Grant
The Adult Student Grant offers a renewable $2,000 grant to assist returning adult students in starting or completing an associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or certificate. To qualify, students must be financially independent as determined by the FAFSA, demonstrate financial need, and be enrolled in at least six credit hours. - Workforce Ready Grant
Workforce Ready Grant
The Workforce Ready Grant, part of Indiana's Next Level Jobs initiative, pays tuition and regularly assessed fees for qualifying high-value certificates (in the fields of Advanced Manufacturing, Building & Construction, Health Sciences, Information Technology & Business Technology and Transportation & Logistics) at Ivy Tech Community College or Vincennes University. The grant is available for two years and covers up to the number of credits required by the qualifying program. - Financial Aid for Military and Public Safety Officers
Child of Deceased or Disabled Veteran*
Provides 100% of tuition regularly assessed fees for children of deceased or disabled veterans and Indiana public colleges and up to $5000 towards tuition and regularly assessed fees at an Indiana private, non-profit college or university. This program funding is limited to a maximum of 124 credit hours and may be used at the undergraduate and professional degree level.Child of Purple Heart Recipient or Wounded Veteran*
Provides 100% of tuition regularly assessed fees for children of deceased or disabled veterans and Indiana public colleges and up to $5000 towards tuition and regularly assessed fees at an Indiana private, non-profit college or university. This program funding is limited to a maximum of 124 credit hours and may be used at the undergraduate and professional degree level.Children and Spouse of Indiana National Guard*
Provides 100% of tuition and regularly assessed fees for students who are the child or spouse of a member of the Indiana National Guard who suffered a service-connected death while serving on state active duty. This program funding is limited to a maximum of 124 credit hours.Children and Spouse of Public Safety Officers*
Provides 100% of tuition and regularly assessed fees at Indiana public colleges for students who are the child or spouse of certain Indiana public safety officers (PSO) who were killed in the line of duty or are a permanently disabled state trooper.Indiana Purple Heart Recipient*
Provides 100% of tuition and regularly assessed fees for students who are Indiana veterans and Purple Heart Recipients. This program funding is limited to a maximum of 124 credit hours and may be used at the undergraduate, graduate and professional degree level.National Guard Tuition Supplement Grant
Provides 100% of tuition and regularly assessed fees at a public Indiana institution and up to $5,000 annually towards tuition and regularly assessed fees at an Indiana private, non-profit college or university for eligible members of the Indiana Air and Army National Guard. Students can attend either full time or part time.Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's Home*
Provides 100% of tuition and regularly assessed fees for students who are former students and/or graduates of Morton Memorial High School and former residents of the Indiana Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Children’s home. This program funding is limited to a maximum of 124 credit hours and may be used at the undergraduate, graduate or professional degree level. - Fast Track
Fast Track provides qualified 21st Century Scholars and Frank O’Bannon Grant recipients with the option to use additional state financial aid in their current award year, in exchange for deducting additional eligibility units. This program is effective in a term where the student has used 100% of their Frank O'Bannon Grant or 21st Century Scholarship , earned at least 30 credits within the award year and has remaining eligibility.
FAFSA Requirement and Waiver
During the 2023 legislative session, the Indiana General Assembly passed Senate Enrolled Act (SEA) 167-2023 which requires high school seniors to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or affirmatively opt out of filing by April 15. Completing the FAFSA is an important step in a postsecondary education. Students pursuing short-term certificate training, associate/bachelor’s degrees and even some apprenticeships may receive financial aid by completing the FAFSA. Click below for more details.
- FAFSA Requirement and Waiver
Tracking FAFSA Completion
High school administrators and counselors can see which of their students have completed the FAFSA in real-time in ScholarTrack via the FAFSA Completion Project. Additionally, high schools will be able to report the students who choose to opt out and those waived by the high school after April 15 via the Graduation Details upload in ScholarTrack. High schools will not be asked to provide verification of their two attempts to contact students.
The Indiana Commission for Higher Education (Commission) will report the number of students who complete the FAFSA, opt out and are waived by the high school to the Indiana Department of Education for inclusion on the Indiana Graduates Prepared to Succeed Dashboard.
Further, high schools’ FAFSA completion rates can be accessed without logging into ScholarTrack via the Learn More Indiana FAFSA Completion Dashboard which will launch in Spring 2025.
Model Notice
To assist high schools, the Indiana General Assembly charged the Commission with annually sending a FAFSA model notice that includes:
- a statement regarding the existence and availability of the FAFSA;
- a description that provides students and parents with an understanding of the process for and benefits of completing the FAFSA; and
- the state financial aid available to Indiana students.
The Commission requests for schools to safelist emails from @che.in.gov and @subscriptions.in.gov so FAFSA communications can be sent directly to students. This will allow the Commission to partner with counselors and educators on FAFSA outreach.
Opting Out
Students who do not wish to file the FAFSA may opt out in one of the following ways:- a parent/guardian of the student submits a FAFSA Waiver Form certifying the student understands what the FAFSA is and declines to complete it;
- the student, if the student is an emancipated minor or is at least 18 years old, submits a signed waiver certifying the student understands what the FAFSA is and declines to complete it; or
- the high school principal or counselor of the student waives the requirement due to not being able to reach the family of the student by April 15 after at least two reasonable attempts.
The FAFSA Waiver Form will be released on an annual basis on the opening day of the FAFSA. However, the Commission will release this year’s waiver early due to the United States Department of Education delaying the release of the 2025-26 FAFSA until December 1, 2024.
Questions
High school partners may send questions to schools@che.in.gov or to their Regional Outreach Coordinator.