Section 3333.122. Ohio college opportunity grant program

(A) The chancellor of higher education shall adopt rules to carry out this section and as authorized under section 3333.123 of the Revised Code. The rules shall include definitions of the terms "resident," "expected family contribution," "full-time student," "three-quarters-time student," "half-time student," "one-quarter-time student," "state cost of attendance," and "accredited" for the purpose of those sections.

(B) Only an Ohio resident who meets both of the following is eligible for a grant awarded under this section:

(1) The resident has an expected family contribution of two thousand one hundred ninety or less;

(2) The resident enrolls in one of the following:

(a) An undergraduate program, or a nursing diploma program approved by the board of nursing under division (A)(5) of section 4723.06 of the Revised Code, at a state-assisted state institution of higher education, as defined in section 3345.12 of the Revised Code, that meets the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964;

(b) An undergraduate program, or a nursing diploma program approved by the board of nursing under division (A)(5) of section 4723.06 of the Revised Code, at a private, nonprofit institution in this state holding a certificate of authorization pursuant to Chapter 1713. of the Revised Code;

(c) An undergraduate program, or a nursing diploma program approved by the board of nursing under division (A)(5) of section 4723.06 of the Revised Code, at a career college in this state that holds a certificate of registration from the state board of career colleges and schools under Chapter 3332. of the Revised Code or at a private institution exempt from regulation under Chapter 3332. of the Revised Code as prescribed in section 3333.046 of the Revised Code, if the program has a certificate of authorization pursuant to Chapter 1713. of the Revised Code.

(C)

(1) The chancellor shall establish and administer a needs-based financial aid grants program based on the United States department of education's method of determining financial need. The program shall be known as the Ohio college opportunity grant program. The general assembly shall support the needs-based financial aid program by such sums and in such manner as it may provide, but the chancellor also may receive funds from other sources to support the program. If, for any academic year, the amounts available for support of the program are inadequate to provide grants to all eligible students, the chancellor shall do one of the following:

(a) Give preference in the payment of grants based upon expected family contribution, beginning with the lowest expected family contribution category and proceeding upward by category to the highest expected family contribution category;

(b) Proportionately reduce the amount of each grant to be awarded for the academic year under this section;

(c) Use an alternate formula for such grants that addresses the shortage of available funds and has been submitted to and approved by the controlling board.

(2) The needs-based financial aid grant shall be paid to the eligible student through the institution in which the student is enrolled, except that no needs-based financial aid grant shall be paid to any person serving a term of imprisonment. Applications for the grants shall be made as prescribed by the chancellor, and such applications may be made in conjunction with and upon the basis of information provided in conjunction with student assistance programs funded by agencies of the United States government or from financial resources of the institution of higher education. The institution shall certify that the student applicant meets the requirements set forth in division (B) of this section. Needs-based financial aid grants shall be provided to an eligible student only as long as the student is making appropriate progress toward a nursing diploma or an associate or bachelor's degree. No student shall be eligible to receive a grant for more than ten semesters, fifteen quarters, or the equivalent of five academic years. A grant made to an eligible student on the basis of less than full-time enrollment shall be based on the number of credit hours for which the student is enrolled and shall be computed in accordance with a formula adopted by rule issued by the chancellor. No student shall receive more than one grant on the basis of less than full-time enrollment.

(D)

(1) Except as provided in division (D)(4) of this section, no grant awarded under this section shall exceed the total state cost of attendance.

(2) Subject to divisions (D)(1), (3), and (4) of this section, the amount of a grant awarded to a student under this section shall equal the student's remaining state cost of attendance after the student's Pell grant and expected family contribution are applied to the instructional and general charges for the undergraduate program. However, for students enrolled in a state university or college as defined in section 3345.12 of the Revised Code or a university branch, the chancellor may provide that the grant amount shall equal the student's remaining instructional and general charges for the undergraduate program after the student's Pell grant and expected family contribution have been applied to those charges, but, in no case, shall the grant amount for such a student exceed any maximum that the chancellor may set by rule.

(3) For a student enrolled for a semester or quarter in addition to the portion of the academic year covered by a grant under this section, the maximum grant amount shall be a percentage of the maximum specified in any table established in rules adopted by the chancellor as provided in division (A) of this section. The maximum grant for a fourth quarter shall be one-third of the maximum amount so prescribed. The maximum grant for a third semester shall be one-half of the maximum amount so prescribed.

(4) If a student is enrolled in a two-year institution of higher education and is eligible for an education and training voucher through the Ohio education and training voucher program that receives federal funding under the John H. Chafee foster care independence program, 42 U.S.C. 677, the amount of a grant awarded under this section may exceed the total state cost of attendance to additionally cover housing costs.

(E) No grant shall be made to any student in a course of study in theology, religion, or other field of preparation for a religious profession unless such course of study leads to an accredited bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, associate of arts, or associate of science degree.

(F)

(1) Except as provided in division (F)(2) of this section, no grant shall be made to any student for enrollment during a fiscal year in an institution with a cohort default rate determined by the United States secretary of education pursuant to the "Higher Education Amendments of 1986," 100 Stat. 1278, 1408, 20 U.S.C.A. 1085, as amended, as of the fifteenth day of June preceding the fiscal year, equal to or greater than thirty per cent for each of the preceding two fiscal years.

(2) Division (F)(1) of this section does not apply in the case of either of the following:

(a) The institution pursuant to federal law appeals its loss of eligibility for federal financial aid and the United States secretary of education determines its cohort default rate after recalculation is lower than the rate specified in division (F)(1) of this section or the secretary determines due to mitigating circumstances that the institution may continue to participate in federal financial aid programs. The chancellor shall adopt rules requiring any such appellant to provide information to the chancellor regarding an appeal.

(b) Any student who has previously received a grant pursuant to any provision of this section, including prior to the section's amendment by H.B. 1 of the 128th general assembly, effective July 17, 2009, and who meets all other eligibility requirements of this section.

(3) The chancellor shall adopt rules for the notification of all institutions whose students will be ineligible to participate in the grant program pursuant to division (F)(1) of this section.

(4) A student's attendance at any institution whose students are ineligible for grants due to division (F)(1) of this section shall not affect that student's eligibility to receive a grant when enrolled in another institution.

(G) Institutions of higher education that enroll students receiving needs-based financial aid grants under this section shall report to the chancellor all students who have received such needs-based financial aid grants but are no longer eligible for all or part of those grants and shall refund any moneys due the state within thirty days after the beginning of the quarter or term immediately following the quarter or term in which the student was no longer eligible to receive all or part of the student's grant. There shall be an interest charge of one per cent per month on all moneys due and payable after such thirty-day period. The chancellor shall immediately notify the office of budget and management and the legislative service commission of all refunds so received.

Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 64, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2015.

Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.9, HB 1, §101.01, eff. 7/17/2009.

Effective Date: 09-29-2005; 2007 HB2 05-15-2007; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007; 2008 HB562 06-24-2008