Oklahoma’s Promise Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education March 10, 2015 Counselors’ Only Conference

2 Application Requirements Student must currently be attending the 8 th, 9 th or 10 th grade Student’s family household income must be $50,000 or less Must be an Oklahoma resident Application must be submitted with a postmark on or before June 30, 2015.

3 Additional Requirements Graduate from an Oklahoma high school (or other education program for homeschool students) Complete the 17 unit curriculum with at least a 2.50 cumulative GPA in these units Achieve at least a 2.50 cumulative GPA in overall courses for grades 9-12 Attend school regularly Refrain from substance abuse Don’t commit criminal or delinquent acts

4 Benefits Pays tuition only (fees are not included) at an Oklahoma public college or university; a portion of tuition at an Oklahoma private college or university or qualified career technology courses Pays for the actual hours enrolled; recommend full- time enrollment May be used until the completion of a bachelor’s degree or five consecutive years, whichever comes first

5 Undocumented Immigrant Students Students may enroll in OKPromise Must provide documentation of legal status to the college before they will be eligible to receive awards in college Deferred Action (or DACA) issued SSN cards are for work purposes and do not constitute legal status. They can file the FAFSA but they are not eligible for federal aid or OKPromise

6 Good to Know Lists (enrolled and incomplete apps) available by anytime Recommend the online application Suggest parents send all apps directly to OKPromise Remind them to expect a confirmation letter or Never assume a student is enrolled Student/parent isn’t going to apply or follow through with an incomplete application because of different plans following graduation – encourage completion

Communication Efforts Notification to all applicants Online – immediate (confirming receipt however more is needed) Paper – letter through USPS (confirming enrollment or requesting additional information) Incomplete applications Letters/ s to applicants Lists to schools Blackboard notification system  Includes phone, voic , text,  Generic message, must call or OKPromise for details  Creating a sense of urgency 7

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9 Curriculum Worksheet – Why? Tracking from time of signing up Students know where they stand Shows both GPAs Helps the OKPromise office during evaluation  by showing us abbreviated courses  by letting us know what courses your school district counts as a "lab science“  if the OKPromise GPA is borderline, we can see what courses the counselor used to push it up to or over 2.50

10 OKPromise FAQ Will a course count?  What HS Courses Count Toward the OKPromise Curriculum?  Is this considered a college-prep course?  Will the local college/university accept it toward college admission? Application and Income For HS Seniors For College Students

11 Second Income Limit Initial income limit at time of enrollment = $50,000 Family income at the time the student enters college cannot exceed $100,000 Students must file the FAFSA  Even if they think/know they will not qualify for aid  If they say they cannot file, they should talk with the financial aid office. Adjusted Gross Income on the Federal tax return This will be a one-time check when the student enters college.

Federal SAP Standards SAP = Satisfactory Academic Progress as defined by the college in which they are enrolled Applies to ALL college students whether they are receiving federal aid or not Contains both GPA rqmts and minimum standards for completing courses in which the student enrolls Any OKPromise student on financial aid suspension for failure to meet SAP, will not be eligible to receive the OKPromise award 12

Common Questions & Concerns “I’m not getting my OKPromise!”  Did you move before graduating HS? Has your final paperwork been submitted?  Have you filed the FAFSA?  Have you checked with the FA office to be sure they are aware?  Do you have the correct SSN on file with OKPromise? “My OKP is not showing up on my account and has not paid. I got it last semester. ”  Colleges cannot bill before the drop/add date. Some schools will post the award early; others will not.  Are you eligible? Regular admission, SAP, College GPA 13

Estimated Percent of Oklahoma Families with Total Income Under $50,000 Source: US Census Bureau, 2000 Census, American Community Survey

OKPromise High School Enrollment (By High School Graduation Year) $ 32,000 $50,000 $ 24,000 As of Projected

High School Students Completing OKPromise Requirements (by Grad Year) $32,000 $50,000 $24,000 As of

High School Requirement Completion Rates (by grad year) As of

Average Annual Scholarship by Tier

2015 Session Proposed Legislation SB Sen. Jim Halligan // Increases the income eligibility for the OKPromise scholarship to $55,000 adjusted gross income. SB 137 – Sen. Corey Brooks // Directs the State Regents to review certain non-taxable income when determining financial qualification for the program. The legislation excludes (social security) death/disability compensation and non-taxable military benefits if this causes the family to go over the $50,000 income limit. 19

2015 Session Proposed Legislation (cont.) HB 1848 – Rep. Scott Inman // Expands application eligibility for students in the permanent custody of DHS to the age of 21. The contact person for the OKP is responsible for identifying students who are in the permanent custody of DHS and providing those names to the State Regents. HB 1672 – Rep. Steve Kouplen // similar language to HB1848 but exempts students from the HS requirements. 20

2015 Session Proposed Legislation (cont.) SB 504 – Sen. Clark Jolley // Allows OKP scholarship to be used to attend a nonprofit university that offers online, competency-based degree programs and is accredited. HB 2180 – Rep. Jeff Hickman // Requires OKP students at four-year institutions to complete a minimum of 30 credit hours per academic year. (there are 8 exceptions to this rule.) Extends the application eligibility to the end of the 11 th grade. 21

Checking the status of proposed bills Go to and type in the number of the bill You can find the full text of the bill and what action has been taken on it. Hint: Once you’ve typed in the bill #, click on the “Versions” tab. Look for the most recent date to the right as this is likely the most recent version 22

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24 Contact Information OR (option 2)