FAQs

The ScholarTrack site allows scholars to:

• See any issues with your FAFSA that could prevent you from receiving state aid so that you can make necessary changes.
• View your state grant award amount.
• View your state grant history.
• Update your College Scholar Success Program (SSP) requirements.
• View your Credit Bank.
• View and submit State appeals.
• View how much aid you have left and how much aid you have used.
• Apply for other state funded programs.

Our office does not determine eligibility as our office only serves IUB 21st Century Scholars. Please contact the State office at 888-528-4719 to check on a student’s eligibility.

Yes, major income changes can affect a student’s eligibility. The income threshold still applies. Please contact the State office at 888-528-4719 to check on a student’s eligibility.

The IUB 21st Century Tuition Scholarship covers:

• 100% tuition and mandatory fees (e.g., activity, repair and rehabilitation fee, transportation, technology, and health).
• Fall/Spring Study Abroad with IU affiliated programs.
• IU Intensive Freshman Seminar (IFS) tuition fee (if applicable) for incoming scholars.

The IUB 21st Century Scholarship does NOT cover:

• placement tests
• IUB summer tuition and mandatory fee
• on-campus room/board
• academic program or department fee
• first-year orientation fee
• fraternity/sorority fee (if applicable)
• "non-IU" study abroad program
• online course fees and/or other miscellaneous fees associated with your department
• laptop or course materials

If any of these are charged to your Bursar account, the fee(s) may be automatically subtracted once your financial aid posts to your Bursar account which is around the time classes start each semester or if a student is awarded a refund, those funds can be used to offset these costs. You can also utilize student loans if needed or work part-time; we suggest 10 to 20 hours per week, to offset these costs.  Also, you can find special educational discounts for laptops and other items on the IU Knowledge Base page here.

There are five requirements that all scholars have to meet each year: 1) Earn 30 credits per academic year with a minimum grade of D- or higher for each course, 2) Full-time status (minimum 12 credits per semester), 3) File your FAFSA on-time each year (by April 15th), 4) Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), and 5) Be a good citizen

Yes, you will still be considered full time. The length of the course or the course ending early does not reduce your credit hours or enrollment status. The only difference is that you will earn that credit for that class earlier than your other courses. The only time your enrollment status would change is because you dropped or were no longer enrolled in the course and did not earn any credits from that course. Although you will no longer be enrolled, you were enrolled and you would have already completed/earned those credits.

You’ll need to update your account. Go to the top right of the page under your profile icon/name and select “Upgrade My Account” under the drop down. Follow up with the State 888-528-4719 if you need to change your email address (it would be a good idea to change it to your IU email address) or have any other tech related issues on Scholar Track.

If there are enough courses in the credit bank to make 30 credits for the year, the State will automatically count them. The State usually checks for credit completion in June/July (which still allows you time to earn summer credits toward your 30 as well). To find your credit bank, go the "Credit Completion" then click "Credit Bank". The "Balance" section lets you know how many credit you have that are available for use. Follow up with the State 888-528-4719 if you have any other questions or concerns about your credit bank and Scholar Track.

They can be requested in Scholar Track via your credit bank. Be sure to request credits from the institution that sponsored the credits you took. For example, if dual credits were offered by Ivy Tech in high school, request credits from Ivy Tech or if you took classes at another college or university, requests from that or those colleges/universities. Contact the State at 888-528-4719 if you need further assistance with Scholar Track.

Please contact the State at 888-528-4719 and be sure to change your email address to your IU email.

SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) is determined by Student Central. SAP will not be checked off on Scholar Track, as of now it is grayed out. As long as a student has not been notified by Student Central via email or their Student Center to-do list, this requirement has been met.

The FAFSA is now prior-prior, in other words you’ll need tax information from two years prior. Here’s the formula: take the school year (ex. 2021-2022) and take the fall semester or first year (2021) and subtract 2 which equals 2019. This means that for the 21-22 FAFSA, you’ll need 2019 tax information.

You can select “Forgot My Username” and “Forgot My Password” on the log-in page and A secure code will be texted your verified mobile phone number or emailed to your verified email address, Or answer your challenge questions or contact Federal Student Aid's Customer Service center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).

Log onto fafsa.gov and check your “Current Application Status”.

Log onto fafsa.gov and select “Make FAFSA Corrections”.

Contact FAFSA 800-433-3243 and follow up with SCU 812-855-6500 for additional assistance.

Check out this link for help clarifying which parent(s)/guardian(s) or step-parent’s income to include.  Contact FAFSA at 800-433-3243 if you have any other questions.

No, once you are enrolled at IUB, your parent’s residency no longer matters.

No, your filing status does not affect your financial aid eligibility or FAFSA application.  Tax filing status and FAFSA dependency are two separate things. Although financially you may care for yourself, the FAFSA still considers you a dependent. Follow up with FAFSA 800-433-3243.

Contact Student Central (scu@indiana.edu; 812-855-6500). You and/or your parent(s)/guardian should also obtain a tax transcript from the IRS online, in person by appointment or by mail.

Contact Student Central (scu@indiana.edu; 812-855-6500).

Your parent/guardian will need to submit a signature page by mail. Contact Student Central for more information (scu@indiana.edu; 812-855-6500).

The date submitted without the mailed parent signature page before the April 15th deadline will count so you do not have to worry about when the mailed parent signature page is processed but please mail it as soon as possible!

The federal government requires colleges/universities who award Title IV (4) funding to verify information on the student’s FAFSA. If you are selected, you are required to provide documentation to verify the information recorded in your FAFSA. It is not uncommon for scholars to be flagged for verification every year. Your financial aid will not be processed until all documentation has been received. To ensure you receive all of the aid you’re eligible for the upcoming semester, please submit the requested documentation as soon as possible. Student Central will contact you through your One To Do List if you’re selected for verification. Documentation can include tax transcripts, tax forms, W-2s, a letter from the IRS or your tax preparer or employer, etc. It will be uploaded to the Secure Contact Form.

No, you are still considered a dependent student and you will still need to provide your parent(s)/guardian(s) income on FAFSA. The government only acknowledges you as a independent student if you're: at least 24 years old, married, a veteran, a member of the armed forces, an orphan, a ward of the court or state, someone with legal dependents other than a spouse, an emancipated minor, a graduate student or taking graduate level courses or someone who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. 

Reach out to someone in our office and Student Central regarding your eligibility to file a dependency status appeal.

If you have already been classified as a dependent student on FAFSA and by Student Central, more than likely you will complete the same process every year to prove your dependency status. Contact Student Central for details.

A 1098-T form is an IRS tuition statement form that reports payments received and payments due on a student’s account. You can find/view your 1098-T form here.

Besides Student Central, FAFSA 1-800-433-3243 and Money Smarts (812 855-9111; mnysmrt@iu.edu) are two other helpful contacts.

Contact the State 888-528-4719 and follow up with our office immediately. If you did not file your FAFSA by the April 15th deadline, you risk not receiving your 21CS tuition scholarship for the upcoming school year. However, still submit your FAFSA as soon as possible!

It is not uncommon for students to see their financial aid noted in Student Center toward the end of July or closer to the start of classes.  For questions regarding a timeline of when your financial aid package should appear, please follow up with Student Central ( scu@indiana.edu; 812-855-6500).

Is your award appearing on ScholarTrack?

No. ScholarTrack will list the reason for this. Please make sure you have indicated the correct school choice. It will need to be changed in ScholarTrack and on your current FAFSA.

Yes. Do you have "To Do List" items?

No. Please double check by going to one.iu.edu.
Yes. Your to-do list items will need to be processed and completed before aid can post. Processing can take up to three weeks. Please monitor your e-mail account for updates.

Are you enrolled full-time?

Yes. Your aid has not yet been applied. Student Central on Union is working to get aid posted to your account
No. You must be enrolled full-time before the end of the first week of classes.

NO, but we strongly recommend loans over working full-time. Students can work a part-time job, 10 to 20 hours per week, to keep the student's course work a priority to remain in good academic standing and maintain scholarship eligibility. We suggest that students work on campus. If scholars are struggling to meet basic needs, food, rent, etc., and they are already working part-time, we would highly recommend a scholar utilize any federal loans available to them.

NO, unfortunately, the Indiana 21st Century Scholarship cannot pay for tuition at two different IU campuses. We highly advise scholars to enroll in one higher education institution per semester.

YES, you can use your refund of your other excess financial aid, i.e. IUB Covenant, Pell Grant, etc., to cover rent, food, and other expenses. This includes off campus housing, Greek housing and IU Campus Apartments (rent will be billed monthly to your Bursar). No more than $600 for rent including all utilities or excluding at most two utilities, commonly electric or water.  Your refund should come via direct deposit into your personal bank account. You'll receive a refund every semester to budget for your expenses. Keep in mind, you want to make sure you set money aside for unexpected Bursar charges and be sure to plan ahead for August, January and the summer month's rent.

You must meet the following requirements to make satisfactory academic progress:maintain a minimum cumulative program GPA of no less than the graduation requirements for your academic program, successfully complete your coursework (transfer, Tested, ACP credit hours are counted) with no less than 67 percent of your total attempted courses, (if you received a grade of W, F, FX, or I in a course, you did not successfully complete that course)and complete your degree within within 150% of the published credit hour length of your academic program.

You’ll need to reach out to someone in our office. You may be able to submit an appeal. If you are selected for “too many credit hours”, you must complete an academic plan with your academic advisor as well.

Reach out to someone in our office immediately if you have not already done so.

If you are interested in summer courses, please create an academic plan of courses with your Academic Advisor, and register for summer classes based on your academic needs. Then contact Student Central (812-855-6500; scu@indiana.edu) who will inform you of the financial options based on that academic plan (number of credits). Keep in mind that in order to receive any financial aid, you must take a minimum of 6 credits. You will have time after enrolling to cancel classes if the financial plan does not work for your situation - without cost. However, if you need to take summer classes, you are welcome to take out student loans or to utilize personal expenses.

Yes, students who are looking to use their last semester of funding during the summer to graduate early can apply for the Fast Track initiative via your Scholar Track. Students must have completed 30 credit hours in the current award year (without using the Credit Bank) to qualify for Fast Track.

YES, the IU 21st Century Scholars Program partners with IU OVPDEI Overseas Studies and Scholarship Program. The deadline to apply for a study abroad scholarship typically falls between January 15 and February 15.

The only option is to complete summer classes at either IU Bloomington or at another institution such as Ivy Tech Community College. If you did not complete 30/60/90 credit hours due to a recent medical condition/family emergency, you can file an appeal via IU Student Central here. Please note that there is NO Indiana 21st Century Scholarship during the summer semester. According to Indiana Code Title 21-12-6-7, failure to satisfy the 30/60/90 credit hours requirement may remove you from receiving the Indiana 21st Century Scholarship the following academic year unless you have documentation of health/medical reason.

You will need to submit an appeal to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (CHE)/State to reinstate your scholarship but does not guarantee approval. Check the CHE site for more info here and make an appointment with a 21CS academic advisor.

Up to 12 credit hours of remedial courses can be counted toward the 30 credit hours in their first year of receiving the scholarship.

YES, you can receive a reimbursement fee. You will need to come into our office and take our practice CASA exam. If you score at least a 70%, you will be eligible for a reimbursement. If you would like to come to our office to take the practice CASA exam, please call us at (812) 856-1910 to set-up a time.

NO, you are not required to enroll “full-time” if you are in the final semester of college and do not need to take 12 credits to graduate. If you are not going to enroll full-time, you should speak with financial aid to talk through how to utilize your scholarship and how this might affect your full financial aid package.

NO, unfortunately, the scholarship cannot be extended to the "5th year." If you must stay for the 5th year, we highly recommend that you utilize student loans and/or the Pell Grant to pay your tuition fee.

No, you only need to file the FAFSA if you plan on continuing your education, i.e. graduate school or obtaining another degree.

No, you can not use your 21CS tuition scholarship once you have earned your bachelor’s degree. 21CS can only be used for undergraduate tuition, however, you can use your refund of excess financial aid to budget for the GRE and graduate application fees.

YES, as an IU 21st Century Scholar, you can utilize your 21st Century Scholarship to pay for tuition for any "IU approved" or "IU co-sponsored" study abroad program during the fall/spring semester. *Please note that your IU 21st Century Scholarship cannot be applied for the summer semester. However, you can apply to receive a partial scholarship for the summer semester through the IU OVPDEI Overseas Studies and Scholarship Program.

NO, unfortunately, the Indiana 21st Century Scholarship cannot be applied to "non-IU" study abroad programs. We highly discourage students to pursue this option.

Great question! Check out the other tabs under “Current Students”, check our calendar and newsletters. Please email us at iub21cs@indiana.edu if you do not receive our newsletter every Friday.

YES, in an effort to promote volunteerism and philanthropic action, the IU 21st Century Scholars Program has launched the "IU 21st Century Scholars Servant Leadership Initiative Award" and "IU 21st Century Scholars Program Scholar Success Fund" in which students can perform community service work within the Bloomington area and then receive a small compensation for their voluntary work through the IU 21st Century Scholar Volunteer Corps and G.I.V.E. back program. The funds are supported by the IU RPS Residential Life and administered by the IU Office of Scholarships. The scholarship falls between $200.00 and $500.00.

It is a supplemental scholarship that may be offered to 21st Century Scholars who enroll at IUB their freshman year and remain in continuous enrollment at IUB. Transfer students, including freshman transfers, are not eligible. It can be used towards the costs of a standard double occupancy campus dorm with or without air conditioning, a standard meal plan and other indirect costs such as textbooks, course fees, etc.  (See more info on the Covenant on the IU Office of Scholarships website.)

The Covenant will be automatically applied if you qualify.  Students receive the Covenant based on Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the FAFSA. The Covenant is based on financial need. About 85 percent of our scholars receive the Covenant. To maintain the Covenant, students must be enrolled full-time on the IU Bloomington campus for 8 consecutive semesters. Please note that you must file a FAFSA application every year by April 15th to maintain your tuition scholarship and Covenant.

It can be more affordable to live off campus as long as a scholar selects an affordable off campus housing option, even if a student does not receive the Covenant. We have an online workshop called "Living Off Campus as a Scholar" which can help you figure out this more cost effective option.

If you do not receive the covenant, you may receive other federal funding options, like Pell Grant or the Supplemental Grant (only for students with an EFC of 0), and/or scholarships from other IUB programs or external scholarships. Also, we encourage all scholars to join IU G.I.V.E. Back program. Through community service and voluntary action, students can receive a refund check of $500.00 each semester for their on-campus housing and on-campus meal plans.

It could because your EFC increased. Here is the formula that Student Central uses to determine your Covenant scholarship amount:

Cost of Attendance – Expected Family Contribution (EFC) – Gift Aid (any aid that does not need to be paid back i.e. scholarships, awards, waivers, grants) = Covenant

This can also be a possibility for reductions in other types of aid like loans and other gift aid.  If you are referring to your refund being less than intended, in addition to a change in your EFC, it could be that your charges to your Bursar account (i.e. previous outstanding balance, room charges, meal points added, late drop fees, IU e-texts fees, etc.) reduced your refund amount.   Follow up with Student Central ( scu@indiana.edu; 812-855-6500) regarding your Covenant, EFC, refunds, Bursar charges and financial aid package.

NO, once you leave IU Bloomington, the IU 21st Century Scholarship Covenant cannot be reinstated. However, your IU 21st Century Tuition Scholarship can be transferred to a different institution or campus in the state of Indiana.

YES, the Covenant requires students to maintain continuous enrollment on the IU Bloomington campus every fall and spring. Taking off the fall/spring semester will interrupt the continuous enrollment. You cannot reinstate the Covenant upon your return. However, you can file an appeal. Be sure to make an appointment with a 21CS academic advisor.

NO. The IU 21st Century Scholars Program is an undergraduate department at Indiana University Bloomington. We currently do not provide services at the graduate level. However, we encourage all scholars to apply for graduate school.