Oklahoma’s Promise

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

March 10, 2015

Counselors’ Only Conference

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Application Requirements

Student must currently be attending the 8th, 9th or 10th 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.

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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

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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

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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

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Good to Know

Lists (enrolled and incomplete apps) available by e-mail anytime (okpromise@osrhe.edu)

Recommend the online application Suggest parents send all apps directly to OKPromise Remind them to expect a confirmation letter or e-mail 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 email (confirming receipt however more is

needed) Paper – letter through USPS (confirming enrollment or

requesting additional information) Incomplete applications

Letters/Emails to applicants Lists to schools Blackboard notification system

Includes phone, voicemail, text, email Generic message, must call or email OKPromise for details Creating a sense of urgency

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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  

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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

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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

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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

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Estimated Percent of Oklahoma Families with Total Income Under $50,000

61%60%58%58%

56%54%

52%

48%46%

48%48%46%45%44%

40%

50%

60%

70%

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Source: US Census Bureau, 2000 Census, American Community Survey-2001-2013

OKPromise High School Enrollment(By High School Graduation Year)

1,442

2,418

5,882

7,1877,753

8,179

9,5279,854 9,894

10,31510,25410,634

9,9939,649

9,000

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

$32,000

$50,000

$24,000

As of 12-16-14

Projected

High School Students Completing OKPromise Requirements

(by Grad Year)

884

1,624

4,216

5,0515,365

5,673

6,3226,576 6,470

6,782 6,645 6,8746,519

6,364

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

$32,000

$50,000

$24,000

As of 12-16-14

High School Requirement Completion Rates

(by grad year)

70.3% 69.2% 69.4%66.4% 66.7% 65.4% 65.8% 64.8% 64.6% 65.2% 66.0%

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

As of 12-16-14

Average Annual Scholarshipby Tier

$1,248 $1,263 $1,304 $1,407 $1,473 $1,536

$2,803 $2,817 $2,943 $3,114$3,325 $3,502

$3,486 $3,484 $3,622 $3,728 $3,826 $3,899

$0

$1,000

$2,000

$3,000

$4,000

08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14

2-Yr Coll Regional U. Research U.

2015 SessionProposed Legislation

SB 177 - 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.

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2015 SessionProposed 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.

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2015 SessionProposed 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 11th grade.

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Checking the statusof proposed bills

Go to http://www.oklegislature.gov/BasicSearchForm.aspx 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

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Contact Information

okpromise@osrhe.eduOR

1.800.858.1840 (option 2)