Indiana student and vocational grants: Frank O'Bannon, 21st Century Scholars, WIOA (2026-27)

The 2026-27 Frank O’Bannon schedule by SAI and college type

The Frank O’Bannon Grant combines two awards in state law, the Higher Education Award and the Freedom of Choice Award. Your Student Aid Index (SAI) and the kind of college you attend set the amount ⁠¹. By statute, awards at public universities must be half of the private-college amount, and Ivy Tech Community College is paid on the proprietary-school scale ⁠¹.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Selected rows from CHE’s approved 2026-27 schedule ⁠¹. The schedule has 12 SAI bands. Above an SAI of 7,000 no student receives the grant.

The Commission kept these amounts flat from 2025-26 ⁠³. Its own summary puts the full range at $400 to $10,600 ⁠³. The lowest figure is the full-time award at Ivy Tech or a proprietary school for an SAI of 501 to 1,000 ⁠¹.

The other eligibility rules are short but strict ⁠²:

• Indiana residency by December 31 of the year before the award year, kept through the whole year. A dependent student’s residency follows the parents’ home ⁠²⁠⁴.
• U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, with a high school diploma or GED ⁠².
• Full-time enrollment in an associate degree or first bachelor’s degree, or a certificate at Ivy Tech or Vincennes University ⁠².
• Satisfactory Academic Progress at your college ⁠².

Indiana has no state application for students who cannot file the FAFSA. CHE’s program pages list only the FAFSA, and each requires U.S. citizenship or eligible noncitizen status ⁠²⁠⁸⁠⁹. If a parent lacks a Social Security number, CHE’s flyer points families to StudentAid.gov or its help line at 888-528-4719 to complete the FAFSA ⁠³.

On-time or full-time: Indiana’s 30-credit renewal rule

Every first-year O’Bannon recipient gets the larger on-time amount ⁠¹. After that, what you earned the year before sets your next award. Earning at least 30 credit hours in your 12-month award year keeps the on-time amount. Earning 24 to 29 drops you to the full-time amount ⁠¹⁠². At a private college with an SAI of 1 to 500, that is the difference between $7,000 and $4,100. At a public university it is $3,500 versus $2,050 ⁠¹. For Ivy Tech students in the 1,001 to 2,000 band, the full-time award is $0 ⁠¹.

Credits above 30 carry forward to later years. Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and dual-credit hours also count toward the requirement ⁠¹. That makes summer classes a practical way to protect a renewal. Some degree-seeking students can use O’Bannon in summer while enrolled part time, under CHE’s summer-term guidelines ⁠².

21st Century Scholars: a promise made in middle school

21st Century Scholars is Indiana’s early college promise program, and it is also run by CHE ⁠⁵. It pays up to 100% of tuition at Indiana public colleges and part of the tuition at private colleges. It does not cover books, room and board, or fees that are not charged to every student ⁠⁶. Under House Enrolled Act 1449-2023, seventh and eighth graders who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch are enrolled automatically. Other income-eligible families must apply in ScholarTrack by June 30 of the student’s eighth-grade year, and the application opens each October 1 ⁠⁶. Students in foster care are the only ones who can join after eighth grade ⁠⁶.

To claim the scholarship, a student must graduate from an accredited Indiana high school with at least a 2.5 GPA and a Core 40 diploma (or the new Indiana Diploma from the class of 2029). The student must also complete all 12 Scholar Success Program activities, keep the Scholar Pledge and file the FAFSA by April 15 of senior year ⁠⁶. Before the first year of college, the state also runs a financial means test. To keep the scholarship, the household must meet the Indiana Choice Scholarship income guidelines, which CHE sets for each graduating class ⁠⁶.

In college, Scholars must enroll full time, which means 12 credits in fall and spring and 6 in summer. They must also earn 30 credits a year, file the FAFSA by April 15 and meet Satisfactory Academic Progress ⁠⁷. You must start within one year of high school graduation. The scholarship lasts four years, which must be used within eight years of first using it ⁠⁷. A Scholar who loses the award may still qualify for the Frank O’Bannon Grant ⁠⁷.

Adult Student Grant and the Workforce Ready Grant for adults

Two CHE programs are aimed at Hoosiers who are not recent high school graduates.

The Adult Student Grant pays up to $2,000 for the academic year. It is for financially independent students, as determined by the FAFSA, who show financial need and take at least 6 credit hours a term. It covers an associate degree, a first bachelor’s degree, or a certificate at Ivy Tech or Vincennes University ⁠⁸. To renew it, you must have completed 18 credit hours in the previous year ⁠⁸. Unlike O’Bannon, it requires a separate ScholarTrack application in addition to the FAFSA. Awards go first come, first served, and the 2026-27 application opened June 1, 2026 ⁠⁸.

The Next Level Jobs Workforce Ready Grant pays tuition and mandatory fees for high-value certificates. Eligible programs are in advanced manufacturing, building and construction, health sciences, IT and business services, and transportation and logistics ⁠⁹. Approved providers include Ivy Tech, Vincennes University, Indiana Institute of Technology and others. The grant lasts two years, has no income limit and is not tied to the April 15 deadline ⁠⁹. It is a last-dollar grant: Pell is applied first, and the state covers the rest. Program-specific fees and equipment are not covered ⁠⁹.

For 2026-27, first-time dependent students cannot use the Workforce Ready Grant. Independent students qualify at half time. A dependent student qualifies only if they used the grant in 2025-26, are continuing the same certificate and enroll full time ⁠⁹. Applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent but no college degree. For credit-bearing programs they must also file the FAFSA ⁠⁹.

Workforce Pell during Indiana’s 2026-27 pilot

Workforce Pell has paid for short job-training programs since July 1, 2026 ⁠¹². In Indiana, CHE and the Department of Workforce Development review each program and send qualifying ones to the Governor. The U.S. Department of Education then gives final approval ⁠¹⁰. For 2026-27 Indiana is running a pilot that accepts programs only from Ivy Tech and Vincennes University. CHE plans to open applications to other colleges in early to mid-2027 ⁠¹⁰. As of October 2026, CHE lists one approved program: Ivy Tech Community College’s Clinical Medical Assistant program ⁠¹⁰.

An approved program must run 8 to 14 weeks and 150 to 599 clock hours (or 4 to 15 credit hours). It must also have at least 70% completion and 70% job placement and pass a tuition-to-earnings test ⁠¹⁰. You apply with the FAFSA. Awards are prorated by program length and count against your lifetime Pell limit. You cannot receive regular Pell and Workforce Pell at the same time. Bachelor’s degree holders may qualify, but people with graduate degrees may not ⁠¹⁰.

Regular Pell for July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 ranges from $740 to $7,395 ⁠¹¹. Starting in 2026-27, you are not eligible for Pell if your non-federal grants and scholarships equal or exceed your cost of attendance ⁠¹².

WorkOne, INTraining and how a WIOA voucher gets approved

WIOA training money is not on the FAFSA. Adults and dislocated workers request it through a WorkOne Career Center. Indiana has 12 WorkOne regions, from Region 1 in the northwest to Region 12 for Marion County ⁠¹⁵. The voucher, called an Individual Training Account (ITA), can pay only for a program on the Eligible Training Provider (ETP) list. That list is a subset of the INTraining list made up of providers that meet DWD’s performance and demand standards ⁠¹³⁠¹⁴.

DWD’s ITA policy, dated February 26, 2025, sets these statewide rules ⁠¹³:

• The training must lead to an occupation that DWD rates 3 or higher on its 1-to-5 in-demand scale for your region.
• WIOA pays only what other grants do not cover. If your program could be Pell-eligible, you must apply for Pell before WIOA funds can be used. Your case manager records Pell, other grants and WIOA on a Financial Award Analysis.
• Allowable costs include tuition and fees, books, tools, uniforms and protective gear, background checks, tests and required immunizations. Transportation and child care are handled separately as supportive services.
• Each local workforce board sets its own maximum ITA amount and maximum length in its local plan.
• WIOA Adult funds go first to veterans, people receiving public assistance, other low-income people and people with basic-skills deficiencies.

Providers are usually paid after the course drop date. Some boards use other payment schedules, such as 70% on the first day of class and 30% on completion ⁠¹³.

Filing for 2027-28 in Indiana, step by step

1. Check 21st Century status first

   If you are in high school, have a parent log in to ScholarTrack to see whether you were enrolled automatically, and track your Scholar Success activities there ⁠⁶.

2. File the FAFSA between October 1, 2026 and April 15, 2027

   The 2027-28 form uses 2025 tax information. List every Indiana college you are considering; state award eligibility goes to the Indiana colleges on your FAFSA ⁠⁴⁠⁷. High school seniors must either file or submit CHE’s opt-out waiver by April 15 under Senate Enrolled Act 167-2023 ⁠⁵.

3. Be an Indiana resident by December 31, 2026

   Residency must begin by then to count for 2027-28 ⁠⁴.

4. Open ScholarTrack

   Use it to see FAFSA problems that block state aid, confirm or change your school of choice, and read your award once CHE posts it ⁠⁴.

5. Add the right extra application

   Independent students should file the Adult Student Grant application in ScholarTrack as soon as it opens, because awards go first come, first served ⁠⁸. Certificate students should ask Ivy Tech, Vincennes or their provider about the Workforce Ready Grant ⁠⁹.

6. For short-term training, go to WorkOne

   Expect an interview, an assessment and career planning before training is approved ⁠¹³. Pick an ETP-listed program in an in-demand occupation, and ask whether it is approved for Workforce Pell ⁠¹⁰⁠¹³⁠¹⁴.

7. Plan your credits, then appeal if needed

   Aim for 30 credits a year to keep on-time O’Bannon and 21st Century awards ⁠¹⁠⁷. If something outside your control kept you from meeting a requirement, Scholars must file an appeal ⁠⁷. For other state aid questions, contact CHE’s Financial Aid Support Center at 888-528-4719 or [email protected] ⁠⁵.

Other Indiana help for families in training is covered in the Indiana guides, and you can compare state grant maximums on the student and vocational grants page.