Applying for Aid

The decision on what college or university to attend is one of the most important decisions that a person makes. The way to pay for that education is often the deciding factor on what school to attend. This page is designed to provide you with all the materials that you will need to apply for Federal Financial Aid at Kent State University.

2023-2024

Students are encouraged to file the FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1, 2022 for the 2023-2024 academic year. To ensure maximum financial aid eligibility, complete the FAFSA no later than February 1, 2023.

2024-2025

As previously announced, students and families will be able to complete and submit the 2024–25 FAFSA form online by December 31, 2023. Federal Student Aid will be treating the period leading up to and following Dec. 31 as a soft launch period, which will allow them to monitor and respond in real time to any potential issues impacting the applicant experience.

Kent State will update this page when the soft launch occurs and what students and families can expect. 

Students and families will have ample time to complete the 2024-25 FAFSA, and do not need to rush to fill out the form immediately when the soft launch period opens, as FSA will not transmit results to schools until later in January.  

To ensure maximum financial aid eligibility, complete the FAFSA no later than March 15, 2024.

Admission to Kent State University 

Contact the Kent State University Office of Admissions to make sure you have applied and been accepted to attend Kent State University.

  • 1-800-988-KENT or 330-672-2444
  • Email Admissions at kentadm@kent.edu
  • Your financial aid will not be processed until you are admitted to Kent State University
  • Guest students are NOT eligible to receive financial aid

Create an FSA Account

  • What's an FSA account and why do you need one? The account will allow you to electronically sign your FAFSA, along with your Master Promissory Note.  Dependent students must have at least one parent create and FSA account and password as well to electronically sign the FAFSA or complete a PLUS Loan Request.
  • More information on how to create an FSA account can be found at Federal Student Aid  
  • To watch a video on creating an FSA account, please visit our video page.

Complete the Free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

  • The most important step to receive financial aid (including some scholarships) is to complete the FAFSA. To complete the FAFSA, visit Federal Student Aid.
  • Students should complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1 of each year.  
  • To watch a video on how to complete the FAFSA, please visit our video page.
  • Students can find help completing the FAFSA online.
  • Students are always encouraged to visit the One Stop for Student Services for FAFSA in a Flash or attend FAFSA Help Ohio for assistance with completion of the FAFSA. 
  • Review more information on how to provide your financial information on the FAFSA.
  • Make sure you use the proper Title IV School Code of 003051 for all students at Kent State University. If you will be attending one of our Regional Campuses, include only the school code that corresponds to the Regional Campus you wish to attend.
  • The 2023-2024 FAFSA is required for financial aid for the Summer 2023, Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters.
    • The 2023-2024 FAFSA uses income from 2021.
    • The IRS Data Retrieval Tool is available for the 2023-2024 FAFSA. This will pull your 2021 income information straight from your tax return and input it into the FAFSA. To check your eligibility to use the IRS Data Retrieval tool, visit the FAFSA website. If you are ineligible, you will need your 2021 Federal tax returns and W-2 forms to complete the FAFSA.

What's Next?

Once you have been admitted to Kent State University and Kent receives your application information from the federal government, you will receive a Financial Aid Offer Letter in late March (new first-year students) or mid-to-late April (all other students). Only new students will receive a paper offer letter. All others will receive an email notification to view their awards on FlashLine.

Become familiar with the following Kent State resources, checking often for possible updates:

  • FlashLine (Kent State University’s Student Portal)
  • Your kent.edu email. This is the primary method of communication with Kent State students.
  • Financial Aid Checklist

Remember to Apply for Scholarships

Kent State helps you find your purpose while providing an education that’s a good value for your future. We want to make it easy to afford and to plan for your college expenses. The Kent Campus offers a variety of scholarships for new students. You can qualify for scholarships for many reasons: academic merit, talent, financial need, field of study or participation in a specific program, organization or activity. Scholarship offers and award amounts will be determined by official testing and high school transcript information submitted to Kent State University at the time of application.  

To apply for scholarships at Kent State University: