Gift Aid

Gift aid is financial aid that comes in the form of grants and scholarships and does not have to be repaid*.

  • Institutional Scholarship** – awarded based upon admission application and high school achievement for incoming freshman or college achievement for incoming transfer students.  These include the following:
    • Boothe Scholarship – Full tuition scholarship offered to one student that participates in the Trustee Scholarship Competition held in February.
    • Trustee Scholarship – Three-quarter tuition scholarship offered to three students that participate in the Trustee Scholarship Competition held in February.
    • Garfield Scholarship – General scholarship that is offered to Traditional College students entering Hiram College on/after the 2008-2009 academic year.  The award varies in amount and is based upon admission application.
  • Institutional Grants** - awarded based upon need or circumstance as determined by the FAFSA and/or the admission application.
    • Hiram College Grant – need-based grant awarded based upon FAFSA.
    • Alumni Grant – awarded to children and grandchildren of alum. Students should indicate this on their admission application.
    • Disciples of Christ Grant – awarded to members of the Disciples of Christ order. Students should indicate this on their admission application.
    • Hiram College Access Grant – non-need based grant that is awarded to help bridge the gap between other sources of financial aid and direct costs.
  • Federal Grants
    • Federal Pell Grant – need-based grant that is awarded to students with exceptional need as indicated on the FAFSA. Award varies according to the federal government’s payment schedule.
    • Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEO Grant) – need-based grant that is awarded to students that are eligible for the Federal Pell Grant. Award varies based upon Federal Pell Grant.
    • Federal Academic Competitiveness Grant (Federal ACG) – awarded to first and second year Pell-eligible students that graduated high school after January 1st, 2006 that have completed a rigorous high school program.  First year students are eligible for $750 and second year students are eligible for $1,300. Amount is prorated for less-than full-time students. Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 to remain eligible for this grant in their second year.
    • Federal SMART Grant – awarded to third and fourth year Pell-eligible students that have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and are pursuing an eligible degree.  For the complete list, click here.  Students are eligible for $4,000 each year.  Please note: students must be enrolled in one course in their degree each semester to be eligible for that semester’s award.
    • Federal TEACH Grant – awarded to education majors that commit to teaching four years in a high-need field in a low-income school.  Students are eligible for $4,000 each year to a maximum of $16,000 as an undergraduate. 

    Please note: failure to fulfill the teaching requirement within eight years of graduation causes the grant to be converted to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan with accrued interest from the date of first disbursement.  If you are interested in learning more about this grant, speak with your financial aid counselor or view the information on the Department of Education’s website.  Students interested in applying for this grant should complete this form.

 * except for the Federal TEACH Grant if teaching requirement is not met.

**A portion of the funding for the Hiram College Grant and the James A. Garfield Scholarship is provided by the generous contributions of alumni, friends of Hiram College and others. You may find that all or a portion of your scholarship Hiram College Grant and/or James A Garfield Scholarship may take a more visible form as a named scholarship during the academic year.  As Stafford loan eligibility increases, you will be expected to borrow more and your Hiram College Grant may be decreased accordingly.

Self-help Aid

Self-help aid financial aid that must be earned and/or repaid and comes in the form of student loans and/or work-study.  The type and amount of self-help aid is based upon financial need as determined by the information submitted on the FAFSA.

  • Federal Work-study

Awarded to students with need as determined by the FAFSA. Standard award for freshman is $1,600 and $1,850 for upperclassmen.  Students with less need will be awarded less, the minimum being $500.  Students can be awarded more once the base award is earned and if the student has remaining need.  Minimum pay is the state minimum wage, which is $7.30/hour as of January 1, 2009. Students can be paid more, depending on the department and the job responsibilities.  Earnings are typically not enough to cover tuition costs, but can be applied to the student account to help reduce future charges or received by the student in a paycheck to help with out-of-pocket educational expenses. 

Hiram College does not do job placement.  To review the available positions, students can review Student Job Central via the Student Portal.  Please note: students must have a Hiram College user name and password to access this listing.  Incoming students receive this at

orientation.

  •  Campus employment – for students that are not eligible for work-study and some international students, there is still an opportunity to work on-campus through Campus Employment. The positions and application process are similar to work-study and can be reviewed at Student Job Central via the Student Portal. Please note: students must have a Hiram College user name and password to access this listing.  Incoming students receive this at orientation.
  • Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan –awarded to students have need.  The interest on this loan is fixed at 5.6% and is subsidized (or paid) by the federal government while the student is in school and during the grace period.  Repayment begins 6 months after the student graduates or ceases to be enrolled at least half-time. More information, including the application process, can be found on the Loan Information page.
  • Unsubsidized Stafford Loan – students that are not eligible for the Subsidized Stafford Loan will be awarded an Unsubsidized Stafford Loan.  The interest on this loan is fixed at 6.8% and accrues while the student is in school and during the grace period and while in repayment.  The student has the option to pay on this interest or have the interest accrue.  Repayment begins 6 months after the student graduates or ceases to be enrolled at least half-time. More information, including the application process, can be found on the Loan Information page.
  • Federal Perkins Loan – this loan is awarded to students with exceptional need and is typically awarded to freshman and sophomores.  The interest rate on this loan is fixed at 5% and is deferred while the student is in school. Repayment begins 9 months after the student graduates or ceases to be enrolled at least half-time.