Financial Aid

To ensure that you keep all of your options open for covering your cost to attend OU, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Here are a few notes that will help you throughout the application process, but if you have additional questions, please visit OU's Student Financial Center website.

Start the FAFSA

What is the FAFSA?

The FAFSA (or Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the government-provided application for need-based funds to help pay for college. OU highly recommends completing the FAFSA regardless of your family's income. Nearly 72% of OU students who apply for financial aid for the 2021-2022 academic year received some type of assistance. Plus in 2021-2022, the average financial aid of OU undergraduate students was $16,123.

The FAFSA opens October 1 each year

Families can begin the FAFSA starting October 1 at fafsa.gov. It takes about one hour to complete and you'll need these 3 items:

Social security number (or permanent resident card)
Any W-2s you received in the past year
Prior prior year tax records (this is your tax records from 2021 for Fall 2023 incoming freshmen)

You'll need to add OU's Federal School Code when completing the application so that we receive the students information. Our code is: 003184

Once at fafsa.gov, create a FSA ID

The first thing your family will do when you start the FAFSA is create a username and password called a FSA ID. This will serve as your electronic signature. You only have to create an FSA ID once, and you can use it each year to renew your financial aid information. Once your FSA ID and password are created, you may begin the FAFSA.

Submit the FAFSA by December 15, our priority filing deadline

If available, use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to pull in your tax information, or enter it manually. On the last page of the FAFSA, you must add OU's Federal School Code when completing the application so that we receive the students information. Our code is: 003184

You'll receive a Student Aid Report in 3-5 days

Once you submit the FAFSA, you'll receive an email within 3-5 days with your Student Aid Report (SAR). Your SAR will tell you your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), the federal government's calculation of how much your parents should be able to contribute to your education, and provide you an idea of what federal aid you're qualifying for.

Selected for verification?

Some students will be selected for verification by the federal government upon filing the FAFSA. If selected, you will be notified by OU's Student Financial Center via email. You must complete the verification steps before OU can provide you a financial aid estimate.

Go to ou.proed.org to set up your OU Student Financial Center account.
Upload the required documents for the verification process.
Be sure to check your email regularly for updates on your documents and any additional requirements.
Need more information about verification? Visit our verification FAQ page.

You could receive 3 types of aid

OU will begin sending financial aid estimates in the spring. You must be admitted to OU and have listed OU on the FAFSA to receive a financial aid estimate. The estimate will include state aid, federal aid and OU scholarships you've been offered. You will also see a detailed cost breakdown of your freshman year so you can see your overall financial need.

Here are the three types of aid you could receive (you don't have to accept all or any of the financial aid you're awarded):

Free Money - Scholarships based on merit and federal or state grants based on financial need. Neither have to be repaid.
Earned Money - Work study programs determined by your FAFSA and on-campus job. Both can be found at jobs.ou.edu.
Borrowed Money - Federal and/or private loans taken out by the student to pay for college. These must be repaid with interest.

Financial Aid Resources

OU's financial aid code is 003184
To see what you may qualify for, take a look at our Net Price Calculator.