Cincinnati Pride Grant FAQs

Students who meet all of the following qualifications:

• Graduated from a Cincinnati Public School (CPS) in or after 2002
  
• Have not attended another post-secondary institution, or must be a direct-transfer from Cincinnati State without other post-secondary enrollment. (Enrollment at UC must begin the academic year following Cincinnati State course completion.)
• Eligible for the Federal Pell Grant as determined by the FAFSA.
• Offered admission into a degree program at UC (main campus or one of the branch campuses).

• Aiken
• Cincinnati Digital Academy
• Clark Montessori
• Gilbert A. Dater
• Hughes S.T.E.M.
•  James N. Gamble Montessori
• Oyler
• Riverview East Academy
• Robert A. Taft IT
• School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA)
• Shroder
• Spencer Center
  
• Virtual
• Walnut Hills
• Western Hills
• Withrow
• Woodward

To be eligible for the Cincinnati Pride Grant, students must be graduates of the schools listed above with at least a year of enrollment prior to graduation.

Of course, any student can apply for financial aid at UC. Some student can be eligible for other unique scholarship or grant programs as well.

Students must attend a CPS high school for at least 1 full academic year immediately preceding graduation to be eligible to receive the CPG.

No, students must be both attendees and graduates of one of the schools listed above.

No, race or ethnicity is not a factor in determining Cincinnati Pride Grant eligibility. 

GPA requirements at admission were removed for fall 2022 forward.

No, that does not. Students can still apply for admission after the December 1st scholarship consideration deadline for consideration for the Pride Grant.

No. As long as you have completed a FAFSA, and you are Pell-eligible during the academic year in which you were accepted into your degree-seeking program at UC, then you are eligible.

Pride Grant eligibility requires graduating from a CPS school in 2002 or later. You just have to have no college experience post-high school except for the defined enrollment at Cincinnati State.

Yes, as long as you graduated after 2002 and later and meet all other CPG requirements. Students must have ZERO college credits (other than the detailed Cincinnati State transfer option) between high school graduation and beginning at UC and must be Pell-eligible during the academic year that they choose to enroll at UC.

No. As long as your enrollment at UC begins within the required timeframe (see above criteria), then you would still be Pride Grant-eligible.

No. Pell-eligibility is a requirement of the Pride Grant. Students who have any outstanding FAFSA application requirements (including verification) should complete them in a timely manner so as to understand their Pride Grant and other aid eligibility.

Students will need to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and be admitted as a degree-seeking student to the University of Cincinnati. Interested students should contact Admissions (513-556-1100; admissions@uc.edu) or Enrollment Services (513-556-1000; enrollmentservices@uc.edu) to learn about next steps

CPG-eligible students will see an “Estimated Cincinnati Pride Grant” amount on their financial aid award offers.

The CPG is designed to cover the tuition costs that your other UC-awarded funding cannot cover. Students would only be able to still receive the Pride Grant along with Tuition Remission if a portion of their tuition charges have not been accounted for. However, most CPG-eligible students that receive Tuition Remission or other tuition-based awards have Pell or other grants that would cancel out any possible CPG being awarded.

Yes, UC scholarships are counted in the Pride Grant formula as institutional aid. Any additional scholarships received after the initial award could result in the CPG being reduced. Any scholarship/grant awarded by a UC-affiliated office, department, or organization is considered “UC-funding.” Some UC scholarships may not reduce the CPG if the student is living in UC on-campus housing.

Usually not. Scholarships not awarded by the University of Cincinnati will be awarded in addition to the Cincinnati Pride Grant. However, all scholarships & grants are subject to adjusting via the university policy on maximum scholarships and overall cost-of-attendance budgets. Therefore, some restrictions may apply.

Yes. CPG can be used at both UC branch/regional campuses. Though with a different tuition structure, your CPG will adjust accordingly.

No. The Cincinnati Pride Grant can only be used while attending the University of Cincinnati.

Transfer students from Cincinnati State are eligible, provided you are a CPS graduate and a direct transfer from Cincinnati State, have not attended college elsewhere, and meet the other CPG-eligibility requirements. You must be enrolled at UC no later than the academic year following your last term of completion at Cincinnati State. Transfer students from other institutions are NOT eligible. 

No. Once you attend another institution after high school (other than Cincinnati State), you will be considered a CPG-ineligible transfer student.

You can determine how much your CPG will be by using the CPG formula.

Cincinnati Pride Grant = (Tuition & Fees + Book Allowance) – (Federal Grants + State Grants + Institutional Aid)

Student Health Insurance, room & board charges, Metro passes, parking passes, etc. are not accounted for in calculating the Cincinnati Pride Grant amount awarded to students, as these and other non-tuition-related costs are not covered.

No. CPG is not designed to cover health insurance, room & board, or anything other than tuition and a book allowance.

Along with federal & state grants, and institutional aid the Cincinnati Pride Grant is designed to cover the full cost of tuition and the associated tuition-related fees only, while providing a provide a book allowance each school year. The CPG is not designed to cover other expenses. Students should have other plans to meet costs including student health insurance, room & board, parking passes, bus passes, etc

When/how do I receive the book allowance? 

If students have charges other than tuition on their bill, then the additional CPG funding designated as the book allowance will apply to those charges. The book allowance is NOT a separate stipend automatically guaranteed to students in the program.

No, CPG will not be applied to a co-op term. CPG is only available for full-time, in-class terms.  

Yes, but you must be Pell-eligible for that summer term.

Restrictions may apply. Each student going abroad has their overall account evaluated on a case-by-case basis. In the event that the student is deemed to be eligible, the CPG amount for study abroad would not be greater than the amount calculated as if you were enrolled in classes at UC.

Yes. The CPG formula will be recalculated to reflect the change in the cost in tuition, according to your new program.

This is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Generally, once you are enrolled as a UC student, you cannot obtain any kind of college credit from any other post-secondary institution unless on approved exchange programs.

The Student Financial Aid Office has a staff member that will review CPG eligibility for CPS students. Additionally, CPG Academic Support Staff are there to help you along with your college academic advisor. The college transition process can be confusing, and staff are always available to assist you reach success.

College is a different learning environment from high school and may take some new skills. UC offers many specialized programs like tutoring and study skills workshops that can help students. We want you to succeed. Reach out before you are having real difficulty. Staff and your instructors will work with you to help you reach your educational goals.

You want to talk with UC staff about any difficulties you may be having in the classroom. We want you to succeed, and CPG Academic Support Staff (along with your academic advisor) are key resources to use. They can help develop an academic success plan that may include academic coaching, peer mentoring, study skills courses, and tutoring sessions in order to help you reach your educational goals and retain your CPG eligibility.

Students meeting with CPG Academic Support Staff must schedule an appointment directly through their office, not Student Financial Aid. 

Cincinnati Pride Grants are automatically renewed for up to 4 years/8 semesters provided the recipients adhere to all of the following guidelines:

• Maintain Federal Pell Grant eligibility each year (as determined by completed a FAFSA every year).
• Maintain at least 2.0 UC cumulative GPA.
• Register for & complete at least 12 credit hours each term (12 hours=full-time status).
• Maintain federal guidelines for maintaining satisfactory academic progress.
• Maintain continuous, full-time enrollment for all fall and spring semesters until graduation.
• Remain in good academic standing within their College/Program, as defined by the program.

The equivalent of 4 years or 8 semesters for most students

Students who are in 5-year programs may have CPG extended for up to 2 semesters beyond the standard 4- year eligibility timeframe. The CPG is not extended simply because a student changed majors, added minors, or started UC in Exploratory Studies.

No. Students must be Pell-eligible to receive the CPG. If students are Pell-ineligible for any term, then they are also CPG-ineligible.

No. CPG is only for undergraduate students. The CPG is contingent on Pell-Grant eligibility, which is only available to undergraduate students obtaining their first bachelor’s degree. Once students have obtained a bachelor’s degree, they are no longer Pell-eligible and thus no longer CPG-eligible.

No, you must be Pell-eligible/CPG-eligible on your initial UC term in order to receive CPG consideration renewed in future years.

Most students who meet renewal criteria do get the Pride Grant each year. However, if you are deemed no longer eligibile for the Federal Pell Grant, we cannot award you CPG.  CPG is dependent upon Pell so CPG stops when the Pell Grant does.

No. Federal guidelines prohibit students from receiving any kind of federal aid while failing one of the three satisfactory academic progress components. The Pell Grant is a form of federal aid, and when students are Pell-ineligible, they are Cincinnati Pride Grant-ineligible. Students must be passing academic progress or have an approved appeal in order to receive the CPG.