Students who can’t afford to pay out-of-pocket for summer courses should turn in the summer financial aid request form Thursday for priority assistance.

“We want all the forms in before then to make a priority,” said Anissa Strickland, associate director for student financial aid. “We set the March 15 date to alert students the sooner they get this done, the better chance they’ll get financial aid in place.”

Strickland said students need to be enrolled as part-time students with at least 6 credit hours to receive aid from Kent State. This aid includes either student loans or grants from the university.

Any financial aid students receive from Kent State will take away from fall or spring aid. Strickland said students might want to consider paying out-of-pocket if they’re worried about keeping their fall and spring aid in tact.

Strickland said, though it’s more common to receive summer aid from the university, students can visit the financial aid website to see if they qualify for scholarships with outside organizations.

Summer financial aid forms can still be completed after Thursday, but Strickland said there is not a guarantee these will be processed by the financial aid office on time.

“We’ll make every effort to help students even after the due date,” she said, “but they also need to meet eligibility and give us enough time.”

Contact Megan Wilkinson at [email protected].