A+ Scholarship Program

A+ Scholarship Initial Student Checklist

• Complete an Ozarks Tech Application for Admission.
• Be seeking a certificate or degree at Ozarks Tech.
• Have your official A+ stamped high school transcript on record with the Admissions Office at Ozarks Tech.
• Complete the FAFSA application with Ozark Tech’s school code (030830).
  • Choose the 2025-2026 FAFSA if you plan to attend:
    • Fall 2025, Spring 2026 or Summer 2026
• Register and attend full-time; full-time is defined as:
  • 12 or more credit hours, fall and spring semester.
  • 6 credit hours, if you wish to enroll in summer semester.
• Exceptions to the full-time rule apply if you meet one of the exceptions below:
  • You have a documented disability and a Reduced Courseload Accommodation on file with Disability Support Services (DSS). For assistance with accommodations, email DisabilityServices@otc.edu.
    • A+ requires enrollment in a minimum of 6 credit hours for ADA students in fall or spring; 3 hours in summer.
  • You plan to graduate at the end of the semester and have applied for graduation with the Registrar’s Office.
  • You are enrolled in all of the available hours or you are taking all available prerequisite credit hours applicable to your program of study for the given semester.
  • You have been accepted in a Health Sciences program and the hours required for a given semester are limited to less than full-time enrollment.
• If you meet one of the allowable exceptions listed above, click on the:
  • • 2025-2026 A+ Exception Request Form to request approval for the fall 2025, spring 2026, and summer 2026 semesters.
• Federal Pell grant MUST pay first.
  • The A+ Scholarship covers the unpaid balance of your tuition and required fees after all available, non-loan federal financial assistance, such as the federal Pell grant, has been applied to your account.
  • This may result in a zero award if your Pell grant is sufficient to cover all tuition and required fee charges.
• You must sign up for a payment plan the same day you register for classes.
  • The amount a student owes will be based on their total cost of tuition, fees and books minus their anticipated financial aid.
  • ($2,000 tuition, fees and books) – ($1,900 Anticipated A+) = $100 – Amount you owe.
  • Students MUST sign up for My Payment Plan and pay the balance owed via the scheduled monthly payments.

Additional Information

• Students have up to 48 months after high school graduation to utilize the A+ Scholarship, or until they earn a two year degree, or reach 105% of the number of credit hours for their degree, whichever comes first.
• Visiting students are not eligible for A+ Scholarship funding.
• A+ Scholarship funding is only open to United States citizens or permanent residents.
• The A+ Scholarship pays for tuition and required fees (student fees; student technology fees; registration fee; security fee and infrastructure fee).

A+ Scholarship Renewal Student Checklist

• Complete the FAFSA application with Ozark Tech’s school code (030830).
  • Choose the 2025-2026 FAFSA if you plan to attend:
    • Fall 2025, Spring 2026 or Summer 2026
• Register and attend full-time; full-time is defined as:
  • 12 or more credit hours, fall and spring semester.
  • 6 credit hours, if you wish to enroll in summer semester.
• Exceptions to the full-time rule apply if you meet one of the exceptions below:
  • You have a documented disability and a Reduced Courseload Accommodation on file with Disability Support Services (DSS). For assistance with accommodations, email DisabilityServices@otc.edu.
    • A+ requires enrollment in a minimum of 6 credit hours for ADA students in fall or spring; 3 hours in summer.
  • You plan to graduate at the end of the semester and have applied for graduation with the Registrar’s Office.
  • You are enrolled in all of the available hours or you are taking all available prerequisite credit hours applicable to your program of study for the given semester.
  • You have been accepted in a Health Sciences program and the hours required for a given semester are limited to less than full-time enrollment.
• If you meet one of the allowable exceptions listed above, click on the:
  • • 2025-2026 A+ Exception Request Form to request approval for the fall 2025, spring 2026, and summer 2026 semesters.
• Be seeking a certificate or degree at Ozarks Tech.
• Federal Pell grant MUST pay first.
  • The A+ Scholarship covers the unpaid balance of your tuition and required fees after all available, non-loan federal financial assistance, such as the federal Pell grant, has been applied to your account.
  • This may result in a zero award if your Pell grant is sufficient to cover all tuition and required fee charges.
• You must sign up for a payment plan the same day your register for classes to hold your spot in those classes.
  • The amount a student owes will be based on their total cost of tuition, fees and books minus their anticipated aid.
  • Example ($2,000 tuition, fees and books) – ($1,900 in Anticipated Aid) = $100 – Amount you owe.
  • Students MUST sign up for My Payment Plan and pay the balance owed via the scheduled monthly payments.

A+ Program Eligibility Requirements for Renewal – Student has received or was eligible to receive the A+ scholarship in at least 1 previous semester.

• Maintain full-time enrollment at Ozarks Tech, unless approved for exception.
• Current year FAFSA on file at Ozarks Tech.
• Student must be degree-seeking at Ozarks Tech.
• Maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA on post high school courses at Ozarks Tech.
• Maintain federal Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Additional Information

• Visiting students are not eligible for A+ Scholarship funding.
• A+ Scholarship funding is only open to United States citizens or permanent residents.
• The A+ Scholarship pays for tuition and common fees (student fees, student technology fees, security fees, infrastructure fees and registration fee).
• Your A+ eligibility expires at the earliest of the following:
  • 48 months after High School graduation.
  • Receipt of an Associate Degree.
  • When a student completes 105% of the credit hours required for his/her certificate or degree.

Summer A+ FAQs

If I am seeking a certificate or degree at Ozarks Tech, can I use A+ for the summer semester?

Yes. If you are eligible for A+ and wish to enroll for the summer semester, be sure to enroll in a minimum of 6 credit hours.

If it is my first summer after high school graduation, but plan to attend a 4 year college/university in the fall, can I use A+ for my first summer semester?

Yes! The Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development allows you to use the A+ Scholarship at a community college your first summer after high school graduation, even if you plan to transfer to a four-year college or university in the fall. Just be sure to complete the steps outlined below.

If you are attending Ozarks Tech during your first summer after high school graduation, or if you are pursuing a certificate or degree at Ozarks Tech, and you meet the requirements of A+, complete the following steps:

1. Apply for admission to Ozarks Tech. (New high school graduates will need to register as a First-Time Freshman)
2. Select a program of study. (Visiting students are not eligible for the A+ Scholarship.)
3. Enroll in a minimum of six (6) credit hours.
   1. Students who have a Reduced Courseload Accommodation with Disability Support Services must enroll in a minimum of 3 credit hours. 
4. Have your final official A+ stamped high school transcript sent to our Admissions Office after graduation.
5. Complete the required Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and have it sent to Ozarks Tech. The state of Missouri requires this in order to receive the A+ Scholarship.

If I am attending another college, can I come back and use A+ for the summer at Ozarks Tech?

In this situation, you are considered a “visiting student”. Visiting students are not eligible for the A+ Scholarship.

The Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD)  permits a student to use the A+ Scholarship at a community college the first summer after high school graduation, even if they plan to transfer to a four year college or university in the fall.

Students enrolled at 4-year colleges and universities during the prior fall or spring semesters of the current school year are considered visiting students and are not eligible to use A+ funding during the summer semester.  Students must be degree seeking at the institution where A+ is utilized.  If your intent is to transfer your summer credits back to a four-year college for the fall semester, you are seeking your degree at the 4 year school, not seeking your degree at Ozarks Tech, therefore, you would not be eligible.

Transferring with A+

A student may transfer from another college or university and utilize A+ Scholarship funding at Ozarks Tech contingent upon the following:

•     The student must complete steps to receive A+ Scholarship funding
•     Cumulative grade point average established at a previous institution will not impact A+ eligibility at time of transfer to Ozarks Tech.

The student must maintain full time enrollment (12 credit hours in fall and spring & 6 credit hours if enrolled for summer) and maintain at least a 2.50 cumulative grade point average of Ozarks Tech coursework to remain eligible for A+ Scholarship funding.

Part-Time Students and A+

Exceptions to the full-time rule apply if you meet one of the exceptions below.

• If you meet one of the allowable exceptions listed below:
  • Click on the 2025-2026 A+ Exception Request Form to request approval for the fall 2025, spring 2026, and summer 2026 semesters.
  • You have a documented disability and a Reduced Course Load Accommodation through Disability Support Services (DSS).
    • You must contact DSS to request the Reduced Course Load Accommodation. You may email them at DisabilityServices@otc.edu.
    • The A+ Scholarship requires enrollment in a minimum of 6 credit hours (fall/spring) or 3 hours (summer) for students who have a Reduced Courseload Accommodation through Disability Support Services.
  • You plan to graduate at the end of the semester and have applied for graduation with the Registrar’s Office.
  • You are enrolled in all of the available hours or you are taking all available prerequisite credit hours applicable to your program of study for the given semester.
  • You have been accepted in a Health Sciences program and the hours required for a given semester are limited to less than full-time enrollment.

It is your responsibility to complete this form for consideration. The financial aid office will review and verify your request. Please allow 7 to 10 days for a response to your request. Dropping a class while taking a reduced course load will result in the loss of A+ eligibility in the future semesters.

A+ Scholarship and the Pell Grant

The A+ Scholarship covers the unpaid balance of your tuition and required fees (fees charged to all students) after all available, non-loan federal financial assistance, such as the federal Pell grant, has been applied to your account. This may result in a zero award if your Pell grant is sufficient to cover all tuition and required fee charges.

Example 1: $2000 Tuition + $600 Required Fees = $2600 A+ Eligible Charges – $3000 Pell Grant = $0 A+ Scholarship

Example 2: $2000 Tuition + $600 Required Fees = $2600 A+ Eligible Charges – $1000 Pell Grant = $1600 A+ Scholarship

Credit Hours

The A+ Scholarship requires full-time enrollment. In some cases exceptions can be made. See Can I receive A+ funding and attend school less than full-time? in the list of questions on this page.

The following is considered full-time enrollment:

• Fall semester
  • 12 or more credit hours
• Spring semester
  • 12 or more credit hours
• Summer semester
  • 6 or more credit hours

Dropped Classes and A+

If you receive $1 or more of A+ Scholarship funding:

You must complete 12 credit hours to satisfy the full-time course completion requirement (6 hours in summer).

• If approved to take a reduced course load, you must complete the number of credit hours in which you enrolled.

If you do not complete the required hours:

• You will lose your A+ eligibility for your next term of enrollment.
• You must make up the hours that you dropped below your enrollment requirement and still meet the required cum GPA to regain your A+ eligibility.

Example: Student begins fall semester with 12 credit hours enrollment. Student completes only 9 hours. Student will not owe A+ funds back for that term, but will lose their A+ eligibility until they make up 3 hours of enrollment and continue to meet the A+ cum GPA requirement.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE – 

If you enroll in more than the full-time requirement, and a class is dropped but you maintain full-time enrollment, the A+ Scholarship will NOT pay for the dropped course.

Example: Student begins fall semester with 15 credit hours enrollment. Student drops a 3 credit hour course and completes 12 hours. A+ will not pay for the dropped course. The student will owe for the tuition and required fees associated with that dropped course.

Consult with your college navigator before dropping any courses.

Regaining the A+ Scholarship

If you lost A+ due to the completion requirement, you must complete enough hours to total 12 credit hours when combined with your prior semester. (Or to total 6 credit hours if you did not complete 6 credit hours in summer.)

Examples:

• If you began a fall or spring semester with 12 credit hours but only completed 9, you would have to complete a minimum of 3 credit hours to regain eligibility for the next period of enrollment.
• If you began the summer semester with 6 credit hours but only completed 3, you would have to complete a minimum of 3 credit hours to regain eligibility for the next period of enrollment.

In order to regain A+ Scholarship eligibility, you must also:

• Have a cumulative 2.50 grade point average
• Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress.

The A+ program will not cover any classes taken while the student is ineligible.  You are not required to be full-time during a semester of ineligibility.

 

What grades are included?

A course is considered complete if the student earns a standard grade for the course, including a failing grade.

A+ Scholarship Eligibility

Students who drop below the minimum grade point average or drop below the minimum 12 credit hour completion requirement (6 credit hours in summer) will not receive A+ funding for future semesters unless they earn it back. (See “If I’ve lost my A+…is it possible to get it back?”)  Students whose A+ expires will no longer eligible for future semesters (see FAQ for definition of “expires”).

NOTE: If you lost A+ due to not meeting the GPA requirement and it was due to a documented medical reason, you may submit an appeal to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development for review. Contact your college navigator to start the process. (An appeal is not allowed if you lost A+ due to not meeting the hours completion requirement.)

GPA Requirements

Initial (first time or transfer & new to Ozarks Tech) A+ Scholarship Students:   

• Must have a cumulative 2.0 grade point average or above during fall end of semester.
• Must have a cumulative 2.5 grade point average or above during spring end of semester.

Renewed A+ Scholarship Students:

• Must have a cumulative 2.5 grade point average or above every semester

Eligibility is reviewed at the end of each semester. Credits transferred from another college or university are not calculated into the cumulative grade point average.

Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) Definition for the A+ Scholarship

The A+ Scholarship cumulative grade point average is calculated by using the combined average of all college level classes taken at Ozarks Tech after high school graduation. Credits transferred from another college or university are not calculated into the cumulative GPA.

 

NOTE: If you lost A+ due to not meeting the GPA requirement and it was due to a documented medical reason, you may submit an appeal to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development for review. Contact your college navigator to start the process.

A+ Scholarship Expiration

The program considers expiration of student A+ Scholarship eligibility at the earliest of the following:

• 48 months after high school graduation
• Receipt of an associate degree
• When a student completes 105% of the number of credit hours required for his/her certificate or degree

The 105% calculation does include:

• • All credit hours completed after high school graduation, whether at Ozarks Tech or at another institution and accepted in transfer, even if they do not contribute to your current degree program.

The 105% calculation does not include:

• • Credit hours completed before high school graduation.

105% Example:  if an associate degree requires 62 credit hours then 105%= 65 credit hours.  Therefore, once the student completes 65 hours, they will no longer be eligible for A+ funding. Additional information can be found on the state of Missouri’s A+ Scholarship page under “How long can I receive an award?”

Repeating Classes and the A+ Scholarship

• A+ will not pay to repeat a course for which a grade (A, B, C, D, or F) was previously received.
  • Example:  If you completed a course, even with a failing grade,  A+ will not pay for a repeat of the course.
  • Exception:  A+ will cover a repeated course if it was taken previously during high school or at another institution.
• A+ can pay to repeat a course for which no grade was received.
  • Example:  If you dropped a course and you did not receive a grade, A+ can pay for a second attempt.
• Repeat coursework will count toward the full-time credit hour requirement regardless of whether the A+ scholarship is paying for the second attempt.

Check your MyOTC-Student Account-Registration Charges / Anticipated Aid

Anticipated aid reflects the amount of A+ scholarship scheduled to apply to your student account. It calculates the unpaid balance of your tuition and required fees after all available federal grant aid has been applied to your account.  This may result in a zero award if your federal grant aid is sufficient to cover all tuition and required fee charges.  Required fees are fees that are charged to all students and do not include fees specific to an individual program or group of students.

The Missouri A+ Scholarship  “Awarded” column may reflect an estimated amount until your actual eligible scholarship amount is calculated based on full-time enrollment.

Example 1: $2000 Tuition + $600 Required Fees = $2600 A+ Eligible Charges – $3000 Pell Grant = $0 A+ Scholarship

Example 2: $2000 Tuition + $600 Required Fees = $2600 A+ Eligible Charges – $1000 Pell Grant = $1600 A+ Scholarship

A+ Scholarships

• In-district & out-of-district tuition
• Required fees:
  • Student fee
  • Student technology fee (not including labs)
  • Security fee
  • Facility/infrastructure fee
  • Registration fee per semester

Costs not covered by A+

• Books, supplies, program fees, per course lab fees or miscellaneous fees you may incur
• Repeated courses. If you repeat a course to change a grade (F, D, C, B, or A), the repeated course will not be paid for by the A+ program, but the hours will count toward meeting the full-time credit hour requirement.

Limits to the A+ Scholarship

The tuition amount eligible for reimbursement is capped at the published standard per credit hour tuition rate charged by State Technical College of Missouri. The reimbursement cap is subject to change annually as tuition rates change. The maximum reimbursement rate is announced in late spring or early summer each year.

• For the 2025-26 academic year, the maximum rate is $225 per credit hour. The state of Missouri considers summer 2025 as the beginning of the 2025-26 year.

There is not a limit to how many credit hours a student can take per semester under the A+ Scholarship.

Using MyPay with A+

• All students MUST sign up for a payment plan on the same day you register for classes to hold your spot in those classes. If you do not sign up for a payment pan the same day you register, you will be dis-enrolled from those classes at midnight. By signing up for the payment plan on the same day you register, your seat in the class is guaranteed.
• The amount you owe will be based on your total tuition, fees and books minus your anticipated financial aid (scholarships, grants and loans).You are personally responsible for items not covered by the A+ program such as books and misc. fees.
• You have the option to charge textbooks to your student account if you purchase them from the Ozarks Tech Bookstore.

A+ Scholarship and the Access Missouri Grant

A student may only benefit from one state grant/scholarship within a semester, unless the combined amount of both awards total the Access Missouri Grant.

Example 1: Student is eligible for an Access Missouri Grant of $650 for the semester. They are also eligible for an A+ Scholarship award of $450 for the semester. The student can still get $200 in an Access Missouri Grant if they were deemed eligible for the grant by the state of Missouri and Ozarks Tech.

Example 2: Student is eligible for an Access Missouri Grant of $650 for the semester, but their A+ Scholarship for the semester is $2500.  The Access Missouri Grant would be $0.

Online Classes and A+

Yes. The A+ program covers tuition and required fees for online classes.

Block Courses and A+

Yes, the A+ Scholarship will pay eligible tuition and required fees for second eight week block coursework.

Early Leavers and A+

Mid-year HS graduates a/k/a Early Leavers are required to complete all steps for receiving A+ program funding.  The Missouri Department of Education A+ policy requires a student who is an early leaver to provide the college with a transcript which includes their graduation date.  That date must be prior to the semester in which the first A+ eligibility begins.  Official means the transcript has a graduation date.