Beginning with the 2026–27 school year, every University student with Indiana residence qualifies for the Indiana Choice Scholarship. This is a meaningful shift in how tuition is funded, and we want to clearly outline how it works at University High School.
What is the INDIANA Choice Scholarship?
The Indiana Choice Scholarship Program is funding from the State of Indiana that helps offset tuition at participating schools. For UHS families receiving need-based financial aid, Choice funds count toward your existing aid award. For families without need-based aid, the funds appear as a direct credit to your account.
Award amounts vary by district, but most families can expect a scholarship in the range of approximately $6,300–$7,400 per student. Estimated values for 2026-27 can be found on the Indiana Department of Education website.
How billing works
Tuition and payment plans are established at the beginning of the year, as they have been in the past. Choice Scholarship funds are not applied upfront.
Instead, the State of Indiana distributes funds to schools in installments during the school year. Funds will be credited to student accounts in two installments. The first installment of approximately 50% of each student’s award will be credited to family billing accounts at the beginning of September 2026, with the remainder credited at the beginning of March 2027.
Depending on your payment plan, this activity will appear as either a reduced balance or a credit to your account.
How Choice works with need-based financial aid
For families receiving need-based financial aid, the Indiana Choice Scholarship counts toward—not in addition to—the aid package the school has awarded.
In practice, this means Choice funds are used first to support the financial aid already awarded by the school.
Example:
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A student is awarded $7,500 in need-based aid from University.
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The student qualifies for a $6,500 Indiana Choice Scholarship.
In this case, the $6,500 Indiana Choice Scholarship fulfills $6,500 of the student’s $7,500 aid package, with University contributing the remaining $1,000. The student’s total aid remains $7,500. No additional funds are generated, and no refund is issued.
What families need to do
To receive Indiana Choice Scholarship Program funding, families must provide proof of Indiana residency and complete the required state documentation. Please upload proof of Indiana residency here by Friday, May 15. An Indiana driver’s license will be sufficient to satisfy this requirement.
Note: For students with multiple residences, please submit documentation matching where your student resides for at least half the year. If a student resides exactly 50/50 in two places, you can pick which residence represents the student for Choice scholarship purposes.
Once accepted into the program (after May 1, 2026), families must sign the Parent Agreement and Endorsement Form from the Indiana Department of Education. University will provide this to families by August.
A final note
This change affects how tuition is funded, not who we are. Our commitment to small classes, strong relationships, and a community where students are known remains the same.
For questions about your individual situation, please reach out—we’re happy to help.