Ohio college aid program shortchanges students who need it mostPolicy choices hamstring Ohio’s only need-based financial aid programOhio’s only need-based financial aid program falls short of its potential because state policymakers created rules that reduce aid for many low-income students and fail to account for the true cost of attending college. A new Policy Matters Ohio brief finds that the Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG) could do more to help Ohioans afford higher education at a time when the state increasingly depends on a highly educated workforce. The brief finds that Ohio’s “Pell first” policy forces many students to use federal Pell Grant dollars to cover tuition and fees before receiving state aid, reducing or eliminating their OCOG awards. “Lawmakers can strengthen OCOG by eliminating the Pell first policy and ensuring that aid reflects the full cost of attending college. Those changes would help more Ohio students complete degrees and credentials while strengthening Ohio’s future workforce.”