New career scholarship accounts now open to Indiana students

Applications for Indiana’s new Career Scholarship Account program are now open to students. Starting Monday, students at state accredited public and private schools are able to apply by filling out an online form on the state’s website.

Career scholarship accounts, or CSAs, are part of a new law to promote work-based learning in the state. Students in grades 10 through 12 are eligible to apply for one of the approximately 1,000 accounts that will be funded this school year.

Each CSA will receive $5,000 to pay for things like career coaching, navigation services, postsecondary education or training, course transportation, equipment, and certification or credentialing exams.

According to the Indiana Department of Education, the funding can only be spent on eligible programs, including those that are aligned with the state’s guidelines for career and technical education through Indiana’s Next Level Programs of Study. Those programs must be aligned to a Next Level Job and result in students receiving a credential.

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CSAs can also be used to pay for apprenticeship programs that are registered with the U.S. Department of Labor or meet certain Indiana College Core work-based learning standards.

Businesses and employers providing courses and apprenticeships through the CSA program must be approved by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education to be able to receive money from CSA accounts. CSA providers are required to provide a joint program of career and technical education, serve as intermediaries for modern youth apprenticeships, or award Indiana College Core credit.

The IDOE said CSA providers will be limited during the program’s first year, but there are plans to expand the list of providers during the 2024-2025 school year.

Applications to enroll in the CSA program this year will be open until Oct. 1.

Kirsten is our education reporter. Contact her at kadair@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @kirsten_adair.

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