Federal & State Grants
Federal Grants
Are you eligible for a Federal Grant? You must be:
- fully accepted in a degree program (matriculated)
- enrolled for classes in the semester for which you have applied for aid, and
- be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
Students who have already received a bachelor’s degree or professional degree (e.g. medicine, law, dentistry) are not eligible for federal grants.
Federal PELL Grant
The Federal PELL Grant is the foundation of all need based undergraduate financial aid. It is determined by filing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Recipients of this grant are selected by the Department of Education and are awarded through the Student Aid Office.
In certain circumstances, an undergraduate student enrolled less than half-time (6 credits) may receive a Pell Grant.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
SEOG is a grant for students with exceptional financial need as determined by filing the FAFSA. Recipients of SEOG are selected and awarded by the Student Aid Office based on funding levels. Awarding of SEOG is on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Priority is given to those students also receiving the Federal PELL Grant.
State Grants
To establish eligibility for a state grant program, the FAFSA (the Free Application for Federal Student Aid) must be submitted prior to the state’s published deadline. Most state grant programs require students to be fully accepted in a degree program (matriculated), enrolled at least half-time (6 credits) and be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen as well as a state resident to qualify for a grant.
Do you reside in Pennsylvania?
If you reside in Pennsylvania, you must submit your FAFSA application prior to May 1st. (May 1st of the year prior to the academic year in which you are applying. For example, if you are applying for financial aid for the 2009-2010 school year, you must submit your FAFSA before May 1, 2009.) All students who complete the FAFSA by the deadline will be considered.
- Students must be residents of Pennsylvania for at least twelve (12) consecutive months prior to applying for the grant. (“Resident” means that the student must have a permanent legal address in Pennsylvania. Students who are considered "dependent" according to the results of the FAFSA will be considered residents of the state in which their parent[s] reside.)
- Students will probably be required to provide additional information to PHEAA.
- PHEAA may select students for their own Verification Process which is not a part of the Federal Verification process.
- Students should respond promptly to state requests for further information or for verification documents in order to avoid delays in processing.
- A notice of eligibility from PHEAA will be sent to the student (after filing the FAFSA) informing them of their grant amount.
For further information on Pennsylvania State Grants, please contact PHEAA (the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency) at 1-800-692-7392 or www.pheaa.org.
Do you reside in a state other than Pennsylvania?
Many other states, besides PA, provide grants and scholarships to students attending an out-of-state college/university. Contact your state’s Higher Education Assistance Agency for information regarding deadlines, if additional applications are required (applications other than the FAFSA), your eligibility status and if you may use your State Grant at a “Pennsylvania” college/university.
Phone numbers for the Higher Education Office in each state are listed on the inside back cover of the Federal Department of Education’s Student Guide.
Deadlines for all State Grants are listed on the front page of the paper FAFSA application.
*** The “state” is responsible for deciding whether or not a student is eligible to receive a state grant each academic year. The college/university may never override the state’s decision.
Non-Traditional Undergraduate Programs
Full-time status for the PHEAA State Grant varies in each non-traditional undergraduate programs. Students should NOT assume they are full-time based on enrolling for 12 credits in the Term. State Grant awards are adjusted based on the length of the term and the number of credits being earned in that term.
** MIS on-line students are NOT ELIGIBLE for PHEAA State Grant consideration.
