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 into a degree-seeking program, be 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.  PHEAA State Grants are only available for eight (8) full-time semesters and sixteen (16) part-time semesters.

Pennsylvania State Grant 

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 2027-2028 school year, you must submit your FAFSA before May 1, 2027.) 

For further information on Pennsylvania State Grants, please contact PHEAA (the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency) at 1-800-692-7392 or visit their web site.

Traditional Undergraduate Students enrolled in Eastern’s Traditional Undergraduate program, as well as Esperanza College, will be awarded a State Grant in a traditional Fall and Spring format

GrowPA Grant

Communities across the Commonwealth have experienced the growing crisis of a declining workforce within certain in-demand occupations. The Pennsylvania General Assembly established the Grow PA Grant Program in 2024 to help build the workforce in PA.

To be considered for the Grow PA Grant Program, you must:

You will also receive an email notification to review and complete a GrowPA Grant information guide and quiz.  You must receive a 100% on the quiz in order for us to award the grant.

The Grow PA Grant Program provides grants (maximum award $5,000 per year) to students who meet the qualifying criteria. A student can receive a Grow PA Grant for a maximum of 4 academic years.

After graduation, you must commit to live and work in Pennsylvania, within an in-demand occupation(opens in new window), for a number of years equal to the number of years in which you received the grant. That means your total years of Grow PA Grant funding must equal your total years of qualifying employment in the state—up to 4 years.

REMINDER: If the degree or work requirement is not satisfied, you will be required to repay the Grow PA Grant.

​​​​​​​Are you enrolled in a GPS Undergraduate Adult program?

Your eligibility is determined by PHEAA using a different calculation.  Your program is defined by 6 fixed academic terms: Summer 1, Summer 2, Fall 1, Fall 2, Spring 1, and Spring 2.  The length of these terms, along with your total registered credits within each term, are used when determining your eligibility.

You must take at least 4 credits in a semester (i.e. FA1 + FA2 = 1 semester) in order to be considered for a part-time State Grant and at least 8 credits in a semester to be considered for a full-time State Grant.  Please check with the Financial Aid Office if you have any questions.

You may also be eligible for a Summer State Grant- review this page for more information.

You may need to submit additional documentation to either the PHEAA State Grant Division or Eastern's Financial Aid Office in order for your state grant eligibility to be determined.  The following is a helpful description for each possible request you may see listed in your my.Eastern.edu account:

Non-Pennsylvania State Grant 

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.

Deadlines for all State Grants are listed on the second page of the paper FAFSA application for the corresponding year.