Undergraduate Financial Aid

Determining eligibility

In order to receive a financial aid offer, students must meet the following criteria:

• Have earned a high school diploma or have a GED
• Be older than 17 years of age, Pennsylvania's compulsory high school attendance age
• Not concurrently enrolled in an elementary or secondary institution

How is financial need calculated?

A simple formula shows how it works:

Cost of attendance*
– Expected Family Contribution
-------------------------------------------
= Financial Need

Understanding common financial aid terms

• Cost of Attendance - Estimates direct and indirect costs for attending university (tuition, room and board, technology fees, books, etc.)
• Merit Scholarship - Scholarship awarded at time of admission that does not require repayment; merit scholarships are considered in the determination of eligibility for other types of aid
• Expected Family Contribution (EFC) - Estimated financial contribution from your family based on your FAFSA
• Financial Need - Cost of attendance less EFC as determined by your FAFSA; it is this figure on which your financial aid offer is calculated
• Financial Aid Offer - Lists the breakdown of cost, types and amounts of aid awarded, and expected out of pocket expense  

You can begin completing your FAFSA in October of the year prior to your planned enrollment. There is no hard deadline for completing the FAFSA. Some aid is first-come, first-served, so it is important not to delay. We recommend that you submit your FAFSA before the priority filing dates.

2020-2021 Academic Year Priority Filing Dates

• Fall 2020 Freshmen – December 1, 2019
• Fall 2020 Transfer Students – February 1, 2020

Missed the priority date? That's okay! We will still continue to process FAFSAs as they are received, but you may be subject to reduced funding.

The following items are needed to complete the FAFSA:

• Student's social security number, and if applicable, alien registration number
• Parents' and student's W2 and/or 1099 forms from two years prior
• Federal tax return from two years prior. All families are encouraged to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to save time and reduce errors providing tax information.
• Current information related to assets (e.g., bank statements, stocks, bonds, etc.)
• Household information (e.g., household size, number of family members in college, parent marital status, student marital status, etc.)
• FSA ID: This is a unique ID that will provides access to Federal Student Aid's online system and can serve as a legal signature. Both the student and at least one parent need separate FSA IDs.

If at any time you have questions or are unsure what to do, know that we are here to help. Please contact our financial aid services department for assistance.

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid will let us know once your FAFSA has been processed so we can begin our review.

You can review your process status online and will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) within a few days after submission. This will summarize all submitted information and allow you to review for any required changes.

If your aid offer includes a federal loan and you are a first time borrower, there are a few more steps to take in order to receive the loan. Learn more regarding loan financing.