HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) encourages Pennsylvania students who are planning to enroll in a community college, a designated Pennsylvania Open-Admission institution, a business, trade or technical school, a hospital school of nursing, or a 2-year program that is not transferable to another institution to submit their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by Aug. 1 to qualify for a PA State Grant Award.
“Pennsylvania’s college-bound students hold a wide variety of dreams for their higher education,” said Chairman of the PHEAA Board of Directors, Senator Wayne Fontana. “Not everyone dreams of a four-year degree. For many, the path to their future lies in a community college program, a nursing program or a trade school, just to name a few. The August 1 deadline is an important date for them to take note of as a PA State Grant could ease the burden of affording their education.”
“Ongoing in PHEAA’s public service mission is the idea that students should exhaust every form of free aid before giving any consideration to borrowing,” explained PHEAA President & CEO James Steeley. “The PA State Grant program provides a need-based grant to recipients — which does not need to be repaid. Every college-bound student should make it a priority during their search for financial aid.”
To determine eligibility for a PA State Grant, applicants must complete the 2023-24 FAFSA, which can be accessed online at PHEAA.org/FAFSA or StudentAid.gov. Should, for any reason, a student miss the August 1 filing deadline, they are still encouraged to apply. Late applications (other than for the PA State Grant summer term) will be reviewed for the federal student aid programs and possible PA State Grant consideration, if funds are available.
In addition to completing the FAFSA, first-time applicants must also submit a PA State Grant Form (SGF). First-time applicants who submit the FAFSA online will be automatically redirected to the SGF by following the onscreen prompts on the confirmation page. First-time applicants who have already submitted their FAFSA but have not completed the SGF will receive an email directing them to PHEAA’s secure Account Access site for completion. Both applications are free to submit.
Information provided by applicants when submitting an online FAFSA is automatically applied to portions of the SGF to increase accuracy and convenience.
