Mrs. Sellers
High School Couselor (A-L)

Financial Aid

 

Financial Aid         

 

          * PHEAA Access Partners are available for one-on-one virtual Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) sessions every Wednesday in May from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM. This opportunity is available to current 2020 high school graduates and others who are planning to enroll at a postsecondary institution in the fall of 2020 or spring of 2021.  Please call Robin Walker, our PHEAA Access Partner, at 717-956-8285 to schedule a session.
In order to give students and families more flexibility during the COVID-19 pandemic, PHEAA extended the May 1 PA State Grant application deadline by 2 weeks to May 15 for the 2020-21 Academic Year. 

 

          PHEAA continues to receive great interest in Financial Aid Webinars - as a result, we will be offering additional webinars in May on the following dates from 6-7 pm: May 7, 14 and 21.  Please join us and share this registration information with your students so they may join us via webinar. Representatives from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Agency (PHEAA) will be providing an overview of how to apply for all types of financial aid, including completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is required to determine eligibility for most student aid programs such as the Pennsylvania State Grant, Federal Pell Grant, institutional offers, and federal student and parent loans. This will also be a great opportunity to have PHEAA representatives answer questions you may have.

Click Here to register for the May 7 webinar from 6-7 pm
Click Here to register for the May 14 webinar from 6-7 pm
Click Here to register for the May 21 webinar from 6-7

         

          * You can now file your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as early as October 1!  The FAFSA is the most important financial aid form you will need!  To learn more, visit FAFSA.GOV.

 

          * Please remember to consult with all colleges that you have applied to in order to make sure that you have the FAFSA completed by the individual school’s deadline.

 

Types of Financial Aid

  • Grants – money from state and federal sources which you do not have to repay
  • Loans – money from federal sources and banks which must be repaid
  • Work Study – program within the college that allows the student to work on campus and receive money; NOTE: money is not given up front or taken off of your tuition; the student is paid depending on when and if they work
  • Scholarships – money from private sources and the college itself which you apply for and do not have to be repaid
    • Scholarships may be merit based (grades, clubs, leadership) or need based (financial)
    • The guidance office compiles scholarship lists and can now email you directly when they become available.  Also, check with the college to see what scholarships are available, and your parent’s employers and organizations.  Be sure to check early and often, as scholarship deadlines begin in September, and new scholarships arrive weekly.

          One of the first steps in the financial aid process is to file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.  The FAFSA will ask information regarding both the student and the parent’s last year’s taxes.  The FAFSA cannot be filled out before October 1 of the student’s senior year.  While the federal filing date is in May, many colleges and universities require that the FAFSA be filed before May.  Check with each college to find out their deadline.

         

  • Private schools (which have higher tuition costs than public schools) often can offer more in the way of grants and scholarships.  So don't rule out a more costly private school if you are a strong student who might qualify for an academic scholarship.
;