Financial Aid Office
Student & Administrative Services Center, Rm. 1013 · (570) 327-4766 or (800) 367-9222 · Fax: 570.321.5552
Application Process
There are a number of applications which must be completed and submitted as you go through the process of applying for various types of financial aid. There are also deadlines to consider, the possibility of Federal Verification, and things which you can do to make the process go more smoothly.
Applications to be Completed
- Penn College Financial Aid Application (FAA) – This accompanied your Application for Admission. We must have your completed application on file in order to consider you for any type of financial aid. To submit, and to update each academic year, please apply online through the Student Information System (SIS). If you can not access SIS, you can submit the FAA from our forms page.
- Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) – This is best submitted online via the U.S. Department of Education's FAFSA site. Use Penn College's Federal School Code of 003395. In order to submit, both student and parent (of a dependent student) need a Federal PIN, which you can apply for the same day you submit the FAFSA. The FAFSA is the initial application used by college students across the country for grants, work study, student loans, and other forms of assistance.
- Student and/or parent loan program applications – Refer to the Loans page to apply online. You must complete a loan application(s) in addition to the FAA and the FAFSA .
- Scholarship Applications – Apply online through Penn College or the scholarship sponsor. For suggestions on where to look for private scholarships, refer to the Financial Aid Checklist and our External Scholarship Listing.
Application Deadlines
Financial Aid Application (FAA) – This must be submitted each year, and is used for a whole academic year. You should submit the FAA and FAFSA as soon after January 1 as possible, but no later than Penn College's priority application date of April 1 for fall semester enrollment, which ensures that Pennsylvania residents will meet the Pennsylvania State Grant May 1 deadline. Other states may have earlier deadlines. We recommend that parents and students complete their federal income tax returns before completing the FAFSA. Applications submitted after May 1 will be considered for aid on a 'funds available' basis.
Loan Applications – We recommend that you submit federal loan applications well before you start college. Apply anytime after April 1 (if you are starting in August) and after October 1 (if you are starting in January). For private alternative loans, we advise that you apply 60 to 90 days before classes begin.
Scholarship Applications – Pay very close attention to application deadlines and criteria, as they vary from program to program, and are determined by the sponsor. The time period to apply for Penn College Scholarships for the following academic year is December 1 until March 1. For scholarships not funded by Penn College that do not have online applications, pay attention to whether the deadlines are a 'postmarked by' date or a 'received' date. A good practice is to apply more than one week before the specific deadline date.
NOTE: You do not have to be accepted by the College in order to apply for financial aid. Apply by these deadline dates even if you have not been accepted, or have not decided which college you will attend.
Federal Verification
Approximately 1 out of 3 students who submit a FAFSA are selected for an official review in a process called Federal Verification. Incomplete or conflicting information on your FAFSA may lead to Verification, or your FAFSA may be chosen at random.
If your FAFSA is selected for Federal Verification, the Financial Aid Office will request signed copies of federal tax returns, a completed Verification form, and/or other financial documents from you (and your parents or spouse). We will then compare your financial documents to your FAFSA information and, if needed, we will adjust your FAFSA information. Until we complete Verification, we can not process Federal Stafford Loans, Federal Work-Study or any federal grants. Please respond quickly to prevent delays in processing your federal aid.
PHEAA has a similar but separate review for Pennsylvania state grant recipients called Validation. If you receive a letter from PHEAA describing the Validation process, you will need to submit to PHEAA the financial documents they request, even if you have previously sent us the same documents for Federal Verification.
Application Hints
- Read all instructions carefully before completing applications.
- Complete every question unless the instructions tell you to leave an item blank. (PHEAA requests that all Pennsylvania residents complete the 'asset' section.)
- Type or print very clearly so all answers can be easily read.
- Round dollar amounts to the nearest dollar. Do not include cents.
- Be sure each question is answered correctly. Some common mistakes are:
- Adjusted Gross Income (use the correct income figure from IRS tax return)
- Untaxed income (include child support received, earned income credit, IRA/Keogh contributions, etc.)
- Income tax (use correct line from IRS tax return, not income tax withheld from W-2s)
- Assets (report all investments)
- Household size (include yourself) - read FAFSA instructions carefully
- Number in your household enrolled in college (include yourself, but not parents)
- Student's Social Security number (check it against your Social Security card)
- Make sure you include all required signatures.
- Re-check everything before you submit it.
- Make copies of your federal tax returns and all applications you submit.
- Include the College name (Pennsylvania College of Technology) and our Federal Title IV code number: 003395
- We do not recommend that you pay someone to help you with the application process. Call us at (570) 327-4766 for free help, and put your money toward your college expenses.