Many Penn College students receive PA State Grants. The maximum annual conditional 2023-24 award is $4,818 or $2,409 a semester for full-time enrollment. This amount is conditional pending passage of the (PA) Commonwealth Budget.

To be eligible, you’ll need to meet specific requirements. You must:

• Be a Pennsylvania resident
• Be enrolled in a major which is at least two full years and 60 credits in length
• Take at least six credits per semester
• Meet other eligibility requirements  including satisfactory academic progress (as defined by PHEAA)

You’ll need to complete the FAFSA to be considered for PA State Grants. Your FAFSA information will be electronically transmitted to PHEAA.

New students (and their parents) should complete and sign their PA State Grant Form starting with a link they find on their FAFSA Submission Confirmation page. Returning students may receive emails from PHEAA, requesting information; these should be addressed quickly and thoroughly.

If you received a PA State Grant last year, you need to reapply for the next academic year. Submit next academic year's FAFSA well before May 1. Penn College's Priority FAFSA Submission Deadline is March 1.

If your college and/or housing information changes, you’ll need to update that information on PHEAA's records. Here’s how:

• Sign in to Account Access from AES.
• Click 'View the Status on my PA State Grant' from the menu on the left side of the screen.
• Select the correct academic year (if more than one year is listed) and click 'View Details'.
• Select 'Update School Information.'
• Make needed changes to your college of attendance (and housing status) on the 'Change of School Information Form;' click 'Submit' to complete your update.
  Note: There is no winter term at Penn College.

Beginning in March, you can complete your Pennsylvania Summer State Grant Application at PHEAA's Account Access website. There are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind.

• Your summer courses must extend for a total of five or more calendar weeks.
• Full-time PA State Grant assistance covers a maximum of four semesters for most associate-degree students or eight semesters for bachelor-degree students. If, for example, you have only two full-time semesters of eligibility remaining, using a summer PA State Grant will mean you have only one full-time semester remaining after summer.
• PHEAA does not determine awards until late May or June, which may be too late to help cover your Penn College eBill for summer classes.

Certificate programs may be covered by a PA State Grant, but it depends on the program. PHEAA's policy states that an eligible program must be a minimum of 60 credits and at least four semesters. Therefore, only the following certificate program is eligible for PA State Grants:

• Aviation Maintenance Technician

If you take distance education classes, you are eligible for a PA State Grant as long as you satisfy all other PA State Grant eligibility criteria. Students taking more than 50% of their credits online per semester will be considered for PA State Grants, provided they satisfy all eligibility criteria. However, award amounts may be lower for distance students.

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Developmental courses may cause a decrease or removal of PA State Grant aid. PHEAA requires students' schedules to consist of at least 50% regular (non-developmental) credits. PHEAA also limits the number of semesters that developmental credits can be considered as part of enrollment status for grant eligibility. PHEAA refers to these semesters as 'remedial exceptions' and limits the number to two full-time semesters or four part-time semesters. If, for example, you previously used two remedial exceptions, and are enrolled as a full-time student but have fewer than 12 regular credits, you will only receive a part-time PA State Grant.

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