PA State Grant
Pennsylvania State Grant
The PA State Grant is awarded to degree-seeking undergraduate students from Pennsylvania who have a completed FAFSA on file by May 1 and demonstrate high financial need. The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) administers the grant and determines a student's eligibility.
Disclaimer: The deadline to file the FAFSA was extended to June 1 for the 2024-2025 academic year.
For more detailed information about the PA State Grant and your eligibility, click the sections below.
-
Applying for the State Grant & Activating your GrantUs Account
What do I need to know about deadlines?
FAFSA Completion Deadline:
To meet the PA State Grant deadline, PHEAA looks at the student’s FAFSA submission date, which must be on or before May 1 each year. Typically, for the 2024-2025 academic year, your FAFSA would need to be submitted by May 1, 2024; however, PHEAA has an extended deadline of June 1, 2024 due to FAFSA delays.
PA State Grant Form & Documentation Submission Deadline:
Students needing to complete the PA State Grant Form or any supplemental forms/documentation have additional time to complete these requirements. The PA State Grant Form itself and/or any additional documentation requested must be completed before April 1 of the current academic year.
Disclaimer: An academic year is the period during which classes are held. At Millersville University, the academic year typically includes: - Summer Session: Optional term(s) from May to August.
- Fall Semester: Late August to December.
- Spring Semester: January to May.
The academic year also includes breaks such as winter break between the fall and spring semesters, and a spring break in March.
Why does pheaa need my fafsa?
Once your FAFSA is complete, Federal Student Aid (FSA) will transmit your FAFSA data to PHEAA's new GrantUs system. PHEAA uses the information from your FAFSA (such as income, assets, and household size) to determine your eligibility for the PA State Grant.
What is GrantUs?
A new platform to apply for the PA State Grant and special programs administered by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA). Some benefits of the new GrantUs platform are:
- Enhanced User Experience
- Easy Application Process
- Ability to Track Your Grant Status
- Automated Updates & Notifications
how will I be notified to create my account?
PHEAA will email students a link to activate their GrantUs account after their FAFSA data has been received. Here's what you need to know:- PHEAA will email students a link to activate their GrantUs account.
- Notifications are sent to the student's email that was provided on the FAFSA.
- Email notifications will be sent from: NoReply@grantus.pheaa.org
- Check your Spam and Junk folders.
- The activation link provided in the email invitation is only valid for 24 hrs only.
- If you need a new activation link, click the one provided to you in your email invitation and then choose 'Forgot Password'.
- A new activation link will be sent to you. Make sure to create your account as soon as you can - the updated link will expire within 24 hours.
- If you haven't received an email yet, don't worry!
- PHEAA did not begin sending emails to students until May 7th, and they are currently being sent in batches to not overwhelm their systems.
You must activate GrantUs by setting a password and completing multi-factor authentication. To prepare, download Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator—PHEAA's approved multi-factor authentication tools. These tools are free applications in the app store. You only need one authentication tool on your device to use GrantUs.
Check out PHEAA's GrantUs resources if you need help.
Who needs a GrantUs account and what do I do once it's created?
Any Pennsylvania resident who completed the FAFSA by June 1 should create a GrantUs. account once they have received an invitation from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA).
Once a student has their GrantUs account created, they will be able to update personal info and school choice, submit additional documentation that may be requested, and invite a parent to provide an electronic signature if one is needed.
- 2024-2025 award updates (and updates in future years) will be communicated through your GrantUs account. If PHEAA requires more information to assess your eligibility, they will send another email to you asking you to log into GrantUs and review their request.
- If you need to make changes to your 2024/25 FAFSA, log into StudentAid.gov to make the corrections. PHEAA will receive your updated FAFSA information from FSA in another data transfer until August 1, 2024. If you are making changes after this date, contact PHEAA directly.
New, First-time Students:
Once logged into your GrantUs account, go to your Action Items list and complete the:
- PA State Grant Form
- Dependent students - You may need to invite your parent to create their own GrantUs account to sign your form.
- High School Form
- Any additional documentation being requested.
Current, Returning Students:
Students who completed a PA State Grant application before must create a GrantUs account, but they typically won’t need to do a new state grant form or high school form. However, additional items may be requested to finalize your information and determine your eligibility.
Once logged into your GrantUs account:
- Check your Action Items List for any requested documentation or information.
- Returning students should also submit any appropriate PA State Grant documents indicating any changes that may affect your PA State Grant award, such as a change in your marital status or a change in your income.
Review What's Next for additional information on the 2024-2025 application process
-
STATE GRANT Eligibility Requirements
Basic Eligibility
The basic eligibility requirements reviewed by PHEAA when it receives an application are:
- Have submitted the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by May 1 of the academic year the student is attending.
- Be a Pennsylvania resident (domiciliary)
- Be a U.S. high school graduate or the recipient of a G.E.D.
- Meets criteria for financial need
- Not have previously earned a bachelor's degree or its equivalent.
- Be enrolled in an approved program of study of at least two academic years in length.
- Not be in default or have a claim of default pending on an educational loan (or awards converted to loans), guaranteed or reinsured by the federal government, state government or institution. This also applies to programs where awards have been converted to loans due to failure to meet all eligibility or service requirements.
- Complete any required forms or submit documentation as requested by PHEAA.
School Certified Eligibility Requirements
Initial PA State Grant eligibility and award notices from PHEAA should be considered estimates. Even after you receive a State grant award notice, PHEAA requires your college to verify your eligibility.
- At the start of each semester (including summer), PHEAA will provide Millersville University with an official list of students awarded PA State Grants.
- Your PA State Grant will be marked as "estimated" on your financial aid award until Millersville's Office of Financial Aid confirms your eligibility.
Listed below are some of the eligibility checks Millersville will perform before disbursing State grant funds to your account
Enrollment Status:
PHEAA considers full-time status as at least 12 credits in a semester and half-time status as at least 6 credits in a semester. Enrollment status can also be impacted by individual courses. PA State Grants will not disburse to a student's account/bill until all courses have started, including part-of-term courses that may begin later in the semester.
Remedial Exception:
Academic Progress
To be considered for a PA State Grant a student must meet PHEAA's academic progress requirement. This requirement applies to students who received a State grant in a prior academic year. If a student received a State grant at a different college, an academic transcript from that college is required to confirm that academic progress was met. For the most recent year a State grant was received, a student must successfully complete at least 12 credits for each full-time grant and/or 6 credits for each part-time grant. For example, if a student received two full-time State grants in the prior year (Fall and Spring semesters), PHEAA requires the student to have successfully completed at least 24 credits to be eligible for a State grant in the current year. For more detailed information, click here.
Change In Enrollment Status
A change in enrollment status can affect a student's eligibility for a State grant. The following are some examples of enrollment changes that may result in an adjustment to a student's State grant during a semester:
- Drop from full-time to half-time
- Drop from half-time to less than half-time
- Withdrawal
- Switching from a regular degree course to one that is remedial
Maximum Timeframe Eligibility Limits
A student is eligible for a total of 4 years of PA State Grant aid in their lifetime. This can be used as 8 full-time semesters, 16 part-time semesters, or any combination of full-time and part-time semesters that does not exceed the equivalent of 4 years. PHEAA only allows students to receive 2 years of State grants in a two-year academic program. Therefore, students attending Millersville University are limited to 4 full-time or 8 part-time semesters of State grant eligibility for most Associate degree programs.
-
MY STATE GRANT isn't included on MY AID OFFER?
School Choice
Millersville University must be listed as your school choice on your State Grant application for you to receive the PA State Grant at our school. Only one school will receive PA State Grant information to list on your award letter. If you plan to attend Millersville University and have listed another school as your school choice, you will need to update your State Grant application to have your information sent to Millersville.
You can update your school choice by:
- Online in your GrantUs Portal.
- Calling PHEAA directly at 1-800-692-7392.
Making this change with PHEAA will only adjust the PA State Grant application and not your FAFSA.
additional documentation
PHEAA may be requesting additional documentation from you to determine your eligibility. Log into your GrantUs portal to view your tasks.
Estimated Award
Initial PA State Grant eligibility and award notices from PHEAA should be considered estimates. Even after you receive a State grant award notice, PHEAA requires your college to verify your eligibility.
- At the start of each semester (including summer), PHEAA will provide Millersville University with an official list of students awarded PA State Grants.
- Your PA State Grant will be marked as "estimated" on your financial aid award until Millersville's Office of Financial Aid confirms your eligibility.
See the section above regarding eligibility for eligibility checks Millersville is required to complete.
-
PHEAA's PA STATE GRANT ACADEMIC PROGRESS POLICY
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) requires that students make satisfactory academic progress for each academic year (Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring) during which the State Grant was received.
You are required to earn a certain number of credits depending if you received a full- or part-time award. Click the link below to:
- Determine the required number of credits you must earn to maintain your eligibility.
- If you have lost your eligibility:
- learn about the ways you can regain it and/or
- if you had extenuating circumstances that cause you to lose your eligibility, you may be able to appeal.
PHEAA Sap Policy & Appeal Information
-
SUMMER PA STATE GRANT
Eligibility:
To be eligible for a PA State Grant in the summer, students must meet the following basic eligibility requirements determined by PHEAA:
- Students must be enrolled in at least six credits.
- The length of the course(s) must be at least five weeks of instruction.
- Summer mini-terms can be combined to achieve the required length of instruction.
- Students must meet all other state grant requirements.
Disclaimer:
- The Office of Financial Aid is required to review all students who have been preliminarily approved for the Summer PA State Grant to ensure they meet the basic requirements set by the PA State Grant Agency (listed above). This means that even if the agency initially approves a student's application, the school must still complete its review to confirm final eligibility based on the basic requirements.
applying:
If you wish to apply for a summer PA State Grant, you must complete a separate application by August 15th www.pheaa.org. Summer PA State Grants:
Disclaimer:
- Summer PA State Grants cannot be used as a credit towards your summer bill as Millersville is not notified of a student's preliminary eligibility until late summer.
- Using a PA State Grant in the summer will count toward your maximum 8 full-time semesters of eligibility. If your planned path toward graduation is four or more years, using the PA State Grant in the summer may reduce your eligibility later in your academic career.
applying:
-
non Pennsylvania residents
Non-Pennsylvania residents are not eligible for the PA State Grant; however, the student should contact their State Agency for additional information.
- You can view the full list of State Agencies through the U.S. Department of Education Website.
- State Aid Deadlines are listed on FAFSA. Students must comply by the listed deadline to be considered for their state's grant.
-
Contact Info
Lyle Hall, 2nd Floor, Room 241
Office Hours:
Call Center Hours:
Standard: Mon.-Fri. 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (mid-August to mid-May) Summer: Mon.-Fri. 8:00 am to 4:00 pm (mid-May to mid-August)
Available by Phone: Mon.-Fri. 8:00am to 6:00pm
Phone: 717-871-5100
Fax: 717-871-7980
Email: fa.mail@millersville.eduUSPS Mailing Address:
Office of Financial Aid
Millersville University
P.O. Box 1002
Millersville, PA 17551-0302Address for UPS/FedEx:
Office of Financial Aid
Lyle Hall, 2nd Floor
40 Dilworth Rd
Millersville, PA 17551-0302