Navigating financial aid for the first time? We’ve got you covered!
Understanding how to pay for college can feel overwhelming, but we’re here to help. This guide breaks down each step—what to do before applying, while choosing your school, and after you officially become a part of the Millersville family.
Follow this simple roadmap to make sure you don’t miss out on important financial aid opportunities!
Anyone who is required to provide information on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is known as a Contributor.
✔️ Contributors:
❌ NOT a Contributor:
💡 Need help figuring out your Contributors? Click here and check out STEP 1: IDENTIFY CONTRIBUTORS.
The FSA Account consists of an FSA ID and password combination you use to log in to U.S. Department of Education (ED) online systems.
Your FSA ID is your key to financial aid and acts as your electronic signature. You’ll need it to complete the FAFSA and other federal student aid documents.
✍️ The FSA ID is your legal signature and shouldn't be created or used by anyone other than you—not even your parent, your child, a school official, or a loan company representative.
❓Who needs one❓You need one, AND every Contributor on your FAFSA needs one.
⚙️ How to create an FSA ID:
⏳ If you don’t want your financial aid to be delayed, it’s extremely important that each contributor create their own FSA ID and that they do not share it with anyone, even each other.
💡 Want more information or instructional videos to help guide you? Click here and check out STEP 2: CREATE FSA ACCOUNTS.
The FAFSA opens doors to grants, loans, and work-study programs—money that can help you afford college. Even if you think you won’t qualify, apply anyway!
‼️Every student is eligble to receive federal student loans, some of which are subsidized (interest-free) while you are in school‼️
The FAFSA is scheduled to open every October. Set a reminder every year to complete your FAFSA if you want to be considered for federal and state aid programs such as grants and loans.
Are you a current Spring 2025 transfer student? Make sure you complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA or update your application to include Millersville (School Code: 003325).
⭐ Key FAFSA Deadlines:
March 15 – Recommended deadline
May 1 – Pennsylvania residents: Deadline for the PA State Grant.
💡PA residents don't forget to complete your Grant Application and High Scool Form at grantus.pheaa.org
🚫 Avoid Delays!
Make sure we're listed on the School Choice section of your FAFSA. We can't send you a financial aid offer without it!
💡 To add MU, search for it under school choices or enter our School Code: 003325.
📌PA Residents: Your PA State Grant only goes to the first school listed on your FAFSA. If you don't see it on every financial aid offer you receive, don't worry! Once you pick your school, just update your account to send the grant there.
🏢 Internal Millersville Scholarships:
When you apply to MU,you're automatically considered for merit-based scholarships! No separate application needed.
🌎 External Scholarships:
These can come from many different sources like search databases, employers, your high school, as well as local organizations like churches or the VFW.
✅ Have you confirmed with Millersville?
You now have access to Scholarship Universe—Millersville's scholarship search database—where you can search thousands of properly vetted external scholarships and, after your first fall semester, apply for other internal MU scholarships.
Once you submit the FAFSA, you'll start receiving Financial Aid Offer Letters from the colleges you listed. These letters tell you:
✔️ How much financial aid you qualify for
✔️ Your estimated out-of-pocket cost
💡 Key Terms to Know:
🚫 The COA is not what you pay!
Consider scholarships, grants, and loan options.
🟰 Your offered federal and state aid should be similar between schools.
Look closely at the bottom line.
📊 A school might offer you more scholarships, but if the overall net cost is higher, you could end up paying or financing more in the long run!
💡 Did you receive a PA State Grant in your aid offer from another school, but not in your offer from Millersville?
🙌🏻 Don't worry! The PA Grant just goes to the first school listed on your FAFSA. You can update your school choice on the grant application at grantus.pheaa.org
❔Still undecided? Don't forget to consider the PA State Grant award when determining your overall net cost after aid at each college in Pennsylvania.
🔔 Remember: Pennsylvania Residents must complete the FAFSA before May 1 to be considered.
🔗 Watch this video on understanding your financial aid offer from Millersville!
New incoming students generally begin to receive Financial Aid Offers mid-February.
💡 Remember—schools can only send you an aid offer if they have your FAFSA on file!
Your initial electronic Financial Aid Offer is a snapshot in time and reflects the aid you were eligible for at the moment it was generated.
⚙️ What to do:
✔️ Subtract the additional aid from your offer to estimate your updated costs.
✔️ Contact us for help understanding your revised total.
Need assistance? We're here to help!
Families often find the Cost of Attendance (COA) confusing because it includes both direct and indirect costs. Your actual bill will only include direct costs.
📌 What's included in your costs?
🧾 Direct Costs (Billed by the University):
Each school’s financial aid offer, cost of attendance, and direct charges may look a little different.
📊For Other Schools:
🎯 For Millersville University:
🏠 Your estimated charges are based on your enrollment, residency status, and housing plans.
💡 If you need extra funds for indirect expenses (books, supplies, transportation), you can account for them in your financial plan.
Committing to Millersville University means securing your spot and taking the next step toward your future. Here’s everything you need to know about confirming your enrollment and paying your confirmation fee.
Millersville offers:
⭐️ Affordable, high-quality education with financial aid opportunities
👩🏻🏫 Small class sizes & personalized support from dedicated faculty and staff
🏫 A vibrant campus life with 150+ clubs, organizations, and leadership opportunities
💼 Strong career connections & internship programs to help you launch your future
✔️ Log into your mySpyglass Portal
✔️ Accept your offer of admission
✔️ Pay your confirmation fee (this secures your spot!)
📅 Deadlines vary—check your admission letter for your specific date!
💡 Your confirmation fee ensures that Millersville reserves a place for you in the incoming class and helps us prepare for your arrival!
Once you’ve committed to Millersville, you’ll get access to:
💵 Financial aid finalization & real-time updates in your myVILLE Student Portal
🏡 Housing selection & roommate matching (if living on campus!)
🎓 Class registration & orientation details
🧾 Billing & payment
✔️ Online: Pay through your Admissions MySpyglass Portal
We can’t wait to welcome you to Millersville! If you have questions, reach out to:
At Millersville, each office has its own third-party authorization process. If you want someone (like a parent or guardian, partner or friend) to discuss your financial aid, billing, or academic records, you must complete separate authorization forms for each office.
A third-party authorization allows a designated person to access certain information about your financial aid, billing, or student records. Without it, the university cannot share your details—even with parents or family members.
💡 Check out the Types of Authorizations below & how to complete them!Congrats—you are officially part of the MU family!
Now it is time to finalize your financial aid so it can be applied to your bill. This means completing outstanding tasks, submitting required documents, and making sure everything is in place before the semester starts.
💡Some requirements apply to every student, while others are based on the FAFSA and apply to some students.
All students must complete steps to ensure their aid is processed, finalized, and credited to their account.
⚠️ Unsatisfied Requirements are accessible through the Finances tab in myVILLE, but myVILLE might only reflect a snapshot of your information. For important details about your aid and unsatisfied requirements, you need to access MAX.
Check out different types of requirements below:
🔹 Standard Requirements: Required for all students
🔹 Other Critical Requirements: Some items must be completed before your aid can be finalized and applied to your bill. In some instances this information will need to be competed before we can send a Financial Aid Offer.
⚙️ How to Check Requirements, Complete Tasks, and Submit Documents:
✔️ Go to your myVILLE Student Portal (Requires login) > Financial Aid Requirements > View Requirements in MAX.
✔️ Submit to the Office of Financial Aid (OFA).
✔️Scroll down on your Financial Aid Homepage to see a list of Unsatisfied Requirements and follow instructions for each required task.
Do you have unsatisfied requirements? Depending on the type of document, there are different ways you may be asked to complete or submit the information:
📧 Sent directly to the Office of Financial Aid.
🏦 In person at the financial aid office.
📥Secure upload in the Student Forms portal
🌐External websites such as Federal Student Aid, PHEAA's GrantUs portal, veteran websites, etc.
Financial aid does not automatically apply—you must accept any offered aid before it can credit to your account and bill.
⚙️ How to Accept Your Aid:
✔️ Log into myVILLE Student Portal
✔️ Go to Finances > Financial Aid Awards
✔️ You'll be redirected to MAX where you can click on the OfferTab
✔️ Review and accept or decline your offered aid
✅ Types of Aid You Need to Accept or Take Action on:
❌ Types of Aid You DO NOT Need to Accept or take action on:
💡 If you do not intend to use the offered aid, make sure you decline it so it does nor remain offered on your account.
Students are required to read and accept the Terms & Conditions of their aid offer every year. They apply to all types of financial aid—grants, loans, scholarships, etc. They must be completed before student's can move on to certain tasks and to ensure their aid pays.
⚙️ How to Complete Terms & Conditions:
✔️ After you have taken action on your student loans under the Offer tab in your MAX account, you will be presented with the “Terms & Conditions” of your aid.
✔️ Read carefully, then sign and submit.
💡If you already took action on your offered loans, you should have already been presented with your Terms & Conditions—simply click the button to confirm your awards.
If you accepted federal student loans, there are additional steps to complete before the loans can credit to your bill and pay to your account. Complete the following if you are a first-time Direct Loan borrower.
🏦 Loan Agreement (Master Promissory Note - MPN): Your electronic agreement to borrow and repay the loan.
✔️ Go to: studentaid.gov/mpn
✔️ Select the option for Undergraduate Students
✔️ Complete your MPN, sign, and submit
📇 Loan Entrance Counseling: Explains your rights and responsibilities as a borrower.
✔️ Complete online at studentaid.gov/entrance-counseling
✔️ Select the option for Undergraduate Students
✔️ Complete the form, and submit
👨👩👧 Parent PLUS Loan Borrowers: A federal loan in the parents name, that requires a separate application on student aid.gov
✔️ If approved, complete a loan agreement, or Master Promissory Note (MPN): studentaid.gov/mpn/parentplus
⛔️ Parents initially denied but since added an endorser or appealed their inital credit decision—will need to complete:
📝 Master Promissory Note (MPN):studentaid.gov/mpn/parentplus
💳 PLUS Loan Credit Counseling at studentaid.gov/plus-loan-credit-counseling
Some students may need to submit additional documents before their aid can be finalized. This means your awards are subject to change until the information has been received and reviewed.
⚠️ If you committed to MU before completing FAFSA, these types of requirements could prevent us from sending you an aid offer until completed.
🔍 Verification: The school is required to collect documentation and review certain items, such as:
📉 Special Circumstances: An internal review of your special circumstances can be done by request. Special circumstances typically are due to a significant change in income.
💡If you have requested this review, it will not hold up any financial aid.
Check your myVILLE Student Portal (Requires login) for unsatisfied financial aid requirements and tasks:
✅ Submit any required documents—failing to comply will delay the processing of your aid
✅ Accept your financial aid offer—take action even if you aren't borrowing loans
✅ Complete loan requirements—if you are a first-time borrower
✅ Check for additonal tasks in your requirements—some are added after you taking action on your aid offer, or are triggered by the completion of another task
✅ Plan for any remaining costs—check out additional financing and payment options
⚠️ Don't forget—you won't have access to myVILLE until you have committed to MU.
❓ Need help ❓Contact the Office of Financial Aid at:
🎉 Congrats—You’re one step closer to starting your journey at Millersville University! 🎉
📝 Your tuition bill is due at the start of each semester. Use your Financial Aid Offer Letter to estimate what you’ll owe after aid is applied. If your financial aid doesn't fully cover your bill, you need to plan for additional payment options before the due date.
🔹 Ways to Cover Your Remaining Balance:
The Office of Student Accounts (OSA) will apply anticipated financial aid as a credit on your bill. Your financial aid will pay to your account after the add/drop period for the semester.
🔍 Check Your Bill & Aid Application Status:
🚨 If Your Aid Isn't Applied:
🧾 Make a Payment or Set Up a Payment Plan (if still available)
🚨 Avoid Late Fees! If your bill is unpaid by the due date, a $100 payment extension fee will apply, and a hold may be placed on your account.
📅 When do I get my bill?
💸 How does financial aid get applied to my bill?
📌 Expecting a refund?
💡 TIP: If you don’t need all your loans, reduce what you borrow to save money on interest! Contact our office and submit a Loan Request Change form to lower your loan amount.
If you have questions or need assistance with the financial aid process, we are here to help!
CALL USA financial aid representative is available to speak with you (717-871-5100) Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.
EMAIL USA financial aid representative monitors our email account (fa.mail@millersville.edu) Monday-Friday between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:30 pm.
SCHEDULE NOWWe currently offer 1-hour appointments Monday-Friday either in person, online via Zoom, or by phone. Schedule to meet with a counselor to discuss any questions you may have!
Have something to drop off or a general question? Our Front Office Staff can assist you Monday-Friday between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm. We are located on the 2nd floor of Lyle Hall.