PHEAA Reminds Students of State Grant Deadline
FAFSA Assistance Now Available Over the Phone
Harrisburg, PA (April 5, 2007) - The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) is reminding and encouraging students and families to complete the 2007-2008 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine eligibility for Pennsylvania’s need-based State Grant.
May 1st is the deadline for all new applicants who plan to enroll in an undergraduate baccalaureate degree program and those in college transfer programs at two-year public or junior colleges and all renewal applicants regardless of their educational program.
Our website, PHEAA.org, offers a free FAFSA tutorial to help families better understand the FAFSA application process. The tutorial is available for Spanish-speaking individuals. The site provides a link to the online FAFSA application for families to complete electronically, saving time and helping to eliminate errors. Students and parents completing the FAFSA online will need a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to serve as their electronic signature and should visit pin.ed.gov to obtain their PIN. Students with general questions about completing the FAFSA or the State Grant Program should call PHEAA at 1-800-692-7392.
“Last year, we helped more than 166,000 Pennsylvania students through the State Grant Program and increased the maximum award to $4,500. We look forward to helping reduce the cost burden of higher education for as many Pennsylvania students as possible this year,” notes Dick Willey, PHEAA President and CEO.
This year, PHEAA has partnered with Federal Student Aid to offer more in-depth FAFSA assistance over the phone. Tele-FAFSA will be available beginning April 15, 2007, with hours of operation from 1:00 p.m. to midnight, Monday – Friday, and Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., ET.
Students and parents can simply call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) and ask for a Tele-FAFSA representative, they will help with completing the FAFSA and will even submit it for you. This service is also available in the Spanish language.
Students who are first-time applicants planning to enroll in a business, trade or technical school, a hospital school of nursing, or a terminal (nontransferable two-year degree) program at a community, junior or four-year college have until August 1st to file the FAFSA to qualify for a State Grant award.