Financial Aid FAQs

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This is part of a series of information from the Financial Aid Office. Although this is an FA column, any and all billing, payment and refund of fees questions should be directed to the Student Accounts Office located in Old Main Room 100 or by calling 717-477-1211.

Q: As an incoming freshman, I got my aid package in March of last year. This year, I have filed my FAFSA but have not gotten my aid package for my sophomore year. Why not?

A: Current students must finish the spring term before we can package aid for them. We must verify that you have passed all classes and have a successful GPA before we can award you aid for the next year. If you would like to learn more about the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy, please refer to the Financial Aid, ship.edu website.

Q: I am planning on taking summer classes. Can I get aid to pay for those?

A: Summer is a trailer here at SU — this means that our aid year runs fall, spring and summer. If you did not use all of your aid in the fall or spring, you may have aid left to assist with summer costs.

You may contact our office or complete the “summer loan application” found on our ship.edu website under financial aid, forms and links.

If you receive PHEAA State Grant, you may qualify for a summer grant. You may inquire by calling 1-800-692-7392.

Please note, however, that with PHEAA, a student can only qualify for eight terms. If you take a reduced summer award, you may lose eligibility in your final year as a senior.

For the 2013–2014 aid year, budgets or cost of attendance will be determined based on your credit-hour schedule. In years past, everyone had the same budget regardless of being part time or full time.

Starting this year, your budget will be reduced if you are not full time. This will affect both graduate and undergraduate students.

Please be sure to plan accordingly as you will not receive the same refund amounts you received last year if you will be less than full time moving forward. We will publish examples of these changes in next week’s financial aid column.