If you are a Shippensburg University student and a Pennsylvania resident you should ask yourself, why do I not have a Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) state grant?

You may apply for the Pennsylvania state grant each year when you complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application. On the confirmation page there is an orange arrow that is labeled “start my state grant application.” If you are a Pennsylvania resident this link will take you to the the American Education Services Sucess/PHEAA website where you may complete the state grant form online.

If this is your first year applying for a Pennsylvania state grant, you also need to print, sign and return the form to PHEAA.

If you did not complete this step, you may be missing out on free grant money.

An additional resource is account access online at www.pheaa.org. The online account provides options to manage your state grant and allows you to view your grant eligibility online.

Some general eligibility criteria for the Pennsylvania state grant are:

For the current school year, did you file your 2016–17 FAFSA by May 1, 2016? This was the deadline to be considered for a state grant. If you filed late, make sure you file your 2017–2018 FAFSA now. You must file by May 1 to meet the deadline.

Is your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) less than $10,000? You may have grant eligibility. If you filed on time and your EFC is less than $10,000, please log in to your account access online to review your information and eligibility for the grant.

Did you make the required academic progress since your last state grant? If you receive a full-time grant this academic year, PHEAA requires you earn 24 new credits to be eligible for a state grant for next year.

Have you already received four or eight years of full-time semester awards of the state grant? If yes, then you have reached the maximum number of state grant awards and are no longer eligible.

If you think you meet the requirements for a state grant, but were not awarded one, you should take action. Your first step should be to go to www.pheaa.org and review the information via your account access. If you need assistance in determining your eligibility for state grant funding, we are here to assist you. The Financial Aid Office is located in Old Main Room 101.

Our office hours are 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. You may also set up an appointment to meet with our Financial Aid adviser via the “student success col

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