Applying for Financial Aid for PA School

To qualify for financial aid to finance your Physician Assistant education, you must fill out the free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. You can obtain a copy of this application by either of the following methods:

1. Fill out the application on the Internet by visiting the web site http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/index.htm. You will probably have to apply for an Electronic Access Code (EAC) before you can proceed. Follow the directions on the FAFSA website. This is the easiest way to complete the FAFSA and includes online instructions.

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2. Contact the Financial Aid Department of a PA school to which you are applying and request that a FAFSA form be mailed to you.

You must contact the Financial Aid Office of each of the schools to which you are applying to ask for their school code. You will need to include this school code information with your FAFSA so that your information can be processed and forward it to all of the schools to which you are applying.

It is to your advantage to get the FAFSA form filled out and submitted as close as possible to January 1st of the year for which you are requesting Aid. You are allowed to estimate your Federal Income Tax if it will allow you to submit your FAFSA sooner. (However, you must update this information once your taxes are filed). If you have any school-specific questions while filling out this form, you should contact the Financial Aid Offices of the PA schools.

Once you have submitted the completed FAFSA form, you will have to wait to hear back. The FAFSA information you provided will be sent to the schools for which you entered the school codes. After about 4-6 weeks, you will receive your Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR will summarize the information you submitted and describe any potential errors or conflicts found in your FAFSA information. Contact the PA school financial aid office to resolve any errors promptly, because unresolved errors can slow down processing of your Financial Aid application, often resulting in less aid being offered to those whose applications were processed later.

The Financial Aid office of each PA school will inform you of the financial aid package for which you qualify. The amount and kind of aid offered is based on your financial need as well as on the available financial resources. The earlier you submit the FAFSA, the more likely it is that resources will be available to you. Financial aid can be offered in the form of loans, scholarships, grants, or a combination of these sources.

Once you receive the financial aid offer from PA school, you must decide which aid you will accept, and then complete any additional paperwork. Usually you will be required to sign documents indicating that you agree to be responsible for repaying your loans. You should only accept the financial resources which you actually need to cover the cost of your education. Due to interest accrual over time, excessive borrowing can become a major financial strain, when monthly repayments come due after graduation, so borrow only what you need.