Hints for Financial Aid:

1. The FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid is the first step in applying for student aid.  It needs to be filed after January 1 but before May 1.   Anything received after May 1 will become a Reject L and there is nothing that can be done to change that status.  This will cause the student to lose any chance that they may have had in receiving a PA State Grant Award and a PATH Award.
2. Always check the Box marked YES on the FAFSA that says you are interested in a loan.  You are not required to take the loan but must check the box to be considered for the other awards.
3. Always check with FAFSA to make sure that the school that you are attending is in the #1 spot. This can be checked online at www.FAFSA.ed.gov or call 1-800-433-3243.
4. For Pennsylvania residents, a State Grant is automatically applied for when the student submits the FAFSA.  The state pulls out the information from the FAFSA to create a PA State Grant Record.  The student will receive a Student Aid Report to request any missing information.  Students must continually update the PA State Grant Record and make sure that the school they will be attending is listed as #1.  The status of the State Grant Record can be checked online at the PHEAA website.  It is very important to make sure that the Grant Record is COMPLETE.  If a PA State Grant Record does not have the corrections made, the record will become Inactive and/or Incomplete and the student that may have received a State Grant Award and a PATH grant will lose both.  The phone number is 1-800-692-7392.  The student should ask for the PA State Grant Division and the status of the PA State Grant Record.
5. The Lancaster County Community Foundation is a PATH Program participating organization.  PATH stands for Partnerships for Access to Higher Education.  If a student is awarded a Lancaster County Community Foundation Scholarship, his/her name will be submitted by the foundation to the state PATH program to see if the student is eligible to receive a matching grant.  In order to be eligible, the student must:
1. Be attending an approved Pennsylvania college
2. Be a State Grant recipient and expressed interest in a loan on the FAFSA
3. Demonstrate financial need for a PATH Program Grant
4. Be a Pennsylvania resident
5. A student must maintain academic progress for continued eligibility