PIA’s Financial Aid office is available to assist students and families with the process of applying for financial aid.  If you have questions or concerns about paying for your education, contact our Financial Aid Department at financialaid@pia.edu or call 800-444-1440.

Important Financial Aid Steps

Financial aid may be available to eligible students and their families.

  1. Apply for aid. Start with the FAFSA. Our School Code is 005310
  2. Review your estimated financial aid. PIA compiles your financial aid offer letter with the maximum aid you are eligible for at that time. Understand each type of aid in your offer letter
  3. Accept what you want from your offer. Decide what aid you wish to accept and do the paperwork to make it official.
  4. Attend every class on your schedule. You must be making satisfactory academic progress to maintain your eligibility for many types of aid. Progress includes attendance and grades.
  5. Get help as early as possible if you are having trouble with your classes. Talk to your advisor and the Office of Financial Aid before withdrawing from classes.
  6. Keep track of your aid for each payment period and plan ahead. We’ve collected links to resources that can help you manage your money, such as a loan-payment simulator, information on deferments, information on finances after graduation, and more.

Financial Aid Quick Links

COST OF ATTENDANCE

Tuition, Fees, and Cost of Attendance may vary campus to campus. Choose the appropriate campus below to review the Cost of Attendance for your campus.
FINANCIAL AID FORMS
2023-24 Verification Worksheet
2023-24 Request for Special Consideration
2023-24 Educational Purpose Statement
2023-24 Dependency Override Form

Professional Judgement

PIA understands that sometimes a student or family may face an extenuating circumstance that may impact financial need. In these scenarios, the US Department of Education allows us to potentially exercise professional judgment through a Request for Special Consideration or a Dependency Override.

Financial aid is determined using a federal calculation called Federal Methodology. While this calculation is the same for all students who apply for financial aid, PIA realizes that students and their families sometimes experience changes to their household finances after the FAFSA has been filed. We can re-consider financial aid for certain extenuating circumstances. Typical reasons include:

• Job Loss
• Change in employment Status
• Divorce
• Death of a parent of spouse
• Unusually high medical expenses

Please note, requests due to credit card debt, loan debt or bankruptcy, would not warrant a special consideration adjustment.

The Financial Aid Office will review each request on an individual basis to determine if professional judgment should be utilized to recalculate financial need. We cannot guarantee an increase to the financial aid award(s), however, we do intend to be fair and timely with each case that is reviewed. The review process will generally take 2-4 weeks to complete.

Please choose the Request for Special Consideration Form form for the appropriate year.

2023-2024 Request for Special Consideration Form

The Federal methodology used to determine aid eligibility assumes that the primary responsibility to assist a dependent student with their educational expenses lies with their parent(s). If a student does not meet the criteria outlined on the FAFSA to make them independent but faces an extenuating family circumstance that results in no parental contact, the student can submit for a Dependency Override request.

According to Federal regulation, the following conditions DO NOT merit a dependency override:

1. Parents refusal to contribute to the student’s education
2. Parents unwillingness to provide information on the application or for verification
3. Parents not claiming the student as a dependent for income tax purposes
4. Student demonstrating total self-sufficiency

If you believe your extenuating circumstance warrants a dependency review, you must submit a separate letter explaining your situation, the form below, and  letters from a professional source (ex. school administrator, attorney, case worker, police officer, etc.) supporting your claim, and any other documentation you feel would assist the financial aid office in reviewing your case. Once submitted, the Financial Aid Office will determine your dependency status.

Please choose the Dependency Override Form for the appropriate year.

2023-2024 Dependency Override Form

HELPFUL RESOURCES

GRANTS: Grants are funds that do not require repayment. These include federal and state grants which are based on financial need. They are automatically added to your financial aid award package as long as you have filled out the FAFSA and meet the necessary qualifications.

Educational Assistance Program Information (EAP)(Pittsburgh Campus Only)

Pennsylvania Chafee Education and Training Grant (ETG) Program (Pittsburgh Campus Only)

PA Fostering Independence Tuition Waiver Program (Pittsburgh Campus Only) Postsecondary Tuition Waivers for Eligible Foster Care Youth; Contact Jessica DiLorenzo at jdilorenzo@pia.edu

LOANS: Loans are borrowed funds that must be repaid. In many cases, these loans are low-interest. Payment can often be deferred as long as a student remains enrolled at least half-time. There are several types of loans available to help students fund their education.

    • Federal Direct Loans
    • Federal Direct PLUS Loans (known as Parent PLUS loans)
    • Private/Alternative Loans:  A private loan is generally used as a final resource for students seeking additional funding. Unlike federal loans, private loan terms can vary based on the credit evaluation of the borrower and/or co-borrower and offer a variable interest rate. PIA strongly encourages all students to apply for grants, scholarships and federal loans prior to applying for a private loan.

SCHOLARSHIPS:  Scholarships may be awarded to a student based on need, merit, or other criteria. Scholarships do not need to be repaid.

PIA Institutional Match Grant PIA will provide a total of 36 Institutional match grants for each fiscal year.  The four quarters are as follows: July through September (nine grants), October through December (nine grants), January through March (nine grants), and April through June (nine grants).  If PIA does not award nine grants during a quarter, they will carry over to the subsequent quarter to ensure all students have access to the grant.

File My FAFSA

Information on filing your FAFSA can be found on https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.

FAFSA Resources:

Complete Master Promissory Note(MPN)

Complete Entrance Counseling

Complete Exit Counseling

Complete Verification Process

A student’s FAFSA may be selected for an accuracy review process called Verification by the US Department of Education or through institutional selection. When selected for Verification, PIA is required to review the FAFSA for accuracy and make necessary corrections.

Why was my FAFSA selected for Verification?

There are a variety of reasons why a FAFSA may be selected, however, more often than not, it’s simply a random selection made by the US Department of Education. Approximately 30% of filed FAFSAs will be randomly selected. Other reasons may include incomplete FAFSA data, conflicting information presented to the Financial Aid Office, and/or estimated information used while completing the FAFSA.

How do I complete Verification?

If you have been selected for Verification, the following steps will need to be completed.

  • Complete and return a Verification Worksheet as specified by the Financial Aid Office.
  • Utilize the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA for all Federal tax filers.  Click here for instructions.  Data retrieval must be completed for both the student and the parent (if dependent).  Please be sure the FAFSA is fully re-submitted after this step.
    • If you are not eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, you will need to send a SIGNED Federal 1040 Tax Return copy with the Verification Worksheet.
  • Non tax filers will need to submit W2’s.

After all requirements have been submitted, the Financial Aid Office will review and compare submitted documents to the previously submitted FAFSA. If errors are found, corrections will be made to the FAFSA. Corrections may impact aid eligibility.

Complete the Parent PLUS Application 

To complete the application:

  • Visit studentaid.gov – sign in, using FSA ID that you used to sign the FAFSA. Please Note: Parent must use his/her own FSA ID to apply for the Parent Plus loan. (If you were not the parent that signed the FAFSA and you do not already have a FSA ID under your own name, you can create one using the link in the upper right hand box)
  • Choose the “Apply for a Direct PLUS Loan” link- then choose the 2nd option- “Direct PLUS Loan Application for Parents”
  • Complete requested demographic and loan information as requested on each screen.
  • Fill in amount you plan to borrow or choose the max eligible option (please keep in mind there will be an origination fees deducted from the amount you borrow).
  • Authorize credit check, and electronically sign the Plus Loan.

In accordance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA), PIA has provided the following net price calculator. This calculator is based on institutional data from FY 2020-2021, and is designed to provide prospective students and their families with estimated price information, based on a student’s individual circumstances.

It is important to note that calculations required for the Net Price Calculator are derived from typical 9 month college attendance structure, which can result in adverse differences in the actual cost of attendance for PIA students. PIA’s recommendation is to always complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and allow the Financial Aid Department to supply accurate information specifically for you.

2020-21 Net-Price Calculator

FINANCIAL AID
REPRESENTATIVES

General Financial Aid Questions

Jessica Dilorenzo, Director of Financial Aid

Pittsburgh and Myrtle Beach Campuses

Tammy Ward, Financial Aid Advisor

Hagerstown and Youngstown Campuses

Kaylee Morgan, Financial Aid Advisor

Veteran Education Benefits for all Campuses

J Holt, Associate Director of Financial Aid/VA Certifying Official

POLICIES

Students who receive grants, scholarships, and loans awards must satisfy minimum academic requirements in order to continue to qualify for these awards. These requirements vary depending on the type of award. Below are the various policies for each specific group. If you have multiple awards, you need to review each policy to ensure you are meeting all requirements.

Students who receive grants, scholarships, and loans  awards must satisfy minimum academic requirements in order to continue to qualify for these awards. These requirements vary depending on the type of award.

Federal financial aid includes Federal Stafford and PLUS Loans, Federal Pell Grants.  Students receiving any of these awards must meet the standards each term as described in the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy within the Campus Catalog & Handbook.

Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency requires that both full-time and part-time grant recipients make academic progress at the conclusion of each academic year. If a student does not meet the academic progress requirements, he or she will be ineligible for a PA state grant for their next term(s) of enrollment.

For more information about the PA State Grant Program, please click here.

Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics does not participate in any preferred lender arrangements or preferred lender lists for private loans. Students have the right and ability to use the lender of their choice for their private loan.

A tuition adjustment policy has been established for those students who process a withdrawal from PIA. Adjustments are for tuition charges only; fees are not adjusted.  All financial aid recipients receiving Title IV federal financial aid will be subject to the Title IV Refund Calculation. Click here to view the policy in the Campus Catalog & Handbook.

An overaward occurs when a student receives more aid than what they were entitled to receive under Federal, state and/or institutional policy. This can occur for a variety of reasons. If an overaward occurs, aid will be adjusted accordingly. The student will receive an email to their PIA email address indicating that there has been a change made to their financial aid eligibility. PIA will collect the overpayment from the student via our standard billing and collection method. In certain situations, it may be necessary to report the overpayment to the National Student Loan Data System until it has been resolved.

The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) requires education institutions to develop and comply with a code of conduct that prohibits conflicts of interest for financial aid personnel.  Any PIA officer, employee, or agent who has responsibilities with respect to student educational loans must comply with this code of conduct.  The following provisions bring Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics (PIA)  into compliance with the federal law.

1. Neither PIA as an institution nor any individual officer, employee or agent shall enter into any revenue-sharing arrangements with any lender.  A revenue-sharing arrangement means an arrangement between PIA and a lender under which the lender provides or issues loans to students attending PIA or to the families such students; and PIA recommends the lender or the loan products of the lender and in exchange, the lender pays a fee or provides other material benefits, including revenue or profit sharing, to PIA or its agent.

2. No officer or employee of PIA who is employed in the financial aid office or who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to educational loans, or agent who has responsibilities with respect to educational loans, or any of their family members, shall solicit or accept any gift from a lender, guarantor, or service of education loans.  For purpose of this prohibition, the term “gift” means any gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan or other item having a monetary value of more than a de minimus amount.

3. An officer or employee of PIA who is employed in the financial aid office or who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to education loans, or an agent who has responsibilities with respect to education loans, shall not accept from any lender or affiliate of any lender any fee, payment, or other financial benefit (including the opportunity to purchase stock) as compensation for any type of consulting arrangement or other contract to provide services to a lender or on behalf of a lender relating to education loans.

4. PIA shall not: a) for any first-time borrower, assign, through award packaging or other methods, the borrower’s loan to a particular lender; or b) refuse to certify, or delay certifications of, any loan based on the borrower’s selection of a particular lender or guaranty agency.

5. PIA shall not request or accept from any lender any offer or funds or be used for private education loans, including funds for an opportunity pool loan, to students in exchange for the institution providing concessions or promises regarding providing the lender with: a) a specified number of private educational loans (non-Title IV loans) or loans made, insured, or guaranteed under Title IV; b) a specified loan volume of such loans; or c) a preferred lender arrangement for such loans.

6. PIA shall not request or accept from any lender any assistance with call center staffing or financial aid office staffing.

7. Any employee who is employed in the financial aid office, or who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to education loans or other student financial aid, and who serves on an advisory board, commission, or group established by a lender, guarantor, or group of lenders or guarantors, shall be prohibited from receiving anything of value from the lender, guarantor, or group of lenders or guarantors, except that the employee may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred in serving on such advisory board, commission, or group.

PIA FUNDING PROGRAMS

PIA Memorial Scholarship

10 Memorial Scholarships are awarded each year in the amount of $2,000 each.

Offered at all campuses.

This scholarship is funded by private donors and annual fundraising events.

Download the PDF to complete the application.

PIA Institutional Match Grant

Institutional Match Grant awards available each year limited to up to $1,000 per term.

Offered at all campuses.

Awards are applied to the recipient’s tuition account for the term.

Download the PDF to complete the application.

Additional Student Information

PIA provides a list of properties that have been used by PIA students in the past as well as several new listings. You can access the housing list for each campus below:

Pittsburgh
Hagerstown
Myrtle Beach
Youngstown

PIA provides access to a counseling service that is free to all students: Washington EAP Services. To discover the resources available, contact the service directly by calling 1-800-EAP-LINK (1-800-327-5465) or visit their website. These services are available at every branch of PIA.

Once you are enrolled at PIA (or afterward upon request), you can give PIA written permission for a third party to inquire about your academic progress and attendance. This written permission is necessary due to the regulations under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

TAKE THE NEXT STEPS TOWARD FINDING YOUR PURPOSE