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.
- Apply for aid. Start with the FAFSA. Our School Code is 005310
- 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
- Accept what you want from your offer. Decide what aid you wish to accept and do the paperwork to make it official.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
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.
- Federal Pell Grant. The Federal Pell Grant is the foundation for all other financial aid. Year-round Pell allows a student to be offered up to 150 percent of the annual Pell award amount if the student is taking summer classes, too. The Federal Pell Grant is offered a maximum of 12 full-time semesters (or the equivalent).
- Pennsylvania State Grant . Pennsylvania State Grants administered by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) are provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to residents. There is a lifetime limit of eight full-time semesters for PA State Grants. Students must be a PA resident attending the Pittsburgh Campus
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.
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- 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:
- FAFSA Facts and Fiction: Get the Truth- and the Money You Need for College
- Six Items and 22 Minutes: All You Need to Fill Out the FAFSA
- Financial Aid Vocab Cheat Sheet
- Job Loss and the FAFSA: Three Steps to Take When Your Family Finances Shift
Complete Master Promissory Note(MPN)
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.
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.
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.
PIA Institutional Match Grant
36 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.