Apply for Financial Aid

Financial Aid Application Process 

Step 1: Apply for a federal username and password at www.fsaid.ed.gov. Both parents and students must apply for separate username and passwords.

Step 2: Complete the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov or with a paper form available from your high school guidance office. The FAFSA can be completed as early as January 1. We recommend completing the FAFSA as soon as you file your taxes. You can use your prior year’s tax information to complete an estimated FAFSA; however, you will need to update your information once your taxes are filed.

Step 3: Once the FAFSA is complete, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) from the Federal Government. The SAR will contain a number known as the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC figure is determined by the Federal Government on the following submissions: income (parent and student), assets, tax liabilities, family size and number of members of the household enrolled in college. The EFC is used to determine federal and state eligibility for need-based financial aid.

Step 4: The Office of Financial Aid will send you a Financial Aid Award Package once you have received your SAR (around the middle of March).

Please note: May 1 is the FAFSA deadline for Pennsylvania State Grant consideration.  PHEAA's Distance Education Policy has changed beginning Fall 2013.  Please review the policy and submit necessary information to the Financial Aid Office every semester you are enrolled. 

Eligibility

In order to receive Saint Francis University Institutional Aid (Institutional merit aid, Athletic scholarship, University grants, Endowed University scholarships, etc.) full-time dependent (as determined by Federal guidelines) undergraduate students are required to do one of the following:

• Live in University owned or operated housing includes Residence Halls, University owned apartments/houses/townhouses, and University operated rentals.
• Commute from primary home of parent or legal guardian as long as the home is within a 40 mile radius of the campus.
• Be registered with the university as a dependent of a current Saint Francis University employee and receiving tuition remission benefits.

To be eligible for institutional aid, students who commute from the home of a parent or legal guardian or are dependents of a SFU employee and receiving tuition remission benefits must be registered with the Office of Residence Life and approved as a commuter. If a student chooses to live off-campus (private residence, apartment, etc.) they do so with the understanding that they will forfeit Saint Francis University institutional aid. If a student fraudulently reports that they are commuting from home to the Office of Residence Life and are found to be living off-campus, the University reserves the right to revoke institutional aid and disciplinary action may be taken. A Saint Francis University student housing contract is for two semesters.

• Complete Application for Admissions through the Graduate Department you are seeking acceptance.
• To receive a Financial Aid Package you must first be accepted to Saint Francis University.  Please contact the Graduate Department you are seeking acceptance to for Admissions information. 
• Complete Free Application for Federal Student Aid or update Federal school code on FAFSA (003366) so Financial Aid receives information. 
• Please contact any loan agencies to update enrollment status with Saint Francis University information.
• Complete Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling for Federal Stafford Loan.  Available at www.studentloans.gov. 
• For Alternative Loan information, please visit www.elmselect.com.
• Complete insurance form in Business Office.
• Payment plan options available through CashNet and you can enroll through the my.francis.edu portal. 
• Make sure balance is paid to avoid interest charges and registration holds.  
• Please work with Financial Aid if additional funding options are needed. 

• Complete Application for Admissions (Admissions Office or Continuing Education).
• To receive a Financial Aid Package you must first be accepted to Saint Francis University.  Please reference the Admissions or Continuing Education homepages to view acceptance information and guidelines.
• Apply for a federal student ID (if completing the FAFSA online) at www.fsaid.ed.gov.  The Federal Pin will be used for electronically signing and saving FAFSA information once completed.
• Complete Free Application for Federal Student Aid online at www.fafsa.ed.gov or with a paper form available at your high school guidance counselor's office and our financial aid office.  Saint Francis University's federal code is (003366).  For FAFSA technical questions you can contact FAFSA by dialing 1-800-433-3243, or you can contact our Financial Aid Office.
• Once the FAFSA is submitted, you will receive a Financial Aid Package from our office. 
• Please Note: MAY 1 IS THE FAFSA DEADLINE FOR PHEAASTATE GRANT CONSIDERATION if you are a Pennsylvania resident.
• You will receive an estimated bill from the Business Office in early July.  Once received, we recommend exploring our Balance Payment Options link for ways to finance your education. 
• Complete Master Promissory Note for Federal Stafford Loan and Stafford Loan Entrance Counseling.  Please visit www.studentloans.gov.
• Complete insurance form in Business Office.
• Payment plan options available 
  • Payment plan options available through CashNet and you can enroll through the my.francis.edu portal. 
• For Alternative Loan information, please visit www.elmselect.com.
• Make sure balance is paid to avoid interest charges and registration holds.  Please work with Financial Aid if additional funding options are needed.

Federal PLUS Loan: Must File a FAFSA to be considered.

Parent PLUS Loan: When undergraduate students need funding beyond the Stafford or Perkins Loan, parents may need to consider the PLUS Loan.  A Parent PLUS loan is in the parent's name.  If a parent takes out the loan for the fall/ spring semesters, two equal payments will be disbursed; once the second disbursement is credited to the student's account (usually January), repayment on the loan will then begin.  If Parents are denied the Parent PLUS Loan, an additional Unsubsidized Stafford Loan can be credited to the student's account. For students with less than 60 credits,$4,000 can be credited in an unsubsidized Stafford loan; for students with more than 60 credits, $5,000 can be credited in an unsubsidized Stafford loan.   To apply, please visit www.studentloans.gov and complete your Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling. You can log on using your FSA ID. If you need to request a copy of your ID, please visit www.fsaid.ed.gov

Summer Stafford Loans

If you are taking classes through the summer semesters, you are eligible for a summer Stafford Loan only if you: are enrolled at least half time (6 or more credits), and you have completed the year prior FAFSA.  Here at Saint Francis, our summer months are used as a "trailer" to the academic year, meaning our academic semesters go: fall, spring, summer.  Therefore, to apply for a summer Stafford Loan, we must have the prior year's FAFSA on record.  Please note: students enrolled in summer classes are not eligible for summer institutional aid.  However, in some cases PHEAA awarded students may be eligible for summer state aid.  For additional questions and concerns, please contact the financial aid office.  To receive summer Stafford Loans, a summer Stafford Loan Request Form must be submitted to the Office of Financial Aid no later than May 1. 

Please visit www.studentloans.gov and complete your Master Promissory Note (MPN) and entrance counseling.  You can log onto this site using your FSA ID. To access your FSA ID, you can visit www.fsaid.ed.gov.   

Summer Aid for Junior Physician Assistants and Occupational Therapists

Both the Physician Assistant and Occupational Therapy Departments require that all students enrolled in the curricula attend classes full time (12+ credits) the summer between their Junior and Senior years.  Therefore, these students are eligible for federal, state, and institutional aid ONLY if they are enrolled for 12 or more credits.  If a qualifying student is eligible for the PHEAA state grant, the usual term of consideration is 8 semesters.  However, since PA and OT students are required to attend this summer, an extension is submitted to PHEAA to allow for an additional semester for the given students totaling 9 semesters of consideration.  For questions concerning the curricula, please contact the appropriate departments.  For financial aid questions pertaining to these unique situations, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.

• Utilizing your  FSA ID, you can file the FASFA.  If you misplace or forget your pin, you  can visit  www.fsaid.ed.gov.  Your pin will then be sent to you via email.  
  If you do not apply online, paper versions of the FAFSA are available in the Office of Financial Aid. 
• Complete the FAFSA.  The Federal school code for Saint Francis University is: 003366. 
• Please Note: MAY 1 IS THE FAFSA DEADLINE FOR PHEAA STATE GRANT CONSIDERATION if you are a Pennsylvania resident.
• Once the FAFSA is submitted, you will receive a Financial Aid Package from our office in June. 
• You will receive an estimated bill from the Business Office in early July.  Once received, we recommend exploring our Balance Payment Options link for ways to finance your education. 
• Complete Perkins Promissory Note in Business Office.  Every year if eligible.
• Payment plan options available through CashNET.  Information available by calling 1-877-405-4937.
• Make sure balance is paid to avoid interest charges and registration holds.  
• Please work with Financial Aid if additional funding options are needed. 

• To be eligible for federal and institutional financial aid, students at Saint Francis University must be making satisfactory academic progress towards their degree as defined below. Federal student aid includes Federal PELL Grant, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Work-Study Program, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Direct Subsidized Loan, Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, and Direct PLUS Loan.
• Once degree students have completed two semesters of enrollment, their academic records will be reviewed on a regular basis to determine whether they are making satisfactory academic progress as shown below. During each two semesters (normally one academic year, fall and spring), students will be required to complete a minimum number of credits, depending on the type of program. This review will be done each time final grades are posted.
• Progress is checked two ways depending on when you started full-time enrollment. For example: if you begin the fall semester, your progress will be checked at the end of the spring semester. At this time, you must have maintained satisfactory progress in order to receive aid for the following academic year. If you begin in the spring, your progress will be checked at the end of the following fall semester. At that time, you must have maintained satisfactory progress in order to receive aid for the upcoming spring and fall semesters.
• Any dropped, repeated or failed credits are not counted toward progress. Credits dropped, repeated or failed need to be taken during the summer sessions within the same academic year to ensure continuance of financial aid.
• Credits to be included in total number completed are those for which the student receives a grade of A, B, C, D, or P (credit by examination). Credit for which the student receives a grade of W, WP, WF, or I will not be included, although "I" (Incomplete) grades which result in a determination of unsatisfactory progress may be reviewed upon completion of course work. Incomplete grades not completed within six weeks of the ensuing semester are computed as "Fs." Educational Enrichment courses which are satisfactorily completed will be counted as credit equivalency toward the student's progress. Once students have completed sixty (60) credit hours, a "C" (2.0) average must be maintained for continuance of financial aid.

Time Frame
Saint Francis expects students enrolled in degree programs to complete all required course work within a given amount of time; therefore, students may receive financial aid for a maximum number of semesters.

• Qualitative Standard - Students must achieve the minimal Grade Point Average as set forth by the University and listed in the section "Academic Policies and Procedures; Academic Dismissal and Probation". Students who fail to attain this standard are only eligible for financial assistance if reinstated by the Committee on Academic Support (CAS).
• Quantitative Standard - Students are expected to progress toward degree requirements at a reasonable pace. Students that attempt 12 or fewer credits per semester must earn 100% of the credits, if you attempt 10 credits you must earn 10 credits and so on. Students that attempt 13-14 credits per semester must earn 90% of the credits (minimum of 12 credits/semester). Students that attempt 15+ credits per semester must earn 80% of the credits (minimum of 12 credits/semester).
• Change of Major - Students who change majors will be allotted the amount of time needed to complete the new program without regard to time spent in previous course work provided the student was making satisfactory progress at the time of change.
• Second Degree - Financial aid for a second degree will be awarded to students only after they present a statement from an advisor indicating the additional courses necessary for the second degree. Financial aid will be awarded for those credits required for the additional degree.
• Transfer Students - Course work transferred to and accepted by Saint Francis University will be included in the evaluation of credits completed toward a degree. Transfer credits earned at other institutions which are applied to the student's program of study at Saint Francis University will be counted as both credits attempted and earned when determining the maximum number of semesters a student may receive financial aid. Transfer credits will be considered at a rate of twelve (12) semester credits equal to one semester.
• Students who have received prior state grant assistance at another institution must submit a copy of their final college transcript to the Registrar's Office at Saint Francis University. Academic progress requirements for the PHEAA State Grant program require the University to verify that you were successfully making academic progress at your prior institution before transferring to Saint Francis University. PHEAA State Grant funds will not be credited to a student's account until the needed transcripts are received and progress has been confirmed.
• Part-time Students - When a student receives financial aid, the government and school will expect that student to make Academic Progress. This means that the student must pass all credits attempted each semester. If a student withdraws from school, drops a class, or repeats a class, financial aid can be affected during the semester that the student is enrolled or in future semesters.
• Termination - At the end of every academic year, a student who fails to meet the requirements set forth for satisfactory academic progress will be notified in writing by the Financial Aid Office that all federal and institutional aid will be terminated.
• Reinstatement - A student who fails to make satisfactory progress may apply for reinstatement through the following procedures:
  • A. A student must attain a level of progress commensurate with the time spent in school (see Standards of Progress).
  • B. If a student takes course work at another school, the student must submit an official transcript to the Registrar's Office and the credits must be accepted by Saint Francis University toward the student's diploma or degree.     
  • C. The student must upon completion of course work notify the Financial Aid Office in writing that he/she wishes to be considered for reinstatement of aid eligibility.
  • D. The Financial Aid Office will notify students in writing after determining whether sufficient progress has been made to merit reinstatement.
• Appeals - Students denied financial aid due to lack of academic progress or because they have exhausted the maximum number of semesters for which they are eligible to receive aid may appeal if extenuating circumstances exist. Academic progress waivers may be granted for medical emergency/illness of student, spouse, or child; death of parent, spouse, child; or other documented extenuating circumstance.
  • All appeals must be made in writing to the Financial Aid Office and accompanied by significant documentation to validate the student's reason for not making satisfactory academic progress and what has changed to allow them to make satisfactory progress at the next evaluation. The appeal request will be reviewed and the student will be notified in writing of the results of the appeal.
  • It is the policy of the Financial Aid Office to waive a maximum of six (6) credits toward satisfactory academic progress. If the student is still short credits after the waiver is granted, it is the student's responsibility to complete the remaining credits to be considered for reinstatement of aid eligibility. Failure to do so will result in the termination of future financial aid.

Our Office is located in Padua Hall and we are open Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

You may call us at 814-472-3010 or email finaid@francis.edu.