How do I apply for financial aid?
Is my "Expected Family Contribution" the amount of money that I will pay?
How are Budget, Expected Family Contribution, and Financial Need determined?
Is there a maximum amount of aid that I can receive?
How do I accept or decline financial aid?
How does my financial aid affect my bill?
Is there an appeals process for special circumstances to have financial aid re-evaluated?
Are there requirements to maintain eligibility for future financial aid?
What happens if a student resigns during the semester?
How do I apply for financial aid?
Students should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.gov and use Pitt-Greensburg's school code, 008815. Please click here to view step-by-step instructions for applying for financial aid.
What is Verification?
The federal government randomly selects 30% of all FAFSA filers for verification. If selected, the student will receive a Missing Information Notification from Pitt-Greensburg. The student must follow the steps in the notification to send the required documents to us so we can verify the information provided on your FAFSA. If any changes result from the verification review, you will receive an updated financial aid offer.
Is my "Expected Family Contribution" the amount of money that I will pay?
No. The information that you report on the FAFSA is used to calculate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The formula used to determine your EFC is established by law and is used to measure your family’s financial strength based on many factors: family income, assets, parent’s age, and number of people in the household. Your EFC is only a number in the equation used to determine your financial need. The EFC has no correlation to actual tuition, so this is NOT the amount of money the family is expected to pay.
How are Budget, Expected Family Contribution, and Financial Need determined?
Your financial aid eligibility is based on your Financial Need. Financial Need is calculated by subtracting your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from your Cost of Attendance (COA) or Budget.
Cost of Attendance (Budget)
- Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
_____________________________
= Financial Need
Your Cost of Attendance includes all costs associated with attending Pitt-Greensburg: tuition, books, supplies, housing, transportation, fees, and personal expenses. An average budget is used for groups of similar students; for example, all in-state, full-time students who live in University housing have the same budget.
Your Financial Need is the difference between your Cost of Attendance and your Expected Family Contribution. The amount of financial aid that you qualify for may not cover your Financial Need. The University helps to meet this need through a variety of financial resources: grants, scholarships, loans, and student employment. Pitt-Greensburg does NOT guarantee that a student's need will be met. You may choose to apply for a Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan or Alternative Private Loan to help with your actual contribution. In keeping with federal regulation, a student may not borrow over the Cost of Attendance.
Students should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the web at www.fafsa.gov. The federal government will share this information with the state agency and your school to determine eligibility for federal grants, federal loans, state grants, University aid, and some alternative private student loans.
Is there a maximum amount of aid that I can receive?
You are required to report all aid that you receive to the Office of Financial Aid. This includes all private scholarships, grants, veterans' benefits, and tuition remission. Your total aid cannot exceed your Cost of Attendance. If this occurs, the Office of Financial Aid is obligated to reduce or cancel awards made to you from federal, state, or institutional funds.
The determination of your eligibility for financial aid is based on the FAFSA and general information provided by you; e.g. enrollment, housing status, state residency. If any of these factors change, it could affect your financial aid by increasing, reducing, or canceling the amount. A review will take place at the time the Office of Financial Aid becomes aware of the change.
How do I accept or decline financial aid?
If you were offered a Federal Direct Loan and/or a Federal Work Study award that you wish to receive, you must take action to accept the fund(s) in your High PointDashboard. Alternatively, if you do not wish to receive one of these funds, you must decline it. View step-by-step instructions for accepting and declining loan funds here.
How does my financial aid affect my bill?
You must accept your financial aid prior to the date your bill is due. It is a federal regulation that federal aid cannot be applied to your account until 10 days before the term begins. If you've accepted your financial aid and your aid is approved, it will appear as "Anticipated" on your PittPAY statement. You are responsible for paying the remaining balance after the anticipated aid in order to avoid incurring a late fee.
If you are using a loan to pay your balance, please allow 60 days processing time. Most loans are processed for 2 semesters; half will pay into your account for fall and the other half will pay in for spring. If you authorized electronic funds transfer (EFT) on your Master Promissory Note, the funds will be electronically transferred to your account. If you did not or your bank does not participate in the EFT program, then a co-payable check will be mailed from your lender to the school. The Office of Student Accounts will notify you that your loan check has arrived and is waiting for your endorsement.
When is my bill due?
The Office of Student Accounts maintains the student's charges, which are displayed on PittPAY. Paper bills will NOT be sent through the mail. Each term is billed separately after the student registers. Students registered by July 12, the first fall invoice will be available in mid-July. Students registered by November 12, the first spring invoice will be available in mid-November.
Follow these steps to view your bill online:
Log on to my.pitt.edu
Search for "Student Services"
Select "PittPAY"
Select "View Accounts"
Click on "Most Recent eBill"
Students may submit payment by mail to the address provided on the term statement or in-person at the Office of Student Accounts in Millstein Library; check or cash is accepted. Payments by eCheck can be paid online or by telephone at no charge to the student.
The University cannot directly accept credit cards. Pitt has arranged for a third-party vendor to accept American Express, Discover Card, or Master Card when a payment is made online through PittPAY. You will be charged an additional fee of 2.75% of your balance by the vendor for this service. This credit card fee is in addition to tuition, University fees, housing and meal payments. PittPAY can be accessed at my.pitt.edu. Contact the Office of Student Accounts with questions at (724) 836-9908.
You may choose to participate in the Payment Plan if you do not have an existing financial hold. Please contact the Office of Student Accounts for more information about billing procedures.
Is there an appeals process for special circumstances to have financial aid re-evaluated?
Financial aid is based on the 2 tax years prior to the academic year. For example, aid awarded for the 2021-2022 academic year is based on the 2019 tax year. If a family experiences a significant reduction of income since the tax year that your financial aid is based on, the Office of Financial Aid can review the new tax information to determine if it will create a change in your financial aid award. Please contact the Office of Financial Aid to begin this process.
Are there requirements to maintain eligibility for future financial aid?
The student must re-apply each year for financial aid by renewing their FAFSA. The federal government will e-mail information to all students who filed a FAFSA for the previous year describing the process to update the new FAFSA.
In order to continue receiving financial aid, a student must demonstrate Satisfactory Academic Progress. These standards apply to all federal, state, and institutional financial aid, as well as some alternative loans. University scholarships have specific renewal criteria.
Federal and state agencies are not aware of your academic progress when they determine your eligibility for grants. An award letter from them only means that you are financially eligible; Pitt-Greensburg is required to determine if you are also academically eligible. If you do not meet the academic standards, you are not eligible to receive financial aid. You continue to be ineligible until you do meet these standards. The student should review his/her academic progress at the end of each term as it relates to financial aid.
After each term, an annual evaluation is made of your academic performance. If you are denied financial aid because you failed to make academic progress, you can complete summer classes to have the federal aid reinstated. The Office of Financial Aid will mail a letter to students detailing their options.
What happens if a student resigns during the semester?
If you resign from the University during the term, you must contact the Office of Student Accounts and the Office of the Registrar. You may be entitled to a partial reduction of University charges. However by reducing the University charges, your eligibility for aid may change, and some financial aid may be reduced.