Financial Aid

For financial aid for the 2008-2009 academic year, the deadline to
receive federal and state aid for Millersville University is
MAY 1, 2008 - What do you do if you missed this deadline?

For more information, see our website:
2008-2009 FAFSA information

PHEAA NEWS (02/28/08)

Are you planning to move Off-Campus during 2008-2009? (02/12/08)

*NEW* Freshman Checklist Available (for incoming students) (12/19/07)

Financial Aid Awards for 2008-2009 (1/23/08)

Financial Aid Newsletter Available (12/10/07)

Every student must complete an Authorization to Release Information Form for our office to be able to speak with anyone besides the student. (5/1/07)

How do you check your financial aid on MAX? (5/1/06)

Do you need verification of your enrollment (for health insurance or loan deferment)? (5/1/06)

Old Announcements (5/1/06)

Loan funds may be delayed

If you have Edamerica as your lender for your Federal Stafford Loans or your parents are using
them for their Federal PLUS Loans, please note that the funds are delayed. Those funds
should come to Millersville Univeristy on Friday, August 29, 2008, so if you are expecting
a refund from those funds, you will likely not receive them until September 5, 2008. If you
signed up for direct deposit, the funds take 3-5 business days to show in your bank account. If you
did not sign up for direct deposit, the Bursar's Office should mail your check on Tuesday,
Septebmer 2 (Monday is a holiday and the university is closed) to your local address, if you
have one listed. You may update your local address through your MAX account. To
prevent further delay, check your MAX account and be sure your local address is correct.

Why is the amount of my loan that paid to my account different than my award amount?

Lenders/Guarantors are permitted to withhold a percentage of your loan for origination/default fees (up to 2%). If the disbursement amount of your loan is less than your award amount, it is because your lender/guarantor chose to charge fees. Lenders have always been permitted to do this by federal law. In past years, the lenders have waived this fee, however, many lenders are choosing to no longer waive the fee.

DO YOU NEED TO SIGN YOUR FEDERAL STAFFORD LOAN MASTER PROMISSORY NOTE (MPN)?

If you have not yet signed your Master Promissory Note (MPN) for your Federal Stafford Loan, you must do so as soon as possible if you wish to accept your Federal Stafford Loan. We recommend that if you plan to take any types of loans, you take the Federal Stafford Loan first, since it has a lower interest rate and is a federally guaranteed student loan. You can sign your MPN through AES. Click on "Apply Now." If you have not already done so, you will need to create an account and you can sign the MPN using your PIN from your FAFSA.

DO YOU NEED MORE MONEY TO COVER YOUR SEMESTER BILL?

The bills for the Fall semester will be mailed to students around July 14, 2008 and will be due August 6, 2008. Please note that you can view your fall bill online earlier than receiving your bill in the mail - log in to MAX to view your fall bill (during the week of July 14, 2008).

If your financial aid covers your bill entirely (you have a zero balance) or you have a negative balance (expect a refund check), you can easily Clear your bill online.
You must clear your bill to confirm your enrollment for the Spring semester!

If you are receiving a Federal Stafford Loan and have not yet completed the Master Promissory Note (MPN), you can download instructions on how to complete it online or you can complete the paper copy that should have been mailed to you from American Education Services (AES).
(Please note: depending on the speed of your internet connection, this download may be slow).

Attention New Freshman: If you have not yet signed your Master Promissory Note (MPN) for your Federal Stafford Loan, you must do so as soon as possible if you wish to accept your Federal Stafford Loan. We recommend that if you plan to take any types of loans, you take the Federal Stafford Loan first, since it has a lower interest rate and is a federally guaranteed student loan. You can sign your MPN through AES. Click on "Apply Now." If you have not already done so, you will need to create an account and you can sign the MPN using your PIN from your FAFSA.

Attention Returning Students: If you received an email from the Office of Financial
Aid regarding your lender no longer participating in the Federal Stafford Loan
Program, you must complete a new Master Promissory Note (MPN)
after July 1, 2008 and select a new lender. This can be done through AES. Click on "Apply Now." If you have not already done so, you will need to create an account and you can sign the MPN using your PIN from your FAFSA.

If your financial aid does not cover your bill entirely and you need additional funds
to help pay the balance, parents or students can borrow additional loan money.
Credit-worthy parents can borrow under the Federal PLUS Loan program or students
(at least 18 years old) can borrow an Alternative Loan (most students will need a credible
co-signer). For more information on these programs, choose the desired link(s).

We recommend that any student and/or parent apply for the Federal PLUS Loan or Alternative Loan as early as possible so there is adequate time to process your loan application.

Please see below the Recommended Dates for applying for additional aid in the
Federal PLUS Loan (parent) or Alternative Loans (student):


Apply by JUNE 23, 2008	Loans should be processed and credited on the fall semester bill when printed on July 14, 2008. Loans applied for after this date may not be listed as a credit on the student's fall semester bill when it is printed. The loan may be used as a credit towards the fall semester charges ONLY if the loan has been processed by the Office of Financial Aid. Students may log into their MAX account to see if the loan has been processed by checking their financial aid awards.

Apply by JULY 7, 2008	Loans should be processed before fall semester bill is due on August 6, 2008. The loan may be used as a credit towards the fall semester charges ONLY if the loan has been processed by the Office of Financial Aid. Students may log into their MAX account to see if the loan has been processed by checking their financial aid awards. Loans applied for after this date could result in the charge of a late fee on the student's account.

Apply by JULY 21, 2008	Loans should be processed before the Bursar's Office drops schedules for non-payment on August 19, 2008. Loans may not be credited towards the student's fall bill unless processed by the Office of Financial Aid. Students may log into their MAX account to see if the loan has been processed by checking their financial aid awards. Loans applied for after this date could result in the drop of a student's schedule for non-payment by the Bursar's Office.

The Office of Financial Aid is not responsible for any late fees added to a student's account
or for a student's schedule being dropped if ALL paperwork is not completed by the
above recommended dates to allow for adequate processing time.

Why did I lose my financial aid?

If you checked MAX or you received a letter from the Office of Financial Aid that indicated your financial aid has been removed, check the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy.

Due to federal regulations, all students are required to pass a certain number of NEW credits each academic year to be eligible for federal aid.

If you do not receive financial aid, please realize that the federal regulations requires us to review all students, whether they have financial aid or not.

If you wish to know how many credits you need to earn to regain your financial aid eligibility, the STUDENT must call and speak to his/her financial aid counselor - do NOT contact your academic advisor regarding this issue - only someone from financial aid can give you the correct information.

Please also note that parents are NOT permitted to receive the information regarding the number of credits a student has earned or still needs to regain financial aid eligibility - even if there is the Authorization to Release Information Form on file - that form only permits us to discuss financial aid awards and requirements. Because the credit information is too closely related to a student's grades, federal law (FERPA) prohibits us from speaking to anyone but the student on this issue.

The Federal Appeal deadline is June 13, 2008. If you submit your appeal by the June 13 deadline, then you will hear from the Office of Financial Aid regarding the decision. If you submit your appeal after that deadline, appeals will not be reviewed until after September 12, 2008.
There are NO EXCEPTIONS to the deadline.

You can download the Appeal Form to appeal for FEDERAL aid
(this appeal form is not for the PA State Grant).

If you lost your PA State Grant, then you can appeal with PHEAA by downloading
and completing their Appeal form. You must send this form to Millersville University Office of Financial Aid and we will send it directly to PHEAA for you. Our mailing address is:
Millersville University
Office of Financial Aid
PO Box 1002
Millersville PA 17551

Are your housing plans for the 2008-2009 academic year different than what you originally indicated on the FAFSA?

You may have received a letter from the Office of Financial Aid indicating your outstanding requirements (not all students receive this letter) or your awards for the 2008-2009 academic year. The housing status would be listed on these letters. If your housing status is different than what is indicated, you can complete the 2008-2009 Housing Status Change Form.

Changes to Federal Stafford Loan Amounts and Changes to the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) and the National SMART Grant due to law signed by President Bush on May 7, 2008

President Bush signed a law on May 7, 2008 that made some significant changes to the Federal Stafford Loan program as well as the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) and National SMART Grant. Please use the links within this text to see the changes to the individual programs.

Student Loan Information for 2008-2009

Despite some troubling reports in the media, students will be able to borrow federal student loans and receive financial aid this fall. The federal government and student loan companies have assured colleges that they will not allow recent developments in the credit markets to prevent students from getting loans. Below is a list of myths and facts about the availability of student aid for fall 2008.

	MYTH:	Financial aid will not be available to students this fall because troubles in the real estate lending industry have affected student aid.
	FACT:	Financial aid will be available to students. The credit crunch caused by troubles in the real estate lending industry has no effect on most financial aid including (but not limited to) Pell Grants, Federal Work Study, and education tax benefits.
	MYTH:	Students won't be able to get *federal* student loans due to the credit crunch.
	FACT:	Students should have no problem getting *federal* student loans.
	MYTH:	Students won't be able to get *private or alternative* student loans due to the credit crunch.
	FACT:	Only a few students (some estimate as few as 5%) will have trouble getting *private or alternative* education loans.
	MYTH:	Students with too much money don't qualify for federal student loans.
	FACT:	Students can borrow federal Stafford Loans no matter how much money they have. Needier students are eligible for additional benefits.
	MYTH:	Students with bad or no credit can't borrow student loans.
	FACT:	Students can borrow *federal* loans even if they have bad credit or no credit.
	MYTH:	If school costs more than federal loans provide, students have to borrow private loans.
	FACT:	Federal, state and local governments offer a wide range of financial aid for students. Professionals in the financial aid office can recommend many options including (but not limited to) Federal Perkins and PLUS Loans. Private loans should only be used as a last resort.

You may also download this form from our Downloadable Information Center.

PHEAA NEWS

Many people have recently heard news about PHEAA "running out of money" and seem to be a little confused about the news. The credit crunch you have heard about with the sub-prime mortgage business is also affecting lenders who provide student loans. Therefore, PHEAA will no longer participate as a lender for students. PHEAA will continue to guarantee and service loans for students. The only change is that PHEAA will no longer participate as a lender. There are other loan companies who will no longer participate and process Federal Stafford Loans. Any student who currently has a Federal Stafford Loan with a lender who is no longer processing those loans will receive a letter from our office to notify them of this. These students will need to complete a new Master Promissory Note (MPN) and select a new lender once we process his/her loan for the 2008-2009 academic year. The loan applications will still be completed on AES's website, but you will not be able to select AES/PHEAA as a lender. There is a drop-down box which will allow you to select a lender participating in the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP).

You can view more information on AES/PHEAA's website.

2008-2009 FAFSA Information

Please see our webpage for more information.

For all students, no paper FAFSAs are available - you must complete your FAFSA on the Web at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

If you wish to have a paper copy mailed to you, you must contact the Federal Processor at
1-800-433-3243 - these forms are NOT available in our office - you must request it be mailed to you.

Please realize that completing the FAFSA online is a much faster and more efficient way to complete the application.

Planning to move Off-campus?

For more information check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

Freshman Checklist

If you plan to enroll at Millersville University for the Fall 2008 Semester, download our
Freshman Checklist for information on how to receive financial aid.
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Wondering when you will receive information
about your eligibility for financial aid?

Please view our Frequently Asked Questions regarding this topic.

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Are you planning to take summer courses in 2008?

If so, and you plan to use financial aid to help you,
check out our website on Summer Financial Aid.

There is a Summer Aid Application that MUST be completed for all types of aid - federal loans and grants, state grant, and Alternative or PLUS loans.

If you are applying for a PA State Grant from PHEAA for the 2008 Summer session,
there is a separate application you must complete.
These applications are available in the Office of Financial Aid.

Are you expecting financial aid for the Summer, but have not heard from our office?

In order to received federal or state aid for Summer, you must:

1. Be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
2. Have completed a Summer Aid Application - on our website about Summer Aid

If you are looking for an Alternative Loan, you must:

1. Apply for the Alternative Loan on their website - information on Alternative Lenders is available on our website.
2. Have completed a Summer Aid Application - on our website about Summer Aid

Financial Aid Newsletter

The Office of Financial Aid Newsletter, "Money For College" is now available to view online or download.

*Important Information for ALL Students*

Every student needs to have an "Authorization to Release Information Form" on file in order for anyone (including parents) other than the student to receive information pertaining to the student's financial aid record. If no form is on file with the Office of Financial Aid, only the student may access his/her financial aid information.

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How do I check my financial aid on MAX?

You can check your financial aid requirements, awards, and payments all online.
Here are instructions on how to manuever through MAX.

(Please note that we are currently updating this page and not all instructions are available at this time.)

Enrollment Verification

The Registrar's Office is responsible for processing requests for
verification of enrollment for health insurance or loan deferment.
Please see the Registrar's website regarding Enrollment Verification for more information.

Old Announcements

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*NEW*

Financial Aid Forms Center

Financial Aid Downloadable Information Center

Page maintained by: Tonya Anthony, Office of Financial Aid
For additional information, contact the Financial Aid Staff
Last updated 08/27/08

Financial Aid