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In the News: AES/PHEAA
and Stafford Loans;
Student Loan Limits Increase; Change in Parent PLUS loan
The announcement that
AES/PHEAA has temporarily suspended making any new loans has no effect
on the agency's primary function as a state grant agency. PHEAA
will continue to award state grants to eligible students who have filed a FAFSA
by the May 1 deadline.
AES/PHEAA's decision means
that they will continue to be the guarantor and servicer of many educational
loans in Pennsylvania, but that they will no longer be the lender, or bank
from which students and parents can borrow money. From now on,
students and parents will be asked to chose a lender (bank, credit union or
savings and loan association) other than PHEAA. More.... A list of
participating lenders is located
here.
Current students who already have loans with AES/PHEAA will find
that their loans are still federally insured and carry all the same terms
and conditions as at the time they were issued. AES/PHEAA will be
sending you a letter asking you to choose another lender for your loan.
A list of lenders will be included.
The amount of money that
students can borrow through the federal Stafford Student Loan program has
increased. Please view the new amounts
here.
As of July 1, 2008, parents who
are approved for PLUS loans (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students) do not
have to begin repayment of those loans until their student has graduated
from college.
Incoming students and their
parents may apply online for federal Stafford and PLUS loans by using the
icons below. A list of participating lenders is available at this
site.
New! Federal
Grants
TEACH Grant:
A new federal grant that
provides up to $4000 to students who intend to teach in a high need field
(Bilingual Education, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Reading Specialist,
Science, and Special Education) in a public or private elementary or
secondary school that serves students from low-income families.
Interested students should have a FAFSA on file (although financial need is
not a requirement), and maintain a cumulative grade point average of at
least a 3.25. TEACH grants are available to undergraduate, graduate, and
post-baccalaureate students. Recipients of TEACH Grants must teach for
at least four academic years within eight calendar years of completing the
program of study for which you received a TEACH Grant. IMPORTANT:
TEACH recipients who fail to complete the service obligation will have their
TEACH Grants converted to interest-bearing Federal Direct Unsubsidized
Loans. Interest will be
charged from the day the Grant was disbursed.
More....
ACG Grants:
Academic Competitiveness Grants are available to incoming freshmen who
graduated high school in 2006, and to sophomores who graduated in
2005, with a "rigorous curriculum." The determination of a "rigorous
curriculum" is made by the state or local education agency, and the high
school must be recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. Freshmen
are eligible for $750, and sophomores are eligible for $1300.
Sophomores must have a cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.00.
Students must have a current FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student
Aid) on file, must be eligible for the federal PELL grant (have an Expected
Family Contribution of 4110 or lower), must be US citizens, and must be
enrolled full time in a two- or four-year degree program.
SMART Grant:
National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grants
are available to juniors and seniors who are majoring in physical, life or
computer sciences, mathematics, technology engineering or in a foreign
language determined to be critical to national security. Recipients must be
PELL eligible, US citizens enrolled full time in a four-year degree program
with a cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.00. The maximum
award is $4000 per year. National Smart Grant recipients must enroll in at
least one required course in their major each semester to remain eligible
for the grant.
More federal and state grants
Financial Aid Timeline for
Incoming Students here
Financial Aid Estimator
Would you like to know your
estimated expected family contribution (EFC) before you file the
FAFSA? Visit
FAFSA4caster.
Online college and career
planning resource
EducationPlanner includes an
Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
calculator, a career key personality assessment,
information on hundreds of careers, including national and state-level
salary data and details on the hottest careers; and test prep exams for the GED, PSAT, SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE, and MCAT. The site also includes a
comprehensive scholarship database (including the nation's only graduate
scholarship database), information on nationwide distance
education and information for athletes, with links to the NCAA clearinghouse,
and a link to careers in the military. Information is also available for
adult learners.
Online One Stop Shop
Conduct all of your
University business from one site! The "Current Students" link of Clarion's home page has
been redesigned, so that you can do nearly everything on-line, including
viewing your financial aid, registering for classes, viewing your grades, buying textbooks, accessing BlackBoard, paying your bill, applying for housing, and much more.
Visit Student One Stop
Student
Guide to Credit
Never learned to balance your
checkbook? Don't understand how credit works? Wonder what a
budget is for? You're not alone!
Here
is a great
site to check out to figure out these little mysteries of life.
Guaranteed College Savings Plan
TAP 529, Pennsylvania's
college savings plan, is available through the Pennsylvania State Treasury
Department and offers a tax advantage for parents who are planning for their
child's college education.
Call 1-800-440-4000 for more
information, or visit www.tap529.com
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Office of Financial Aid
104 Egbert Hall
Clarion University
Clarion, PA 16214
Phone: 814-393-2315
Toll-free: 800-672-7171
TTY/TDD: 814-393-1601
Fax: 814-393-2520
Office hours: Mon-Fri
8:30am-5:00pm
Title IV Federal School Code: 003318
Undergraduate Catalog
 Need
Money For College??
www.fastweb.com
Free Scholarship Search
McKelvey
Scholarship Foundation
www.mckelveyfoundation.org |
