Stay Informed!

Josephs: Students should take advantage of PHEAA and fill out FAFSA

HARRISBURG, Jan. 17 – State Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Phila., reminded students that they should fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

The FAFSA is the application used by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency to determine eligibility for the State Grant, and the application that most colleges and universities use to determine student financial aid packages.

In addition to offering the FAFSA online, PHEAA has also enhanced its Web site to help students take advantage of other products and services the agency has to offer.

"Applying for financial aid is one of the most important steps of the college application process," Josephs said. "Students must reapply for each year they're in college, so familiarizing themselves with the PHEAA Web site and FAFSA process now will save confusion -- and possibly missed deadlines -- in the future."

The PHEAA Web site, www.PHEAA.org, has been updated with improved navigation, functionality and content. It now features a college calendar documenting what high school seniors should be doing in the college application process. The calendar allows students to add events to online calendars hosted by other Web sites; students may also filter events by priority.

PHEAA will be hosting more than 50 workshops statewide to familiarize students, parents and guidance counselors with the process of applying for the FAFSA. These workshops will run from January to March, but most will be held on Feb. 9. A schedule of these workshops is available at www.pheaa.org/fafsa. This Web site also has a Web Worksheet to walk users through the process step by step.

While the deadline for the FAFSA is a couple of months away, Josephs recommended that students apply as soon as possible to help ensure they receive student aid.

For more information about financial aid, students and their parents can visit Josephs' Web site at www.pahouse.com/josephs, or call her office at 215-893-1515.