FAFSA completed but no PA state grant notification - deadline approaching?
I finished my FAFSA back in February for the 2025-2026 year, got my SAI score within 2 weeks, but still haven't heard ANYTHING about my Pennsylvania state grant. My college's financial aid portal shows 'Pending PA State Grant' with zero dollar amount. I'm seriously stressing because my family is counting on that money (like $4800 last year) to cover housing costs. Has anyone from PA received their state grant notification yet? The PHEAA website just says 'processing' when I check. Is there a specific deadline I should be worried about? My sister needs to know if she has to get a second job this summer to help cover my expenses.
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Miguel Ramos
Pennsylvania state grants are typically processed after your FAFSA is complete AND after you complete the PA State Grant Form on the PHEAA website. Did you also complete that form? Many students miss this step. The state grants are usually finalized by mid-July, so you're not late yet, but I would double-check that you've completed both required applications.
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Ava Thompson
•Wait what??? There's a separate PA form??? Oh no. I thought the FAFSA automatically sent my info to PHEAA. Where do I find this form?? Is it too late to apply now???
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Zainab Ibrahim
Don't panic yet! Log into your account at pheaa.org and look for the State Grant Form. PA has a May 1 deadline for first-time applicants and August 1 for renewal applicants. If you're a returning student, you still have time. The form takes about 15 minutes to complete. They ask additional questions that aren't on the FAFSA about your housing plans (commuting vs. on-campus) and a few other PA-specific things.
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Ava Thompson
•THANK YOU! Just logged in and you're right - there's a form waiting for me to complete. I had no idea. My high school counselor never mentioned this when we went through the FAFSA process. Will complete it today!
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StarSailor
this happens EVERY year lol. PA is super annoying with their extra form. my brother lost his grant freshman yr bc he didn't know. it's stupid they don't make it clearer!!
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Connor O'Brien
•RIGHT?? The whole system is designed to be confusing so they can keep the money. My roommate had the same issue last year and PHEAA told her it was "her responsibility" to know about all the forms. How would she know if nobody tells her???
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Yara Sabbagh
After you submit the state grant form, call PHEAA directly to confirm they received it and to check your status. Their phone system is awful though - I spent 2 hours on hold last month trying to fix an error on my form. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a human. They called PHEAA for me and connected me once an agent was on the line. Saved me so much time! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ
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Ava Thompson
•Thanks for the tip! Just submitted my PA form and will definitely call to confirm. Will check out that service if I can't get through - their phone system has always been horrible.
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Keisha Johnson
I've been dealing with PA state grants for 3 years now. They are ALWAYS late with notifications. Last year I didn't get my final award amount until July 28th. For the 2025-2026 year, they've announced they're behind schedule due to the FAFSA changes. You can call them at 1-800-692-7392, but prepare to wait. Their website also has a chat feature that sometimes works better than calling.
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Paolo Rizzo
•Yep same. For what it's worth, I just got my PA state grant notification yesterday, and I submitted everything back in January. Seems like they're working through the backlog. Hang tight!
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StarSailor
another thing ppl don't know is that u can appeal ur PA state grant amount if ur family situation changed! My dad lost his job after we filed and they increased mine by like $1200 after i sent proof
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Connor O'Brien
The whole system is RIGGED!!!! I've been fighting with PHEAA for THREE YEARS. They keep saying my parents make too much but they don't consider that I have 2 siblings in college too!!!! And they count my stepdad's income even though he doesn't pay for my school! It's ALL BROKEN. Good luck getting a straight answer from anyone there.
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Zainab Ibrahim
•Actually, PHEAA does consider siblings in college - there should be a question about that on both the FAFSA and the State Grant Form. If they aren't counting your siblings, you should request a review. And regarding step-parent income, that's a federal FAFSA rule, not specific to PA. All states follow the same household definition rules established by the Department of Education.
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Miguel Ramos
Quick update on deadlines: For the 2025-2026 academic year, even though the FAFSA had major changes, Pennsylvania kept the same state grant deadlines: May 1 for new students and August 1 for returning students. So the original poster still has time to complete the State Grant Form. One other tip - make sure your college is listed as your first choice on the PA form, as some schools offer matching grants for state grant recipients.
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Ava Thompson
•Form is submitted! Thanks everyone for the help. Really appreciate the deadline clarification - that gives me some relief. Will update once I hear back about my award amount.
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Ava Thompson
Hey Ava! So glad you found the PA State Grant Form and got it submitted! Just wanted to add that once you do get your award notification, make sure to accept it through your PHEAA account - I made the mistake of thinking it was automatic my first year and almost lost my funding. Also, if your family's financial situation changes at all during the school year (job loss, medical expenses, etc.), you can file a special circumstances appeal even after the award is finalized. PHEAA is slow but they do work with students when there are legitimate changes. Fingers crossed you get the full amount you're expecting!
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Andre Laurent
•Wait, I'm confused - are you responding to yourself? Your member ID is the same as the original poster's. But thanks for the tip about accepting the award through PHEAA! I'm new to this whole process and didn't know you had to manually accept it. That could have been a disaster if I just assumed it was automatic. Good to know about the special circumstances appeals too - my mom's hours got cut at work recently so that might be helpful info.
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