Completing the FAFSA
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year online.
- Create a FSA ID to complete and sign the FAFSA. Parents of dependent students must create their own FSA ID in order to sign the FAFSA.
- Be certain to enter their correct Social Security number on the application.
- Add the PHSC school code 010652.
- Prior, Prior Year (PPY). Beginning with the 2017-2018 award year, student and their families will provide income and tax information from the tax year one year earlier than has been used in the past. Therefore, the 2023-2024 FAFSA will collect information from the 2021 tax year.
After Your FAFSA is Submitted
- Upon completing the application, students and parents may sign with their FSA ID. If not, students must print the FAFSA signature page, affix the appropriate signatures, and mail the document to the Central Processing Center.
- Central Processing Center will perform the calculation to determine the student's financial aid eligibility.
- The student should receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) within one to three days after the FAFSA is submitted. The SAR is the official determination by the Department of Education (DOE) about whether or not the student qualifies for different types of federal assistance. If a student receives a SAR that indicates they do not qualify for federal assistance, they should contact the Financial Aid Office to determine if alternative sources are available.
- Review the SAR carefully and make corrections to any errors on the processed FAFSA.
- Students should monitor their WISE online student system account closely after they receive their SAR and are welcome to contact their Financial Aid Office.
SAR Corrections
PHSC's financial aid office processes and submits corrections electronically for the SAR to the Department of Education. The DOE transmits the correction to their services, Central Processing Center (CPS), who is contracted to process the financial aid applications. The procedures for corrections and updates apply to all federal student aid applicants.
The Financial Aid Office will download the SAR into the PHSC student' records system and process the corrected application. Within three to five business days, the student will receive an acknowledgment notice from the CPS once the submitted correction is processed. The Financial Aid Office then receives the corrected SAR electronically. Upon electronic receipt of the corrected SAR, the Financial Aid Office will complete the student's financial aid file.
All corrected SAR's must be submitted or received electronically by June 30, 2024 for the 2023-2024 academic year. Failure to provide the documentation necessary to complete the verification process by the established deadline may result in loss or repayment of financial aid awarded.
All information and documentation submitted by the student and/or parent must be accurate and authentic. Students who purposely give false or misleading information may be fined, sentenced to jail, or both.
What is Verification?
Your FAFSA may be selected by the Department of Education for their verification process. If your application is selected for verification, be certain to monitor your student WISE account under the Financial Aid Information tab for a list of required documentation needed to complete this process.
Awarding Process
After the student's financial aid file is completed, the student will receive an award letter via the student's myPHSC email account indicating their eligibility for assistance or an ineligibility notification stating they do not qualify for grant programs.
We recommend students monitor their myPHSC email and WISE accounts frequently during the awarding process in order to provide necessary requested and missing documentation and to review the status of their financial aid file.
Financial Aid Refund Process
The Financial Aid Office applies financial aid funds to pay tuition and fees. If additional funds remain after the payment of tuition, fees and book charges, the student will receive a balance refund check within 14 days of awarding, or within 14 days of the last day of drop/add, whichever occurs last. Students will receive their select refund preference with BankMobile.