When it comes to financial aid, many students rely heavily on grants to pay for their tuition. Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, or PHEAA, issues a state grant every year for students who meet their eligibility requirements such as financial need and satisfactory academic performance.
However, with new system changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the state grant had been delayed well into the fall semester and many students have struggled to adapt. The FAFSA usually opens in early October but was delayed until late December 2023.
Over the summer, PHEAA developed a new grant program and website called GrantUs. This new system was meant to modernize the grant process to serve more students. Students would be emailed by [email protected] and invited to create a new account on the platform. The account creation process was the first step in applying for the grant. Many first received GrantUs emails in mid-July, but many more would not receive them until late August.
In August, news stations like ABC27 began reporting on the alarming delay: Normally, PHEAA would receive a student’s FAFSA information and “arrive at an award amount by mid-August.”
During the modernization of the award process and the delay of the award amounts, many low-income students struggled to pay for their semesters and had to wait to receive any news of their award amounts. This process left not only students in the dark but many financial aid offices across Pennsylvania, as well.
The Department of Education had planned to transform its national financial aid services, such as FAFSA, which resulted in changes to its system. The changes included fewer questions on the application, accessibility in more languages, and a listing of more colleges. It was meant to make the platform easier to use for students and parents but the changes delayed the FAFSA process.
First, the amounts were projected to be issued in September but were further delayed until early to mid-October. Glitches in the system only enhanced the delay, but by early November, schools could see and review students’ award amounts, and students could be issued their refunds.
Unfortunately, by mid-November, many students still had not received their grants, although, PHEAA claimed to be working closely with higher education institutions to verify fund amounts. This resulted in “additional time to reach student accounts as award verification activities occur between PHEAA and schools,”
Across the state, many students still hope to receive their long-awaited refund as the fall semester comes to an end. For the 2025-2026 year, FAFSA applications will open on Dec. 1 and, students will receive their grant award a little earlier for next fall semester.
