How To Apply for Financial Aid

STEP 1
Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The federal government encourages students to apply on-line with FAFSA on the Web at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The government will share this information with your state agency and with your school to help determine federal grants, federal loans, state grants, aid administered by the University and some alternative student loans.

Internet
Prior to filing on-line, Internet filers should visit www.pin.ed.gov for a Department of Education Personal Identification Number, PIN. The student and his/her parent must each have a PIN. These numbers will serve as electronic signatures and allow the applicant to access and change the FAFSA information on-line.

Complete the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov. There is no charge for this. The Central Processor will process an application submitted on-line quicker than a paper application. The Student Aid Report, SAR, which summarizes your information, will be e-mailed to you.

Paper
First time students will receive a paper FAFSA on the Web Worksheet if they completed the SATs. This explains how to complete a FAFSA. For an actual paper FAFSA, the student should contact the federal government at 800-433-3243.

STEP 2 - Review your Student Aid Report.
The student will receive a Student Aid Report from the federal processor which summarizes your FAFSA information. Correct any incomplete or inaccurate information on your SAR; instructions are provided. Both the student and parents must sign it (electronically or written) and return it to the federal processing center for further processing.

The SAR also gives the student the DRN and the EFC. The DRN is a number assigned to the student. When telephoning the FAFSA department, the student will need to give the DRN in order to access his/her account. The EFC is the Expected Family Contribution. This is not the dollar amount that the family will pay for the education. It is a number used by the federal government when evaluating grants and loans. The EFC remains the same regardless of the cost of the education.

STEP 3 - The Verification Process
The federal government selects 30% of all FAFSA filers for verification. When a FAFSA filer is selected, the student will receive a Verification Form from UPG. The student and parent must complete the form and supply signed copies of the student's and parents' federal 1040 and W2 forms to UPG. An unsigned Verification Form or tax form will be returned. The school uses the tax information to correct the FAFSA. The student will receive a new SAR that shows any changes.

STEP 4
If you plan to apply for a Stafford Student Loan:

1. The Stafford Master Promissory Note, MPN, will be mailed to you if you indicate on the FAFSA that you are interested in a loan. Complete this Note and return it to AES.
2. If a MPN is not received, you can obtain one from your lender, financial aid office, or complete it on-line. Enter www.upg/pitt/edu/ and click on Applying for a Loan. Use your Department of Education Pin Number as your signature or print the final page, sign, and mail it to AES.

STEP 5
A Federal Stafford Loan Entrance Counseling Session must be completed before the Stafford loan funds may pay into the school. This is a federal government regulation. Log on-line www.upg/pitt/edu/

Renewal FAFSA
Reapply for financial aid each academic year. Applicants who filed on-line last year will be sent the pin number as a reminder to file again. Applicants who filed by paper will receive a FAFSA on the Web Worksheet by mail. Visit www.pin.ed.gov or telephone 800-801-0576 if you cannot locate your pin number. In most cases, students will not have to file a new Stafford Master Promissory Note. Only transfer students and first-time Stafford borrowers will have to complete an Entrance Counseling Session. Parents will need to reapply for the Parent PLUS Loan.

Costs/Academic Year 2007 - 2008 (2 terms) Because costs are not fixed until after this information has been printed, we are providing the cost figures for the 2006-2007 academic year. Expect an increase for next year. We recommend $750 per year for books.

	Tuition In-State	Fees	Room & Board	Tuition Out-of-State
Full-Time	$10,364	$730	$7870 maximum	$19,960
Part-Time	$441 / credit	$126 / semester		$840 / credit