Various forms of student assistance are available through the IUP Financial Aid Office. For the Federal Stafford Loan Program or for Federal Work Study (FWSP), you must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year. The FAFSA can be completed on line at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
In order to receive federal assistance, you must meet a number of eligibility requirements. Briefly stated, these include the following: you must be enrolled on at least a half-time basis in a degree granting program; you must maintain satisfactory academic progress in your course of study; you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien; you cannot be in default of a federal educational loan or owe a repayment of federal grant funds. Federal verification requirements must also be completed for selected students.
Information on graduate assistantships and fellowships is available through the School of Graduate Studies and Research, located in Stright Hall, by sending e-mail to graduate-admissions@iup.edu.
External scholarship opportunities may be explored through the web site www.finaid.org.
Further assistance can be found by taking a look at this brochure: Financing Graduate Education.
Educational Loan Programs
Federal Stafford Loans are available to help meet educational expenses. Graduate students may borrow up to $20,500 each academic year (fall, spring, summer). A FAFSA must be on file along with a Federal Stafford Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN). A MPN will be mailed to you by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) if you do not have one already on file.
First-time Stafford recipients at IUP must complete entrance counseling requirements before receiving their loan funds. This may be completed on the PHEAA website: www.pheaa.org. Exit counseling as you leave IUP can provide you with valuable information on loan repayment and is available at the same website.
Grad PLUS Loans are also available to graduate students. To apply for a grad PLUS loan, contact AES/PHEAA at 1-800-692-7392. A credit check will be performed by PHEAA during the call. If credit is approved, AES/PHEAA will send you a Grad PLUS loan application to be completed and submitted back to AES/PHEAA. Students can borrow up to the cost of education less any other loans and financial aid resources received for the academic period.
There are numerous types of privately financed educational loans, but it is recommended that students utilize the Federal Stafford Loan or Grad PLUS programs as their first borrowing options. To see a list of some private educational loans, go to www.iup.edu/financialaid.
Student Employment
There are two employment programs that may be of interest to students who do not have a graduate assistantship or fellowship. These are the Federal Work Study Program (FWSP) and University Employment (UE). FWSP is based on financial need as defined by the FAFSA. You must also complete an institutional FWSP application. A FWSP award is an opportunity for employment but not a guarantee of placement. For all employment programs, students are responsible for securing their own positions, but placement assistance is available on line at the Student Employment Center. Wages are paid directly to the student every two weeks. Both types of employment programs permit working up to 25 hours per week during period of enrollment and 40 hours per week when classes are not in session.
Cost of Attendance
As a public institution receiving state support, IUP maintains a relatively modest cost of education. If you find, however, that you require additional funds to meet your educational needs, please outline your monthly expenses in writing and forward them to the Financial Aid Office. Your eligibility for additional assistance will be evaluated for appropriate graduate educational expenses.
Enrollment Status
Graduate students must register for at least 4.5 graduate credits per semester in order to be considered a half-time student, which is the minimum allowable for receipt of Federal Stafford Loans and deferment of repayment on previous student loans. Full-time status is nine graduate credits per semester. With the exception of study abroad programs, all coursework must be taken at IUP — enrollment at other institutions is not counted for student aid purposes. Doctoral students in the Psy.D. program and School Psychologist program are considered enrolled on a full-time basis during their internships. Students enrolled in dissertation credits are also considered to be enrolled full time.
The Registrar’s Office (724-357-2217) in Clark Hall provides enrollment verification and information regarding the student’s expected graduation date. All requests for information of this nature should be forwarded to the Registrar’s Office along with the name and address of the agency or institution that is to receive the information.
Refunds of Student Aid
All student aid funds, with the exception of earnings, are applied directly to your account at IUP. Refunds are generated by the Bursar's Office (724-357-2207) for any proceeds in excess of amounts owed to the university. All refund checks are distributed through direct deposit or by mail.
Summer Financial Aid
In addition to the FAFSA, a Summer IUP Financial Aid Application must be on file in the Financial Aid Office before your last date of summer attendance. The Summer IUP Financial Aid Application will be available in approximately mid-March of each year on the Financial Aid website. June 30 is the last date for filing a FAFSA; however, submitting an application at that late date does not guarantee sufficient time for IUP to receive the results for summer aid consideration. It is your responsibility to be sure that all required documents have been submitted, complete and accurate.
Students must be admitted to a degree-granting program at IUP and may receive financial aid only for coursework taken at IUP and not for credits from other colleges or universities. Students from other institutions who register for only summer classes at IUP are not eligible to receive financial aid.
The minimum summer enrollment status required to receive a Federal Stafford Loan is 4.5 credits for graduate students. The Federal Work Study program does not require summer enrollment; however, students not enrolled for summer must be enrolled for fall on at least a half-time basis. You must also be maintaining satisfactory academic progress in order to receive Federal or State funds for summer school.
Additional Assistance
If you have any questions regarding your eligibility for student aid, please contact the Financial Aid Office in Clark Hall for assistance. The office is open Monday through Friday during regular university business hours. However, you may view at any time all of your personal information on financial aid, registration, and student account by accessing the URSA website and using your student ID and PIN numbers to login to the secured area.
For further assistance you can look at this brochure on Financing Graduate Education.
