Ease Your Financial Burden
Gaining valuable knowledge in higher education doesn’t have to break the bank. The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) is committed to easing your financial burden for higher education.
PHEAA offers educational funding opportunities in the following aid programs:
- State Grant Program – If you’re an eligible Pennsylvania resident, apply for a Pennsylvania State Grant to get help with the cost of higher education.
- PA Forward Student Loan Program – PHEAA created the PA Forward Student Loan Program to assist Pennsylvania students, families, and schools with higher education tuition costs not covered by grants, scholarships, federal student loans, or other aid.
- State Work-Study Employment – Gain career-related, on-the-job work experience while earning money to help pay for your higher education.
- PA-TIP – Explore aid that helps strengthen the state’s workforce and makes higher education more affordable with the Pennsylvania Targeted Industry Program (PA-TIP).
- Aid for Military & PA National Guard – Service to our country may qualify you or your dependents for financial aid when you pursue higher education.
- Loan Forgiveness – Find out if you are eligible for loan forgiveness, which repays part or all of your educational loan debt if you fulfill certain work-related requirements in specific fields.
- RTSS Program – Learn how to help make college affordable with the Ready to Succeed Scholarship Program (RTSS).
- Other Educational Aid – Explore the other aid programs available that provide funding for higher education.
PHEAA also offers MySmartBorrowing – an interactive tool that helps students and families identify ways in which they can be smart borrowers and avoid the pitfalls of burdensome financial debt after graduating.
Tuition Assistance and Scholarships for
Early Childhood Education Professionals
Two programs in Pennsylvania help early childhood education professionals continue their education and earn credentials and degrees: Rising STARS Tuition Assistance Program and the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Early Childhood Pennsylvania Scholarship. To see if you’re eligible for either program, check out this useful fact sheet (PDF).
Child Welfare Education Programs
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center provides training, technical assistance, and more to Pennsylvania’s child welfare workers.
- Child Welfare Education for Baccalaureates provides undergraduate-level opportunities for social work majors preparing for employment in one of Pennsylvania’s child welfare agencies.
- The Child Welfare Education and Leadership program provides graduate-level opportunities for child welfare personnel.
Find more information about the Child Welfare Resource Center (CWRC) online or by calling 717-795-9048.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program was established to encourage individuals to enter and continue full-time public service employment. The program allows you to receive forgiveness of the remaining balance of your Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments while working full-time for a qualifying employer. To receive forgiveness, you must remain employed with a qualifying employer at the time you apply for and receive forgiveness for your loans.
If you are employed by a government or not-for-profit organization, you may be able to receive loan forgiveness under the PSLF Program.
Perkins Loan Forgiveness for Nurses & Medical Technicians
The Perkins Loan Forgiveness for nurses, licensed medical technicians and medical assistants allows full-time nurses and Licensed medical technicians to receive student loan debt forgiveness benefits for each year of qualifying service that they complete in the field.
Primary Care Loan Repayment Program
The Pennsylvania Primary Care Loan Repayment Program recruits and retains primary care practitioners who are willing to serve underserved Pennsylvania residents and practice in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas. Primary care practitioners receive grants for educational loan repayment for agreeing to work for two years in underserved areas of Pennsylvania.
Physicians, dentists, and psychologists can be awarded up to $80,000. Other providers, such as certified registered nurse practitioners, physician assistants, certified nurse midwives, licensed clinical social workers and other practitioners can receive up to $48,000.
