How to view your award summary

Overview

Students who submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and meet Federal and Penn State Student Financial Aid Eligibility Requirements will receive an Award Summary from our office, the Office of Student Aid. Your financial aid notification will list all of the student financial aid (loans, grants, work-study, and scholarships) for which you qualify, based on your eligibility.

Your award amounts are estimated, subject to change, and non-negotiable.

Federal and state grant award amounts are contingent upon final federal funding and state appropriations.

Scholarships are limited

Penn State scholarships for first-year students are limited and highly competitive. We regret that we are not able to recognize all students who rank at or near the top of their class or who have achieved other significant academic honors.

In fact, University scholarships make-up only 11 percent of all financial aid awarded to first-year students.

Educational loans are a primary aid source

Due to limited student aid funding, including University scholarships, Penn State is unable to meet the full demonstrated financial need of most students. Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford and/or Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan(s) are awarded as part of your financial aid package. You can cancel or decrease your loans on LionPATH after June 1 and after you have attended the New Student Orientation. Information on applying for the Parent PLUS loan will be coming soon. Before applying compare the Federal Parent PLUS loan to private alternative loans.

 Accessing Your Award Summary

If you completed the FAFSA and received an email notification, you can access your Award Summary by following these steps:

  1. Go to LionPATH.
    Enter your Penn State User ID (example: "abc1234") and password (use the password you established when you activated your Access Account). If you are having problems logging into LionPATH, please go to the Service Management Portal or call 814-865-HELP (4357) for assistance. Because Helpline hold times are currently long, the Service Management portal can help you more quickly. World Campus students can call 800-252-3592 or 814-865-0047 for assistance.
  2. Select "View Financial Aid" to see your award summary (see below).

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View your aid (click to enlarge)

  1. Select the aid year you wish to view. For the 2016-17 academic year, select "2017" (see below).

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Select Aid Year (click to enlarge)

  1.  Your estimated financial aid for the year, as well as a breakdown for each semester, will be displayed. Aid includes loans, grants, scholarships and work-study (see below). You will need to accept all loans (except the Parent PLUS Loan, and Federal Work-Study in order for these funds to be applied to the tuition bill. 
  2. To view your Estimated Financial Aid Budget, click on "Financial Aid Budget" in the middle of this screen (see image). This will display your estimated cost to attend Penn State. This estimate includes tuition, fees, room, meals, books, and other expenses.

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View estimated costs (click to enlarge)

  1. Options are also available to view the shopping sheet, a standardized award letter designed by the federal government, your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) status, and your Financial Aid Award Letter from Penn State.

 

Current Students (returning undergraduate and graduate)

You will receive an email message in your Penn State email account beginning after July 4 (and continuing regularly thereafter) that your financial aid is accessible via the Award Summary in LionPATH. If you are returning home during the summer, remember that you can access your Penn State email account through Penn State WebMail. Follow the procedure above to access your financial aid information.

If you submitted your FAFSA by the recommended date and do not receive an email by early July, confirm that Penn State's Federal School Code (003329) is listed on your FAFSA.