General Questions
The name of your financial aid counselor is listed on the Student Aid Portal under the Documents and Messages tab.
You can view your Financial Aid Information on your Student Aid Portal.
The Student Aid Portal login is your 7-digit student ID number without the EC#. If you are accessing this portal for the first time select first time user and follow the prompts. If you forgot your password, click on the “Forgot Your Password.” Please keep in mind that three unsuccessful attempts at logging in will automatically lock your account and you will have to contact the Financial Aid office to unlock it.
Use of Legal Name is required in communications and processes due to business or legal requirements and/or system limitations which legally necessitate the use of a Legal Name. However, whenever reasonably possible, a student’s Preferred/Chosen Name will be used.
After receiving your financial aid package, you must log into your Student Aid Portal and accept or decline your awards first.
Send us an email stating such, (vice versa if wanting to accept loans that were previously declined).
Should the Financial Aid Office require additional documents, students are contacted via email, mail and/or phone informing him/her of the documents needed. You can also see what documents are needed on the Documents tab on the Student Aid Portal.
Returning students will receive their Financial Aid Award notification during the summer prior to the fall term tuition due date. Accepted new students will receive their Financial Aid Award package beginning late fall once we receive a completed FAFSA.
One in three students whom complete the FAFSA are selected by the Department of Education for Verification. Verification is a process used to verify certain information on the FAFSA to ensure its accuracy. This is an additional step, which the institution must complete prior to disbursing the student’s financial aid. In order to complete the Verification process we would request a Tax Transcript, a Verification Worksheet, and/or other verification documents. If you are selected for verification, we will contact you directly and provide you with additional information as to what we would need.
Once you have accepted your Federal Student Loans (Subsided/Un-Subsided) and you are first time borrower, you must complete Loan Entrance Counseling and the Loan Master Promissory Note in order for those funds to disburse to your student account. Both requirements must be completed on www.studentloans.gov by logging in with your FSA ID (same login as the FAFSA). The Loan Entrance Counseling provides you with information to ensure that you understand the responsibilities and obligations of borrowing a Direct Stafford Loan. The MPN is a legal document in which you promise to repay your federal student loan(s) and any accrued interest and fees to your lender/loan holder.
The tax information on the FAFSA does not currently reflect our financial situation, what can we do?
If the tax information that you entered in the FAFSA does not reflect the current financial situation for the student and/or family, contact the Financial Aid Office to discuss your circumstance with your Financial Aid Counselor.
Parents whom applied and are approved for the Parent PLUS Loan with or without an endorser must complete a Parent PLUS Loan MPN. Those approved with an Endorser must complete a new MPN for each new loan awarded.
Yes, the FAFSA for the upcoming academic year is available every October. For example, the 2021/2022 Academic year FAFSA will be available October 1, 2020.
Yes. U.S. Government savings bonds are reported as assets for the individual in whose name the bonds were taken out.
The value of certificates of deposit should be reported as an asset on the FAFSA.
The value of a 529 plan owned by a dependent student or one of their parents is considered a parental asset on the FAFSA. Any 529 plan that is owned by the dependent student's parent is reported as a parent asset on the FAFSA. This includes the 529 plans for siblings.
Other 529 plans are not reported as assets on the student’s FAFSA, but distributions from such 529 plans are reported as untaxed income.
Any educational benefits paid because of student’s enrollment in postsecondary institution would need to be counted as estimated financial aid assistance. It is the policy of Elizabethtown College that outside scholarships, awards or grants will first be applied to unmet need which includes need based self-help awarded. If the total amount of outside scholarships, awards or grants exceed the unmet need, the College will reduce its institutional need-based gift aid (i.e. Trustee) dollar for dollar.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is required for all students interested in receiving federal financial aid. SAP is evaluated at the end of each term. Students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA , complete a minimum percentage of classes attempted and complete their degree program within a maximum timeframe. Please see complete SAP policy for more information.
Incomplete grades (“I”) do not affect a student’s cumulative GPA for SAP, but count as credit hours attempted toward both completion rate and maximum time-frame SAP requirements. An incomplete grade counts as credit hours attempted but will not count as credit hours completed/earned until a passing grade has been assigned. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the Financial Aid Office of all grade changes (ex. from “I” to “B”) to ensure that their SAP status is reviewed. Deadlines for incomplete grades are posted on the Registration and Records webpage.
Visit My Federal Student Aid or NSLDS (National Student Loan Data System) to view your federal student loan history and find out whom to make your loan payments.
A full-time student (24-36 credits per academic year) must successfully advance at least 24 credits in the two preceding semesters (summer academic work, where applicable, may be included). Incompletes, withdrawals, course repetitions and non-credit remedial courses are not counted. Repeat F’s are not counted in the semester when first received; Repeat D’s and C’s are not counted in the semester when repeated.
A student must be enrolled on a full-time basis in the traditional daytime program (12–18 credit hours a semester) to be eligible for all institutional financial assistance. Students who enroll for less than 12 credit hours in a semester may still be eligible for funding from State and Federal programs.
Merit-based aid is limited to eight semesters (10 semesters for 4+1 Master's Degree Programs). Institutional aid for subsequent semesters is solely based on demonstrated need.
All students who have received Direct Subsidized / Unsubsidized / or Graduate PLUS loans must complete Exit Counseling online at www.studentloans.gov.
Students who received a Perkins loan will receive Exit Counseling instructions from our loan servicer, UAS, by email.
Our office also hosts Exit Counseling workshops on campus in December and April to help students complete the exit counseling process. Visit the announcements page for specific dates and locations.
Contact your student loan servicer to request a Loan Deferment or Forbearance. These two options could temporarily postpone or reduce your federal student loan payments. Your student loan servicer can also discuss other repayment plan options such as income-driven repayment plans or consolidation. Visit NSLDS for your loan servicer’s contact information.
During zero-credit co-op semesters, students are charged $500 administrative fee and are registered for a zero-credit course. Scholarships and grants are deferred during co-op semesters. Financial aid is not awarded during zero-credit co-op semesters.
During 12-credit co-op semesters, students are charged regular tuition rates and are eligible to apply for financial aid.
Any student participating in the co-op program should notify the Financial Aid Office as soon as possible.
The College determines enrollment status based on credit load. In-school loan deferment eligibility is based on having an enrollment status of at least “half time” (six credits for undergrad and three credits for graduates). Notify the Financial Aid office prior to the start of your internship, fieldwork, or co-op to discuss any implications that it may have on financial aid eligibility and student loan repayment. We can provide guidance and help locate specific resources as it relates to your individual financial aid package. Locate the name of your financial aid counselor on your Student Aid Portal, email us at finaid@etown.edu. or call (717) 361-1404.
Living off-campus typically costs less than living on campus. Living off-campus (such as sharing an apartment) is also different from being a commuter (living with parents). Changes to your housing status will reduce your cost of attendance COA and your demonstrated need and subsequently your financial aid award. It is important that you consult with the Financial Aid Office before changing your housing status. You will also need to follow the appropriate procedures provided by Residential Life.
Your financial aid awards may be reduced or canceled if you fail to maintain required credit enrollment. Dropped courses may also affect Satisfactory Academic Progress. It is important that you speak with the Financial Aid Office before reducing your credit load or changing course-grading options to audit.
Students can apply for summer financial aid by completing the 2021-2022 FAFSA if an undergraduate student or the 2022-2023 FAFSA if a graduate student and the Financial Aid Office’s Summer Aid Application located on our Supplemental Forms webpage. Students must maintain at least half-time status (6 credits if undergraduate or 3 credits if graduate) in order to receive federal aid. Any Pell Grants used during the summer semester will count against your Lifetime Eligibility Usage. Students are not eligible for institutional aid during the summer semester.
Elizabethtown College does not offer institutional financial aid for summer classes.
To apply for the PA state grant, undergraduate students must have a FAFSA on file, complete the Pennsylvania State Summer Grant Application by August 1, and enroll at least half-time (6 credits). The PA state summer application will be available March 15th. PHEAA also requires students courses span a length of at least 5 weeks in total. To learn more about PA summer state grant eligibility, please click here.
No, Study abroad is not covered by Tuition Exchange unless your major requires it. However, if you decide to study abroad through an affiliated program and your major does not require it, you may be eligible for your original merit and/or institutional aid awarded.
A student’s room expense is an component of a student’s cost of attendance. So, the RA room waiver received must be considered as a resource in a student’s financial aid package. The waiver is considered both institutional aid as well as estimated financial assistance (EFA) for federal financial aid purposes. If a student has need based institutional aid (Trustee), their Trustee will typically be reduced.
The government announced that, beginning in October of 2016, the Free Application for Federal Student aid (FAFSA) will now use tax information from two years ago. Using two-years prior tax information on the FAFSA (as opposed to one-year prior information) will increase the form’s accuracy and allow families to make more informed college & financial aid decisions.
The EFC (expected family contribution) is an index number that is use to determine how much financial aid you are eligible to receive. The information you report on your FAFSA is used to calculate your EFC.
The EFC is calculated according to a formula established by law. Your family's taxed and untaxed income, assets, and benefits (such as unemployment or Social Security) all could be considered in the formula. Also considered are your family size and the number of family members who will attend college during the year.
Changes in family circumstances, such as an increase or decrease in parents’ or student’s income, assets, family size, number of family members attending college, may affect eligibility for financial aid. If the family’s circumstances do not change significantly over the four years, the financial assistance should be comparable each year. Merit scholarships eligibility will retain their original values all four years provided the student remains in good academic standing and has a favorable disciplinary record.
After the senior year, there will be two terms at the full tuition rate and two terms at the summer rate. The summer rate is applicable to the terms when fieldwork is completed. The only difference between the retiring curriculum and the new one is the sequence of when Fieldwork II occurs. In the new curriculum, it is in the spring and summer at the end of the program.
Assets, whether it be cash gifts or financial assets, under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA) or the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) is established by a custodian, often an adult, to a minor (the student). Because the minor is the owner of the account, assets are counted toward the student's assets on the FAFSA.
For more information on how the coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak affects forbearance for students, borrowers, and parents, please click here.
On campus positions are posted on the college's Student Employment Website. All students must interview for their prospective positions and are encouraged to complete employment forms upon entering college so they are able to begin work at any time during their enrollment at Elizabethtown College. Students must complete an I-9, W-4, Direct Deposit Authorization form, and Workers Compensation form before working on campus. Please click here for additional FAQs.