CARES Act Emergency Grants

As announced in Penn State News in April 2020, Penn State received approximately $27.5 million from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to award emergency financial aid grants to Penn State students to assist them with expenses related to disruption in campus operations brought o

Disbursement Calendar:

• May 11: Disbursement of non-federal sources (scholarships, university loans, etc.)
• June 22: Disbursement of Federal Aid and Alternative loans
• Early June (or later): PHEAA awarding for summer grants
• Late June (or later): Disbursement of PHEAA state grants

If you have aid that has not yet disbursed, then be sure to check that you have:

Admissions is hosting a financial aid information session for prospective students and families. Our staff will be available for questions.

Sign up through Admissions, here.

CARES Act

The first round of CARES Act awards have been awarded to students in LionPATH. Please refer to your email for specifics of the award. You will need to complete the "CARES Funding Activity Guide" listed in your To Do List in LionPATH to receive the funds.

You are not required to accept the award. Once the guide is completed, your award will disburse in 24-48 hours. For refund information, please visit the Bursar website.

The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) has been reviewing the impact of COVID-19 on students as it relates to the PA State Grant Program and other PHEAA-administered programs. Therefore they have extended the temporary relaxing rules on its student aid programs that was put in place for the winter and spring semester through the upcoming summer term.

Penn State has implemented Optional Alternative Grading to address impacts caused by the novel coronavirus public health crisis. For each course a student completes during the spring 2020 semester, they will have the option of replacing the letter grade they earn with an alternative grade that will not be included in their GPA calculation.

What can you do with your spring room and board refund? 

Our office is experiencing some technical issues with our phone system and are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Beginning April 6, 2020 our business hours have been updated from 8:00 am - 4:30 pm to 8:30 - 4:30.