Financial Aid FAQs

A Pell grant is a federal grant for undergraduate students with financial need.  Please visit the Federal Pell Grant Site for more information on the Pell Grant.

1. Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen. You must establish eligibility every year.
2. Have a valid social security number.
   Social Security Number Collection and Use
3. Make application to Pensacola State College.
   Apply Online
4. Be officially accepted to an approved program of study.
   Not all programs are eligible for federal and state financial aid.
5. Take all required placement testing.
6. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
7. Use Data Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA.
   Pensacola State FAFSA Code 001513
8. Check your Pirate Mail and SpyGlass account regularly as this is the College’s primary form of communication with students.
9. Check the status of your Student Aid Report (SAR).
10. Get to know the types of awards and scholarships you may be eligible for: Grants, Scholarships, Loans.
11. Know your Financial Aid responsibilities.

You must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid.

No. You must reapply each academic year.

The financial and household information that you provide on your FAFSA is used to determine your eligibility for federal student financial aid. The EFC is an estimate of your resources for college.

Prior to withdrawing, a student must contact the Financial Aid office. All students receiving federal financial aid are required to repay all or part of any grant or loan received when withdrawing from or abandoning their attendance in all courses prior to completing more than 60% of the term. The amount required to be repaid is determined by the amount of aid disbursed, the amount that could have been disbursed, and the percentage of the enrollment period the student completed. Students who withdraw or are withdrawn from courses after the end of schedule adjustment will be billed by the college for those hours and will be unable to register for any future term until their debt to the college is paid. All costs of collection including reasonable attorney fees will be the responsibility of the student.

The FAFSA enables the college to consider you for PELL, SEOG, FSAG, and is the first step to determining college work study eligibility.  For information on Direct Loan please view the Student Loans Tab on this page.

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Using the DRT on the FAFSA will ensure accuracy and prevent additional required documentation.

No. Your EFC and enrollment level determine Pell Eligibility. To be eligible for the FDLP (Direct Loan) and the Federal Work-Study, students must enroll at least half-time (6 credit hours) each semester.

Please go to https://nsldsfap.ed.gov/login for information about federal student loans.

All financial aid is dependent upon the availability of federal, state, and local institutional resources. To be eligible for financial aid, a student must:

• Be accepted as a Pensacola State College degree-seeking student taking courses required for their AA, AAS, AS, or baccalaureate degree program or be accepted as a Pensacola State College certificate-seeking student in an eligible Vocational Certificate Program.
• Be making satisfactory academic progress for financial aid purposes (FASAP).
• Be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident alien, or an eligible noncitizen.
• Not be in default on a prior student loan.
• Not owe a repayment or overpayment of a Federal grant.
• Not have a resisting financial obligation to Pensacola State College.
• Be registered for Selective Service, if required.
• Have a standard high school diploma or GED certificate.
• Not have been convicted for sale or possession of illegal drugs during a term in which they received Title IV federal financial aid.

For details, go to the Financial Aid Disbursement Calendar.

Fill out the FAFSA online.

• Complete anytime after October 1 of the award year you wish to receive aid.
  • Award year = Fall, Spring, and/or Summer Terms.
• Students and parents are required to use an FSA ID. Your FSA ID is used to confirm your identity when accessing your financial aid information and electronically signing your federal student aid documents such as the FAFSA.
• Apply for FSA ID by going to https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch.

Helpful hints and information for completing the FAFSA

• Pensacola State FAFSA Code – 001513

After you submit the FAFSA, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR report will provide a tentative award amount.  There may be other documents the school is required to obtain prior to finalizing aid.   Please check PirateMail and Spyglass frequently for information regarding financial aid requirements.

When you receive your SAR, you must review it carefully to make sure it is correct.

It is your responsibility to request academic transcripts from all prior post-secondary institutions you have attended. These transcripts should be sent to the Pensacola State College Records Office. All prior college transcripts must be evaluated by the Pensacola State College Records Office before any federal or state financial aid can be awarded.

If you have any questions, call 850-484-1680.

• accurately complete the online Scholarship application
• your essays are completed
• your letters of recommendation (LOR) submitted,
• plus any additional document uploads required for specific scholarship questions are completed

After each individual “submit by” date has passed, selection committees will meet to award scholarships.  You will be notified through your PirateMail account when awarding has concluded and award information has been posted.

After you receive your email notice, log on to the scholarship manager to view any scholarships you were awarded.  There will be a box labeled “Award Information” at the top of the page to indicate if you were chosen for any awards.  Click that box and the scholarships you were awarded will all be listed.  There is a drop down box that asks you to Accept or Decline the Scholarship Award.  Space is provided for you to provide a reason as to why you chose Decline if that is your choice.  In some cases, a thank you letter may be required.  There will also be a drop down menu for the Thank You Letter and how to complete it.  The completion of this task will be reported to our department and your award will be applied to your student account for your use for tuition and fees and in some cases books.  These awards are not disbursed to personal student bank accounts.