WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Financial Aid Office is offering its resources to assist current and future college students and their families in completing the redesigned 2024-25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
Colleges and universities — along with state higher education agencies and other funding organizations — require the FAFSA to determine student eligibility for federal and state grants, federal loans, and some scholarships.
Penn College is hosting free FAFSA completion workshops to facilitate the online application process. The sessions are scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 8, and Wednesday, March 13, in Room 202 of the college’s Madigan Library. Time slots for both dates are 4:30-5:30 p.m. and 5:30-6:30 p.m. Registration is required, as seating is limited to ensure confidentiality.
The U.S. Department of Education significantly redesigned the 2024-25 FAFSA. It now includes a process of inviting other “contributors” (e.g., parents or spouses) who will need to provide consent and approval and sign the FAFSA along with student contributors.
The workshops are open to students currently enrolled or planning to attend any college or university. All student, spouse and parent contributors who do not have an active studentaid.gov account (FSA ID) are encouraged to create an account via the Federal Student Aid website at least three weekdays prior to the workshop.
Ideally, students who need to include parental or spousal information on their FAFSA should attend with those contributors. If that’s not possible, students will need each contributor’s full legal name, date of birth, social security number (or ITIN) and email address so they can be invited to provide information on the FAFSA at another time.
Financial Aid staff will guide federal taxpayers on how to give consent and approval to have IRS tax information securely submitted to the U.S. Department of Education, a crucial step in completing the FAFSA. Attendees should know the amount of their current assets and any child support received in 2023 and are recommended to have access to 2022 federal tax and income documents, such as tax returns and W-2 forms.
“Our Financial Aid team is always excited to organize this event. Given the significant redesign of the 2024-25 FAFSA, we believe it will be even more crucial to provide our support,” said Jessica S. Hunter, director of financial aid at Penn College. “We recognize that the financial aid process can be stressful and that this year’s modifications to the FAFSA may make it seem more challenging than in previous years. But we are here to assist students and their families in navigating the process. Our goal remains to help each student establish a foundation that puts them in position to maximize all financial aid resources, and successfully completing the FAFSA is an essential first step.”
To register for a FAFSA completion session, visit www.pct.edu/fafsa-session. Questions can be directed to the Financial Aid Office by emailing finaid@pct.edu or calling 570-327-4766.
Penn College is a national leader in applied technology education. Visit www.pct.edu, email admissions@pct.edu or call toll-free 800-367-9222.