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Financial Aid Eligibility


 

Clarion Online Students

Students who are enrolled in a program where they take all of their courses online are eligible to use federal financial aid (PELL grants, Federal Direct Student Loans, Federal Direct PLUS Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, and Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans) for which they qualify as per the FAFSA.

Any student who is taking more than 50% of their classes online or are completing all of their classes online may still be eligible for the PA state grant at a reduced amount.  PHEAA will notify Clarion of the award amount once the student’s enrollment is confirmed after the add/drop period.  

There are certain scholarships designated only for online students.

Online and Virtual Campus students are subject to the same financial aid regulations and conditions as any student taking courses on campus, including the requirement that they make Satisfactory Academic Progress toward a degree to continue to be eligible to receive financial aid.

Parents

Please be aware that we communicate primarily with students, usually through the MyClarion Portal, and by email to their Clarion University student accounts. We may discuss your student's financial and academic information with you only if s/he authorized this by signing a Release of Information Form in the Office of the Registrar.

Parents often want to ensure that they are doing everything possible to be considered for all sources of financial aid. An overview of the entire billing and financial aid process can be found here.   

International Students

As non-U.S. citizens, international students are eligible for many scholarships offered by Clarion University and for campus employment. However, they are not eligible for federal and state financial aid programs.

A good resource for international students who wish to study in the U.S. is www.edupass.org.

Office of International Programs

Out-of-State Students

Some states allow students who qualify for their state's grant to use that grant to attend a college in Pennsylvania. These states include Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.

Rules governing residency

Study Abroad Students

Please contact the Student Financial Services Office well in advance of your semester or year abroad. Often, the increased expenses of such an experience allow us to make an adjustment in your financial aid. Your first step should be to coordinate your travel plans with the Office of International Programs and with your College's Dean's Office. Once you have an approval to study abroad, an idea of the costs involved, and are certain of the semester/s when you will travel, bring a copy of your study abroad approval and a signed copy of the Course Transfer Request for Enrolled Undergraduate Students to the Director of Student Financial Services, located on the first floor of Becht Hall, to discuss your financial aid options.

Please be aware that not all study abroad programs qualify for federal and state financial aid. Clarion's ISEP program allows you to pay Clarion University costs while maintaining eligibility for federal and state financial aid. Other programs may require that you obtain a private loan to finance your studies.

Part-Time Students

Part-time students can receive financial aid for college. If the student demonstrates need according to the FAFSA, and is enrolled for at least six credits per semester or over the summer, he or she may be eligible for grant aid. Regardless of need, part-time students enrolled in at least 6 credits who file a FAFSA are also eligible for loans. Part-time students are eligible for campus employment and for some scholarships as well.

Students who enrolled in a program where they take all of their courses online are eligible to use federal financial aid (PELL and SEOG grants; Stafford, PLUS, and Perkins Loans) for which they qualify as per the FAFSA. Since their educational costs are lower, they may not receive the maximum grant or loan amounts.

Any student who is taking more than 50% of her or his courses online in any given semester is generally not eligible to use a PHEAA state grant for which s/he might otherwise qualify. However, Clarion University currently participates in PHEAA's Distance Education Pilot Program, and Student Financial Services staff nominate online students who are otherwise eligible for a Pennsylvania State grant to the DE Pilot Program. PHEAA notifies nominated students of their award status.

Virtual Campus and online students are subject to the same financial aid regulations and conditions as any student taking courses on campus, including the requirement that they must make Satisfactory Academic Progress toward a degree to continue to be eligible to receive financial aid.

Learn more about Virtual Campus at Clarion

Summer School Students

Students who would like to use federal and/or state aid for the summer must have made Satisfactory Academic Progress during the academic year preceding summer and must be degree-seeking students at Clarion University enrolled for at least six credits over the summer. Students who do not meet these requirements may want to consider a private loan.

Students who did not use all of their PELL grant eligibility during the academic year (fall and spring semesters), or students who plan to graduate at the end of the fall semester may be eligible to use a PELL grant over the summer. If you have registered for summer classes and believe that you are eligible to use a PELL grant for summer, contact the Student Financial Services Office.

You can apply to use a PHEAA state grant for summer by filling out an application online at pheaa.org. However, you should be aware that students are only eligible for PHEAA grants for a maximum of four years, or 8 semesters. If you choose to use a PHEAA grant over the summer, that grant will count toward your 8-semester maximum. You must be enrolled for at least six credits during the summer session for at least 8 weeks to be eligible to use a PHEAA summer grant. For example, you could be enrolled for at least three credits during each of two sessions to meet this particular requirement. 

To receive direct (subsidized and/or unsubsidized) loans, you must be enrolled for at least six credits taken anytime over the summer. You do not need to fill out any additional applications to receive your direct loans over the summer. Please note that any direct loan funds received in the summer will reduce the amount of loans you will be able to receive in the fall and spring terms.  Please refer to our webpage on direct loan limits for additional information.

Any student is eligible for campus employment over the summer, regardless of financial need, even incoming freshmen. Available work study positions can be found in the Career Services Office or by using the Career Connections System.

Venango College Students

Students who are attending, or will attend the Venango College, Clarion University's campus in Oil City, PA, are eligible to apply for a number of scholarships designated for students at that campus. Additionally, Venango College students may apply for Clarion University scholarships.

Graduate Students

Once a student has earned a bachelor's degree, she or he is not eligible for need-based federal and state grants. Graduate students are eligible for Federal Direct Loans, campus employment, scholarships, and graduate assistantships. Full-time graduate students may borrow up to $20,500 per year through the Federal Direct Student Loan program.  Apply for a Federal Direct Loan by completing a FAFSA, a Master Promissory Note, and an entrance interview counseling session.  Graduate students whose cost of attendance is higher than $20,500 per year may apply for a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan or for private loans.

Graduate Student Services

Graduate Catalog

Graduate Costs

Athletes

As a Division II school, Clarion offers athletic awards in men's football, basketball, golf, and swimming; and athletic awards to women in basketball, volleyball, softball, and swimming. Clarion's wrestling program for men is at the Division I level, and athletic awards are also available for this program.

A number of other scholarships support student athletes, including the Clarence and Janet Lesser Scholarship, the Burns and Burns Golf Scholarship, the George B. Garbarino Athlete Scholarship, the Ernest Johnson Memorial Baseball Scholarship, the Joseph J. Knowles Memorial Scholarship, the James A. "Abby" Mays Scholarship, the Potter/McClune Scholarship, the Fran Shope Scholarship, the W.S. Tippin Scholarship, the George W. Williams Memorial Wrestling Scholarship, and the Dr. George F. and Twila M. Wollaston Scholarship.

Student athletes should have their high school coach contact the respective coach at Clarion University (or the Athletic Department at 814 393 1997) for specific information on these scholarships.

Athletics

Scholarships for Athletes

Veterans

Veterans are treated as independent students for financial aid purposes, with the result being that they are often eligible for more grant aid.  Students who are service members, veterans, military spouses, or other military family members are provided with an electronic Financial Aid Shopping Sheet once their financial aid has been finalized (packaged).  The Shopping Sheet is a consumer tool that is designed to simplify information regarding cost of attendance and financial aid eligibility.  Please note that the statistics reported in the Shopping Sheet are representative of our undergraduate student body.  If you would like an estimated financial aid award letter prior to the Shopping Sheet, contact the Student Financial Services Office.

Veterans will receive an email notification to their Clarion email address indicating when their Shopping Sheet and financial aid award is available for viewing.  Once this email is received, simply log into the MyClarion Student Center and click on the "View Financial Aid" hyperlink.  Select the appropriate award year, and then click on either "Shopping Sheet" or "Financial Aid Summary."

A veteran's counselor is on staff in the Office of Student Financial Services to answer questions about your benefits as a veteran.  Call toll-free at 800 672 7171, option #2.

You may also want to consult www.gibill.va.gov for an overview of educational benefits for veterans.

For questions regarding billing, please refer to the "Using FTA/EAP Federal Tuition Assistance" section of the Payment Options webpage.

Please visit the Veteran's Page for more information.

Transfer Students

If you are transferring to Clarion University mid-year, make sure your financial aid comes with you.

When you apply for admission to Clarion, you are automatically screened for merit scholarships, based on your academic performance at your previous school, and on your standardized test scores (SAT or ACT).

If you are a veteran, or if you have questions, call the Student Financial Services Office at Clarion, and talk to one of the counselors.

Transfer Student Information from Admissions

Joint Programs

Some Clarion programs are offered in cooperation with other universities, hospitals, or other entities.  Students in these programs take the first part of their program at Clarion and then transfer to the partner institution for the clinical or technical education.  Examples include the Respiratory Therapy, the Medical Imaging, the Medical Technology, the Athletic Training, and the Industrial Technology programs.

Students in these programs are eligible for financial aid on the same basis as students in any other academic program and are governed by the same financial aid regulations. However, if the educational costs of the joint program are less than the educational costs of other Clarion programs, students may be eligible for less financial aid.  For example, if the student pays the hospital $2500 for tuition and fees in her/his clinical year, and Clarion tuition and fees is $9100 for the same time period, the student's eligibility for aid may be recalculated.

If Clarion is the institution that will award the degree, then the student should indicate Clarion University as the school that s/he attends when filing the FAFSA.

The Respiratory Therapy program, the Medical Imaging program, and the Medical Technology program require students to enroll in a clinical experience over summer/s. Students in these programs who wish to use financial aid for summer should contact the Student Financial Services Office to determine the amounts and types of aid for which they are eligible.  Students who want to use a Federal Direct Student Loan for the summer should fill out a Summer Loan Application form and return it to the Student Financial Services Office.

Returning Adult Students

In addition to traditional degree programs, adult students have options for online courses, joint programs (like Clarion's Master of Science in Nursing program), courses taught off-site, Virtual Campus, and certificate and other programs offered at the Venango College.  Adult students are often eligible for federal and state aid on the same basis as traditional students.  However, federal and state grant aid is not available to students who have already earned a bachelor's degree.

Since a larger percentage of learners in non-traditional programs are adults who may not physically be present on campus, it is important to realize that we communicate with you electronically.  Your financial aid and student account information is available on the MyClarion portal, and all relevant financial aid information is on the financial aid web pages. We will also contact you via your Clarion University student e-mail account.

Last Updated 12/1/22