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Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) 

If you want to be considered for need based financial assistance, you will need to complete and submit the FAFSA. All students are encouraged to apply for financial assistance as soon after January 1 as possible, and before the priority filing date of April 15.

The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) requires the FAFSA to be received by the processor no later than May 1 for Pennsylvania state grant consideration for undergraduate Pennsylvania residents.  Completing the federal income tax return prior to completing this application is highly encouraged as the FAFSA refers to specific lines on the tax return.

Federal School Code & School Address

Your FAFSA information will be sent to you and to all the schools you listed on your application. Please use the following information in order to have your FAFSA sent to the Slippery Rock University.

School Code: 003327
College Name: Slippery Rock University
Address: 1 Morrow Way, Slippery Rock, PA  16057 

Students unable to file the FAFSA on-line, can access printable FAFSA forms here.

FAFSA Help 

Undergraduate Students 

To apply for financial aid administered by the Financial Aid Office you must complete the FAFSA online each year. At Slippery Rock University, an academic year consists of fall, spring, and summer. Applications are accepted beginning in January for the fall semester through June 30 of the next year. If you plan to enroll in summer school, an SRU summer financial aid application is also required. 

By completing the FAFSA, you are automatically applying for federal, state, and institutional financial aid. Your eligibility for need based financial aid depends on your family's financial situation, which can change on an annual basis. 

Graduate Students 

To apply for any University administered financial aid for the fall or spring terms, you must complete the FAFSA for the current year. Graduate and professional students are only eligible for federal loans.

Determining Your Aid 

The information you provide on the FAFSA goes through a federal needs analysis process to determine the Expected Family contribution (EFC), the amount that your family should be able to contribute toward your college education. Graduate students are considered "independent" and not required to provide parental information on the FAFSA. 

Information for All Students 

To complete a FAFSA for the upcoming academic year, you will need your financial information from the past year, including your federal income tax return. If you file the FAFSA before you do your taxes, you may use your estimated income information. However, you must update the estimated tax information with the final income figures reported on your federal tax form. 

The distribution of financial aid resources is based on your family's ability to pay the college costs; therefore, if you are married, you will need your spouse's information and, if you are a dependent student, you will need your parent(s) and/or stepparent(s) information. 

It may also be helpful to have the following documents:

• Your Social Security Card
• Your driver’s license (if applicable)
• W-2 forms or other records of your earned income
• Your (and your spouse's, if married) previous year's federal income tax return
• Your parents' previous year's federal income tax return
• Your records of other untaxed income received
• Current bank statements and records of stocks, bonds, and other investments
• Business or farm records
• Your alien registration card if you are not a U.S. citizen

Signature Options

Students completing the FAFSA on the web have two signature options.

1. Electronic Signature
   If you are filing a FASFA on the web, and you and your parents (if you are a dependent student) have valid Personal Identification Numbers (PIN), you will use those numbers as your electronic signatures. To apply for a PIN, click here.
2. Mail-in Signature Page
   If you do not want to sign electronically, you can send a signature page to the federal processor. To do this, you must print out a signature page from FAFSA online, sign it, and mail it in. If you are a dependent student, your parent(s) will need to sign the signature page as well.

Your completed signature page must be received by the federal processor before your application can be processed.

Financial Aid Verification Process

Verification is the process of confirming that information reported by you and your parents or spouse on the FAFSA is accurate. Each year approximately 30% of student applicants nationwide are randomly selected by the Federal Central Processing System for verification. You may also be selected by the University.

What you need to do if you are selected for verification: 

• Collect your financial documents, signed tax forms, etc.
• Complete and sign the Verification Form that you will receive in the mail from the SRU Financial Aid Office
• Submit the Verification Form and SIGNED tax returns and any other documents to:

SRU Financial Aid Office
1 Morrow Way
Slippery Rock, PA  16057
FAX: 724-738-2922

The law says we have the right to ask you for financial information and other information, as it applies to your application, before awarding Federal aid.  Federal student aid includes Pell Grants, SEOG, Perkins Loans, ACG/SMART Grants, Federal Work-Study and the Federal Stafford and PLUS Loan Programs.  Students who are selected for verification will not receive an award letter until the verification process is complete.

What happens after I submit my verification forms? 

The SRU Financial Aid Office will compare the submitted documents to the information initially provided on your FASFA.  If there are any discrepancies with the information initially provided on the FAFSA, the SRU Financial Aid Office will make the corrections and you will receive an updated Student Aid Report (SAR).  Occasionally the documentation that was provided to the SRU does not provide all of the necessary information to complete the verification process.  In these situations you will be sent another letter outlining the additional documentation that is needed.  Once your federal verification is complete, your financial aid application will be moved to the next processing phase.  If you meet all other financial aid eligibility criteria you will receive a financial aid award letter detailing your financial aid eligibility.

Deadlines

All required documents should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office within two weeks from the initial date of request.  Delay in submitting all required documents will cause a delay in awarding of financial aid.  Also, it could result in the student needing to pay all of or part of their bill until awarding takes place.

Students are expected to apply for aid and complete the verification process before the term has ended.  Otherwise, the student is in jeopardy of not receiving any Federal aid for their period of enrollment.  A Pell Grant applicant must complete the entire process before the Pell Grant Program deadline in September or 180 days after the last day of the student’s enrollment whichever is earlier.  If the process is not complete the student is not eligible for Pell for that award year.  Students who have not completed the verification process within the required period will receive a letter of explanation.