How to Apply for Financial Aid 
Medical and Graduate Programs at PCOM

In order to be considered for the majority of PCOM's financial aid resources and federal student loans, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for your academic year (see chart).

The basic eligibility criteria for receiving federal student aid are:

• Student must be a US citizen or eligible noncitizen. View full details of which immigration statuses make you an eligible noncitizen.
• Student must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program.
• Student must be enrolled as at least a half-time student (usually at least 3 credits).
• Student must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as determined by PCOM and federal requirements.

View the Department of Education's complete list of eligibility criteria for federal student aid.

myPCOM is PCOM's online resource center for students.

Financial Aid Self-Service within myPCOM is your central hub for financial aid information. Within this portal you can complete outstanding requirements, complete the PCOM Scholarship Profile, accept your financial aid awards and view your estimated cost of attendance.

To access Financial Aid Self-Service:

• Login to myPCOM.
  • Note: New students will receive their myPCOM login name and password via email after confirming acceptance with the PCOM Admissions Office.
• Click "Financial Aid and Billing" in the left navigation menu.
• Click "Financial Aid Self-Service" at the top.
  • If prompted for additional login information, your User ID is your Banner ID # (900XXXXXX) and your PIN is your birth date in 6-digit format (MMDDYY).
• Select the appropriate academic year. Use the academic year chart at the top of this page to determine which academic year you should select.

Use the timeline below as a general guide for completing financial aid requirements.

December through February 1

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for your applicable academic year (see chart).

February 1

Visit the “Needed Documents” section within Financial Aid Self-Service to review any outstanding requirements.

Scholarship consideration deadline

Newly admitted students will automatically be considered for all PCOM merit scholarship opportunities. The PCOM Scholarship Profile form is used to match current students to endowment scholarship opportunities for second year and beyond. Please submit your responses to the PCOM Scholarship Profile once you are fully confirmed and gain access to myPCOM.

Returning students are required to submit the PCOM Scholarship Profile by February 15 in order to have the best consideration for PCOM endowment scholarship opportunities. If you have submitted the PCOM Scholarship Profile in a prior academic year, you are not required to resubmit but we highly encourage you to update your responses at least once per academic year.

April 1

Around April 1 our office will award your initial financial aid package. Our office will email you when you can view your award in Financial Aid Self-Service within myPCOM. View the financial aid package section below for more information.

April 15

If you are borrowing federal student loans, finalize your remaining requirements and apply for the Graduate PLUS loan, if needed. View the federal student loan requirements section below for further details.

FSA ID

If you have never applied for financial aid before, you must first create a Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID):

• Visit studentaid.gov
• Click "Create Account."
• Follow the instructions and complete all required fields on each page.
  • Be sure you enter your name and contact information as it is listed with the Social Security Administration (SSA).
  • After creating your FSA ID, you will have limited access to certain applications (you will not be able to complete the FAFSA) until your information is verified with the Social Security Administration (SSA). A later email will be sent to you from FSA ID notifying you of the SSA verification results. This usually takes 1-2 weeks.

Complete the FAFSA

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the academic year in which you will be enrolled (see chart). Students who wish to be considered for federal student loans and PCOM’s financial need scholarships must complete the FAFSA:

• Visit studentaid.gov
• Click the "Start Here" button.
• Follow the instructions and complete all required fields on each page.

FAFSA tips

View our office's YouTube video for help with completing the FAFSA:

Requirements for scholarship consideration

You must fulfill three major requirements in order to have priority consideration for PCOM scholarships:

1. Complete the FAFSA for your academic year for consideration for PCOM's financial need scholarships and federal loans.
2. Complete the PCOM Scholarship Profile within myPCOM Financial Aid Self-Service for consideration for PCOM's endowed scholarships.
3. Complete any potential missing requirements in the "Needed Documents" section within Financial Aid Self-Service.

Scholarship application deadlines

• For students admitted to their PCOM program prior to February 1, the application deadline is February 15.
• For students admitted to their PCOM program after February 1, refer to Financial Aid Self-Service within myPCOM to view your specific Scholarship Consideration Deadline for the FAFSA and PCOM Scholarship Profile.

Around April 1, our office will award your initial financial aid package. You will receive an automated email from our office that will encourage you to:

• Complete a Budgeting Worksheet to determine how much you may need to borrow in student loans for school and living expenses.
• Visit the "Aid Summary" section within Financial Aid Self-Service to accept or decline your awarded federal Stafford Unsubsidized Loan and other aid.
• Visit the "Needed Documents" section within Financial Aid Self-Service to review any outstanding requirements. Be sure to routinely check this section as new requirements may appear when you accept certain aid or complete other requirements.
• Apply for the federal Grad PLUS loan (if needed). Please note: the Graduate PLUS loan application is typically available on studentaid.gov in mid-April.
  

If borrowing federal student loans, follow the instructions below to finalize your remaining federal Direct Stafford unsubsidized loan requirements. Your student loans will not disburse to PCOM unless the below requirements are completed:

Complete Entrance Counseling

• Visit studentaid.gov and login using your FSA ID.
• Follow the instructions and complete all required fields on each page.
• Upon completion, it will take several business days for your Entrance Counseling to be imported into PCOM's system and show as complete in Financial Aid Self-Service.

Complete Unsubsidized Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN)

• Visit studentaid.gov and login using your FSA ID.
• Follow the instructions and complete all required fields on each page.
• Upon completion, it will take several business days for your MPN to be imported into PCOM's system and show as completed in Financial Aid Self-Service.

Use the below instructions to apply for the federal Graduate PLUS loan.

Complete the Grad PLUS Master Promissory Note (MPN)

• Visit studentaid.gov and login using your FSA ID.
• Click "Complete a Master Promissory Note."
• Follow the instructions and complete all required fields on each page.
• Upon completion, it will take several business days for your MPN to be imported into PCOM's system and show as completed in Financial Aid Self-Service.

Complete the Grad PLUS Loan Application

Please note: the Graduate PLUS loan application is typically available on studentaid.gov in mid-April.

• Visit studentaid.gov and login using your FSA ID.
• Choose your PCOM academic year (see chart) as the Award Year.
• Choose if you approve "Authorization for School to Use Loan Funds to Satisfy Other Charges."
  
  (Our office recommends selecting this option so your PLUS loan funds can pay toward miscellaneous PCOM fees, such as parking fees.)
• Choose "PENNSYLVANIA" or "GEORGIA" for your appropriate state.
• Choose "PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC" as the school.
• Specify your PLUS loan amount for the applicable academic year.
  • Utilize our budgeting worksheets to help you determine how much loan you may need to borrow.
  • Do not select "I do not know the amount I want to borrow."
  • Do not select "I want to borrow the maximum Direct PLUS Loan amount for which I am eligible."
• The Requested Loan Period Start and End Dates are equal to your approximate enrollment at PCOM for the applicable academic year.
  • For example, first- and second-year DO students should select August through May of the year for which aid is sought.
• Upon completion, it will take several business days for your PLUS loan request to be processed by our office and show as part of your Aid Summary within Financial Aid Self-Service.

Watch a quick video on how to apply for financial aid or review our overview sheet:

• PCOM video
• Overview sheet (PDF)

Need more help? Visit our contact page to view email addresses and phone numbers for our staff.