How to Apply
2019-2020

In order to be considered for the majority of PCOM's financial aid resources and federal student loans, you must complete the 2019-2020 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

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.

Your Financial Aid Checklist within myPCOM is your central hub for financial aid information: complete outstanding requirements, accept your financial aid awards and view your estimated cost of attendance.

To access your Financial Aid Checklist:

• 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 Checklist."
  • 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 "2019-2020 Academic Year."
  
  

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

October 1 through February 1

Complete the 2019-2020 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

February 15

Visit the “Needed Documents” section within your 2019-2020 Financial Aid Checklist to review any outstanding requirements.

March 1, 2019

SCHOLARSHIP CONSIDERATION DEADLINE
You must complete the following items by March 1 in order to have priority consideration for PCOM scholarships:

• 2019-2020 FAFSA.
• 2019-2020 PCOM Scholarship Application (within your Financial Aid Checklist in myPCOM).
• Any additional outstanding requirements (as described within your Financial Aid Checklist in myPCOM).

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 your Financial Aid Checklist within myPCOM. View the financial aid package section below for more information.

April 15

If 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 https://fsaid.ed.gov/
• Click the "Create an FSA ID" tab.
• Follow the instructions and complete all required fields on each page.
  • Make sure you list your name and contact information as it 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.
    
    

FAFSA.ED.GOV

Complete the 2019-2020 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students who wish to be considered for federal student loans and PCOM’s financial need scholarships must complete the FAFSA:

• Visit https://fafsa.ed.gov
• Click the "Start A New FAFSA" button. Login with your FSA ID.
• Follow the instructions and complete all required fields on each page.
  
  

FAFSA Tips

Important notes when completing the FAFSA:

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS

• Make sure you list your name and contact information as it listed with the Social Security Administration (SSA).
• If you are an incoming first year student, make sure you correctly select your grade level as "1st yr. graduate/professional."
  [FAFSA Screenshot]
  
• If you are a returning student to PCOM, make sure you correctly select your 'college grade level' as "Continuing graduate/professional or beyond."
• Make sure you correctly select your 'degree or certificate working on' as "Graduate/professional degree."
  [FAFSA Screenshot]
  
  

SCHOOL SELECTION

• PCOM’s Federal School Code is 015979. All students at each location (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) use this code.
  [FAFSA Screenshot], [FAFSA Screenshot]

DEPENDENCY STATUS

• If you wish to be considered for PCOM's financial need scholarships, you are REQUIRED to post your parent information on the FAFSA if you are age 26 and younger as of December 31, 2018. If you are 27 or older as of January 1, 2019, parent information is NOT required on the FAFSA to be considered for PCOM's financial need scholarships. Parent information is not required on the FAFSA for consideration of federal student loans.
  • As a graduate/professional student, the FAFSA will inform you that you are an independent student and do not need to record your parental income information on the FAFSA. However, as stated above, it is PCOM policy that you must record your parental income information on the FAFSA to be considered for PCOM’s financial need scholarships.
    [FAFSA Screenshot]
  • Parental information is not required on the FAFSA for consideration of federal student loans. Recording your parental income information on the FAFSA will not affect your eligibility for federal student loans and federal work study programs. There is no downside to recording your parental income information on the FAFSA; you will only be considered for more PCOM aid.
  • If your parents have not yet filed their 2017 taxes due to an extension, you can use estimated values to complete the FAFSA.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

• Have your 2017 W-2s and 2017 1040 tax income/tax information available to help you answer questions on the FAFSA.
• Our office strongly encourages you to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) on the FAFSA to import your and (if applicable) your parents’ tax information. This tool will minimize additional documents our office might request.
  [FAFSA Screenshot], [FAFSA Screenshot], [FAFSA Screenshot]
  
  • Note that after you complete the data retrieval, your income and adjusted gross income will show as "Transferred from the IRS" within the FAFSA.
    [FAFSA Screenshot]

SIGN AND SUBMIT

• Read the terms and conditions.
  [FAFSA Screenshot]
• Click the "SIGN THIS FAFSA" button.
  [FAFSA Screenshot]
• Be sure to click the final "SUBMIT MY FAFSA NOW" button to fully submit your FAFSA.
  [FAFSA Screenshot]
• It will take several days for your FAFSA to be processed by Federal Student Aid. It will then take 1-2 weeks for your FAFSA to be imported into PCOM's system and show as completed on your Financial Aid Checklist.
  • Note that our office will begin importing students' 2019-2020 FAFSA data into our system in January 2019.
    
    

Three Requirements

You must have three major requirements completed by March 1, 2019 in order to have priority consideration for PCOM scholarships:

1. DUE: 2019-2020 FAFSA for consideration for PCOM's financial need scholarships and federal loans.
2. DUE: 2019-2020 PCOM Scholarship Application in your myPCOM Financial Aid Checklist for consideration for PCOM's endowed scholarships.
3. DUE: Review any potential missing requirements in the "Needed Documents" section within your Financial Aid Checklist.

*The March 1, 2019 date is for students admitted to their PCOM program prior to February 15, 2019. For students admitted to their PCOM program after February 15, 2019 refer to your Financial Aid Checklist within myPCOM to view your specific Scholarship Consideration Deadline for the FAFSA and PCOM Scholarship Application.

Dependency Status

If you wish to be considered for PCOM's financial need scholarships, you are REQUIRED to post your parent information on the FAFSA if you are age 26 and younger as of December 31, 2018. If you are 27 or older as of January 1, 2019, parent information is NOT required on the FAFSA to be considered for PCOM's financial need scholarships. Parent information is not required on the FAFSA for consideration of federal student loans.

• As a graduate/professional student, the FAFSA will inform you that you are an independent student and do not need to record your parental income information on the FAFSA. However, as stated above, it is PCOM policy that you must record your parental income information on the FAFSA to be considered for PCOM’s financial need scholarships.
  [FAFSA Screenshot]
• Parental information is not required on the FAFSA for consideration of federal student loans. Recording your parental income information on the FAFSA will not affect your eligibility for federal student loans and federal work study programs. There is no downside to recording your parental income information on the FAFSA; you will only be considered for more PCOM aid.
• If your parents have not yet filed their 2017 taxes due to an extension, you can use estimated values to complete the FAFSA.
  
  

Around April 1, 2019 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 & living expenses.
• Visit the "Award Summary" section within your Financial Aid Checklist to accept or decline your awarded federal Stafford Unsubsidized Loan and other aid.
• Visit the "Needed Documents" section within your Financial Aid Checklist 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 Graduate PLUS loan (if needed).
  
  Note that the 2019-2020 Graduate PLUS loan application is not available on the studentloans.gov website until April 15, 2019.
  
  

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 Direct Loan Entrance Counseling:

• Visit https://studentloans.gov and login using your FSA ID.
• Click "Complete Loan Counseling (Entrance, Financial Awareness, Exit)."
• Click the "START" button beside Entrance Counseling.
• 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 on your Financial Aid Checklist.

Complete the Stafford Unsubsidized Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN):

• Visit https://studentloans.gov and login using your FSA ID.
• Click "Complete Loan Agreement (Master Promissory Note)."
• Click the "START" button beside "MPN for Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans."
• 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 on your Financial Aid Checklist.
  
  

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

Complete the Graduate PLUS loan Master Promissory Note (MPN)

• Visit https://studentloans.gov and login using your FSA ID.
• Click "Complete a Master Promissory Note."
• Click the "START" button beside "PLUS MPN for Graduate/Professional Students."
• 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 your Financial Aid Checklist.

Complete the Graduate PLUS Loan Application

Note that the 2019-2020 Graduate PLUS Loan Application is not available on the studentloans.gov website until April 15, 2019.

• Visit https://studentloans.gov and login using your FSA ID.
• Click "Apply for a Direct PLUS Loan."
• Click the "START" button beside "Direct PLUS Loan Application for Graduate/Professional Students."
• Choose "2019-2020" 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 2019-2020 academic year.
  • Utilize our Budgeting Worksheets to help you determine how much loan you may need to borrow.
  • Do not select "I want to borrow the maximum Direct PLUS Loan amount for which I am eligible."
  • Do not select "I do not know the amount I want to borrow."
• The Requested Loan Period Start and End Dates are equal to your approximate enrollment at PCOM for the 2019-2020 academic year.
  
  (For example, 1st- and 2nd-year DO students should select August 2019 through May 2020.)
• 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 Award Summary in your Financial Aid Checklist.