Applying for Financial Aid

File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with our school code of 003297.

This is the first step in applying for federal financial aid. Completing and submitting the FAFSA form is free and secure, and provides you access to the largest source of financial aid to help you pay for your Mercyhurst University education. Your FAFSA data will also be used to determine your eligibility for state and institutional aid, and some private financial aid providers may use your FAFSA information to determine whether you qualify for their aid. Important Things to Know

• Mercyhurst University's FAFSA code is 003297. Be sure to include this code on your FAFSA to have your information sent directly to Mercyhurst's Office of Student Financial Services
• Mercyhurst's recommended filing date for the FAFSA is no later than March 15 of the year you plan to enroll
• For Pennsylvania residents, the deadline for the Pennsylvania State Grant is May 1 of the year you plan to enroll

What happens after submitting the FAFSA?

The FAFSA data is sent to Mercyhurst and any other schools that you listed on your application. Mercyhurst uses this information to determine eligibility for federal, state and institutional need-based financial aid.  Financial aid awards for prospective and incoming first-year students are created by the Office of Admissions beginning in November. 

Offer Letter

The initial financial aid offer letter is mailed to your home address if you are an incoming freshman. It will be accompanied by additional information on affording a Mercyhurst University education. Questions and concerns about a first-year student’s financial aid award should be directed to the Office of Admissions. Current students may contact the Office of Student Financial Services for assistance. The offer letter lists your eligible award amounts for the academic period of enrollment. An academic year at Mercyhurst University consists of a fall and spring semester. Offers are typically divided equally between these two semesters. You should review your offer letter and notify your admissions counselor of any offers that you want to decline.

Federal Student Loans

While eligibility for student loans may be indicated on an offer letter, securing those funds still requires that you complete entrance counseling as well as completion of a Master Promissory Note. Log onto the FAFSA website using your FSA ID to submit the electronic documents. This process should be completed prior to August 1 of the year you plan to enroll at Mercyhurst.

Student Work Study Awards

If you have a work study award on your offer letter, you will be contacted by Mercyhurst's Office of Human Resources with further instructions on how to obtain a work study position.

FAFSA Verification and Special Circumstances

If your FAFSA is selected for verification by the Department of Education, additional documentation will need to be submitted to the Office of Student Financial Services for review. A number of students each year are randomly selected to complete verification — verification means that the Department of Education requires the school to compare your income information with the information provided on your FAFSA. Students selected for verification are informed of this on their Student Aid Report, as well as by the Office of Student Financial Services. Please visit the FAFSA Verification webpage for more information. 

If you are unable to provide parent information on your FAFSA, you may submit an Unusual Circumstance Appeal for dependency override consideration. If yours or your parent(s)' financial circumstances have changed, you may submit a Special Financial Circumstance Appeal for consideration.