Office of Financial Aid 

In addition to completing the FAFSA, students interested in federal and/or institutional funding must:

• Maintain satisfactory academic progress for their program.
• Be a U.S. citizen, be an eligible non-citizen with a valid social security number or have a Permanent Resident Visa.
• Be accepted for admission or enrolled at least half-time.
• Not be in default on any loan or owe a refund on any grant made under Title IV at any institution. If you are in default on a federal loan, find more information regarding the Fresh Start program.
• Have financial need, which is the difference between the cost of attendance (COA) and the Student Aid Index (SAI) for most Geisinger College scholarships.
• Have a high school diploma, a GED or a passing “ability to benefit” test result.

Grants

A grant is a form of financial aid that doesn’t have to be repaid. 

Scholarships

Scholarships help students pay for college. This type of free money, which is sometimes based on academic merit, talent or a particular area of study.

Loans

Many students use federal loans (must complete current year’s FAFSA). Students may also decide to apply for private loans.

GI Bill^® educational benefits

The GI Bill^® provides aid for military service members, veterans and military families  

Employee benefits

For nursing students, substantial support is available for Geisinger employees to obtain or advance their nursing education. 

Loans, debt management and financial planning

All students

• Return of Title IV funds policy (R2T4)
• Repayment plans
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness fact sheet 2023-2024
• Special circumstances form for students 2024-2025
• Dependency status based on unusual circumstances 2024-2025

Medical students

• Student rights and responsibilities – medical and graduate students
• Financial aid terms and conditions 2024-2025 – medical and graduate students 
• Satisfactory academic progress for the MD program
• PA Residency Appeal Form 2024-2025 (This determines the tuition that is charged to the student and used to determine the cost of attendance when determining eligibility for aid.)
• Special condition form for 2023-2024 students
• Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine financial aid guidebook – 2024-2025

Graduate students

• Student rights and responsibilities – medical and graduate students
• Financial aid terms and conditions 2024-2025 – medical and graduate students
• Satisfactory academic progress for the School of Graduate Education
• School of Graduate Education financial aid guidebook – 2024-2025

Nursing students

• Student rights and responsibilities – nursing students
• Financial aid terms and conditions 2023-2024 – nursing students
• Satisfactory academic progress for the School of Nursing
• School of Nursing financial aid guidebook – 2024-2025

The Office of Financial Aid has a default prevention plan in place for students and graduates who may fall behind on loan repayment. Students are monitored to ensure timely loan repayment and letters can be sent to students who fall within the following categories:

1. 31-90 days delinquent
2. 91-120 days delinquent
3. 121-270 days delinquent

This gives students ample notification to reach out to the Office of Financial Aid and/or their Federal Loan Servicer for counseling advice and alternative options to keep their loans in good standing.

In addition, please refer to Loans, Debt Management and Financial Planning for additional information regarding borrowing, repayment options, deferment, forbearance, consolidation as well as loan forgiveness information and how to manage debt.

The Office of Financial Aid also offers individual sessions with our students to discuss budgeting, debt management, loan repayment options and strategies and ways to make college affordable. Reach out to our office for more information and assistance:

• Nursing students: nursingfinancialaid@geisinger.edu
• Medical and graduate students: financialaid@geisinger.edu