FAQ

Page updated September 24, 2024.

General Information

WHAT IS PROGRAM MODERNIZATION?

We are taking steps to provide students, families, and program partners in the Commonwealth with a comprehensive solution for PHEAA-administered financial aid—we want to make it easy to apply and manage program activities. Our PA State Grant System will modernize how we administer the PA State Grant Program as well as over 20 other special programs that we administer. Through this platform, we will see streamlined application processes and additional self-service options for partners and students, in addition to other new functionality.

WHY DO WE NEED THE PA STATE GRANT SYSTEM?

We recently took a closer look at our technology and practices to find ways to modernize. When we looked at the existing grant platform, we recognized that it would benefit greatly from a transformation. As PHEAA's program administration activities increase, the number of customers we serve increases. We need an updated, state-of-the-art solution to meet this demand.

WHAT KIND OF TOOL WILL IT BE?

We will deploy a cloud-based, off-the-shelf product that is flexible, highly configurable, user friendly, and feature-rich.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THIS CHANGE?

We want to provide you with:

  • Improved user experience: A modern and user-friendly platform to get what you need faster.
  • More capabilities: With the modernized platform, new and improved capabilities will be available to support students and schools alike.
WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION?

Initial resources for students and families and training materials for program partners are now available. To ensure information remains up-to-date and easily accessible, we will periodically post updates.

HOW WILL THE PA STATE GRANT SYSTEM IMPACT PHEAA OPERATIONS?
The modernized system brings us process efficiency and more automation which allows our staff to provide enhanced service to our students and program partners.
WHICH PHEAA-ADMINISTERED PROGRAMS WILL BE ADDED TO THE NEW PLATFORM?
All of our special programs will be housed in the PA State Grant System. This includes the PA State Grant Program as well as the PA State Work-Study Program, Chafee Education and Training Grant Program, PA Targeted Industry Program (PA-TIP), and PA Act 101 Program—just to name a few!

Schools & Community Partners

WHAT SHOULD MY ORGANIZATION DO TO PREPARE FOR THE MIGRATION TO THE PA STATE GRANT SYSTEM?

First, ensure that each person in your organization has their own unique email address. In the PA State Grant System, group email addresses (such as finaid@school.edu or grantsteam@community.com, where the mailbox is accessed by multiple people) cannot be used as usernames.

Second, be sure that your organization has a valid authoritative source on file with our State Grant and Special Programs (SGSP) Department. Access to the PA State Grant System will be initiated with the listed Authoritative Source so it is important that SGSP has current information for your organization. Changes to your authoritative source should be reported to sgsp_bpams_processing@pheaa.org.

Finally, remember that the 2023-24 award year and prior will be managed via our current systems (PageCenterX, myFileGateway, Rocket Terminal Emulator (TE), and Partner Interface). PHEAA strongly encourages all organizations to communicate these updates to additional organizational staff (for example, admissions, registrar, bursar, etc.) as PA State Grant System updates may also affect their workflows.

WHO IS IMPACTED BY THE LAUNCH OF THE PA STATE GRANT SYSTEM?

All students, families, secondary and postsecondary schools, partners, and organizations that interact with one of our PHEAA-administered programs will be impacted. When and how much your organization will be impacted will depend on which programs you use.

IS PHEAA AWARE THAT MANY OTHER CHANGES IN FINANCIAL AID ADMINISTRATION ARE ALSO OCCURRING THIS YEAR?
Yes. We are sensitive to changes occurring at the federal level, but we see the timing as an opportunity to align the new platform launch with the necessary updates.
WHAT CURRENT TOOLS WILL THE PA STATE GRANT SYSTEM?

We expect our new platform to replace and centralize use of:

  • Alec and Partner Interface
  • PageCenter and PageCenterX
  • Rocket TE
  • Business Partner Access Management System (BPAMS)
  • MyFileGateway

Organizations and applicants may need to use both new and legacy methods for program administration and application processes until all programs transition into the PA State Grant System.

NOTE: Use of these tools may still be required if your organization partners with PHEAA for other business activities (such as PA Forward administration, Student Loan Notification Tool, etc.). The PA State Grant System will only encompass administration and functions of the PA State Grant Program and other special programs.

WILL I STILL BE ABLE TO ACCESS HISTORICAL DATA AFTER THE MODERNIZATION PROJECT IS COMPLETE?

We are assessing what historical data must be migrated into the PA State Grant System. Please keep in mind that programs and data elements will be migrated on an iterative schedule; until all data is available in the PA State Grant System, you will retain access to your current information. We will communicate when access to the old system ends, and legacy tools are turned off.

HOW WILL THE NEW SYSTEM INTERACT WITH OUR CURRENT FINANCIAL AID MANAGEMENT (FAM) SYSTEM?

The PA State Grant System will provide most users with the ability to:

  • Upload information for PHEAA to review and process
  • Export information that can then be uploaded into your FAM system
I DO NOT CURRENTLY USE THE PHEAA SYSTEM TO ADMINISTER A PROGRAM. WILL THIS CHANGE IN THE FUTURE?

Yes. As we modernize our grant management activities, we will work closely with all of our program partners to onboard you to the PA State Grant System. It is our goal and top priority to make program administration easier for everyone.

MY ORGANIZATION DOES NOT CURRENTLY PARTICIPATE IN A PHEAA-ADMINISTERED PROGRAM. HOW AM I IMPACTED?

While your organization may not participate in a PHEAA-administered program this year, please remember that may change in the future. It is also important for organizations that support financial aid outreach activities to understand and be aware of this transformational project so you can best support your students.

HOW AND WHEN WILL I BE TRAINED ON THE NEW PLATFORM?

We have provided training videos as resources to organizations, students, and families to help you learn this new platform. As new features become available, we will add or update videos, FAQ, and other resources.

WILL A TEST VERSION OF THE PA STATE GRANT SYSTEM BE AVAILABLE FOR USERS?

We plan to preview the platform at different conferences and training events. These events will allow our partners to explore certain functionality in the PA State Grant System. Stay tuned for those announcements and opportunities!

WHAT AUTHENICATORS CAN BE USED WITH THE PA STATE GRANT SYSTEM?

You will need to download either Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator on your smartphone, tablet, or mobile device. Alternatively, you can use the Google Chrome Authenticator extension within your web browser.

NOTE: Students and parents will use text or email for multifactor authentication.

WHAT SHOULD ORGANIZATION USER MANAGERS DO ON THEIR INITIAL PA STATE GRANT SYSTEM LOGIN?
After you have successfully logged in to the PA State Grant System for the first time, it is the Organization User Manager's responsibility to activate the accounts and provision access for other users at the organization. PHEAA will migrate initial organization contacts to make this process easier for the Organization User Manager. After activating accounts for other organization staff, the Organization User Manager should review their account as well to ensure their profile information and roles are also accurate.
I SEE ORGANIZATIONAL STAFF LISTED IN THE PA STATE GRANT SYSTEM THAT DO NOT WORK WITH THE PA STATE GRANT PROGRAM. WHAT SHOULD I (ORGANIZATION USER MANAGER) DO FOR THOSE STAFF MEMBERS?
At this time, PA State Grant System functionalities are only available for the PA State Grant Program. This means that any organizational staff that are granted Organization Program Editor, Organization Staff, or Organization Administrator will be able to view PA State Grant records. If you do not want these other staff to have access to PA State Grant records, you may delay adding or activating their PA State Grant System account until other programs roll out.
HAS PHEAA SHARED ANY DEPLOYMENT COMMUNICATIONS WITH ORGANIZATIONS?

Yes. These are our most recent deployment communications shared with organizations:

HOW CAN I ASK ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS THAT ARE NOT ALREADY COVERED ONLINE?

To submit a question, email grantus@pheaa.org.

We ask all partners to keep questions focused on the upcoming platform functionality and implementation timeline. Questions about state regulations and policy are not being prioritized through this project.

Students & Families

WHEN WILL THE PA STATE GRANT SYSTEM BE AVAILABLE?

The PA State Grant System was publicly launched in May 2024. Our initial launch activities are focused on our flagship program, the PA State Grant Program. Over the next few months, we will add functionality and additional PHEAA-administered programs. As those other programs and capabilities are added, resources will be added on this page and across our website to help support your use of the PA State Grant System.

Be sure to bookmark this page and check back later for updates!

HOW WILL STUDENTS GET INFORMATION ABOUT THE PA STATE GRANT SYSTEM?
We will communicate about the PA State Grant System with students and families in various ways throughout our deployment process. While we will use our public website, printed publications, social media channels, and community events (for example, FAFSA Completion events) to share information. We will also relay information to our program partners so that they may assist their students as well.
HOW WILL I KNOW WHEN IT IS TIME FOR ME TO ACCESS THE PA STATE GRANT SYSTEM?

The first step to accessing the PA State Grant System is completing your FAFSA!

We will email you about activating your PA State Grant System account once we receive and process your FAFSA information. Emails will come from NoReply@grantus.pheaa.org. This email is time-sensitive, so you are encouraged to act immediately!

If you cannot access the email before the activation link expires, use the link from your email to access the PA State Grant System and choose Forgot Password to go through the setup process.

WHAT IS THE HIGH SCHOOL FORM THAT FIRST-TIME STUDENTS NEED TO COMPLETE FOR THE PA STATE GRANT PROGRAM?

The High School Form streamlines the collection of high school data from all first-time applicants. It also ensures quicker review of eligibility and reduces our requests for additional information. First-time applicants must complete the High School Form and PA State Grant Form in the PA State Grant System.

WHY DO I NEED TO SET UP MULTIFACTOR AUTHENTICATION?

Protecting your personal information is extremely important to PHEAA. That's why we require all PA State Grant System users to log in securely and use multifactor authentication. Students and parents can complete multifactor authentication via email or text message (if there is a phone number associated with the account).

NOTE: If you already set up your account with an authenticator, you can clear your browser cache and reload to see the email and text authentication options.

WHAT IF I NEED A PARENT OR GUARDIAN SIGNATURE ON MY APPLICATION ITEMS?

The initial PA State Grant System release will not require a parent or guardian signature. If a parent or guardian signature is required, you will be able to invite them into the PA State Grant System to complete the necessary information during your eligibility review process.

HOW WILL I KNOW IF I AM ELIGIBLE FOR AN AWARD?

We expect award information to be available in the PA State Grant System during fall 2024.

HOW DO I CHANGE MY ADDRESS OR OTHER PERSONAL INFORMATION?

Please send us a message via the PA State Grant System Message Center to report the information that must be updated. We will let you know if we have follow-up questions or need additional documentation to process your request.

I AM A RETURNING STUDENT. WHAT HAPPENS IF I HAVE CHANGES FROM LAST YEAR'S APPLICATION?

If you received a PA State Grant award last year and need to update your information, please make all applicable changes on your FAFSA. Students will be able to update their PA State Grant data in the PA State Grant System during fall 2024.

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